Koa Switzerland

What Koa Switzerland does

Koa Switzerland AG is a Swiss-Ghanaian food ingredient company founded in 2017 in Zurich by Anian Schreiber and Benjamin Kuschnik. The company upcycles cocoa fruit pulp — a byproduct that constitutes roughly 25% of cocoa fruit weight and is typically discarded — into commercial food ingredients. Core production relies on a proprietary two-stage model: Community Mobile Processing Units (CMPUs), which are solar-powered mobile extraction units deployed at or near cocoa farms in Ghana, followed by centralized pasteurization, packaging and shipping at the company's factory in Assin Akrofuom (described as Africa's largest cocoa fruit factory, inaugurated in Achiase, Ghana in September 2023). Operations span Zurich (headquarters and commercial), Accra, Assin Akrofuom and Cologne.

The product portfolio comprises four core B2B ingredients — Koa Pure (pasteurized cocoa fruit juice), Koa Concentrate, Koa Flakes (dried pulp) and Koa Choco Powder — sold in 10L and 200L units to chocolate manufacturers, pastry chefs, confectioners, beverage producers and fine-dining restaurants. Pricing is quote-based, and distribution runs through six regional partners across Switzerland (Felchlin), Germany/Austria (Confis-Express), Netherlands (Vanilla Venture), France (Maison des Métiers de Bouche), Luxembourg (Marilux) and Japan (DeCima), plus direct B2B sales and sample-request flows on koa-impact.com. Named commercial collaborations include Lindt (100% cocoa-fruit-sweetened bar), Valrhona (Oabika concentrate), Sprüngli (Luxemburgerli/pralines), Felchlin (100% couverture), Oberweis (pastry range) and Altinmarka (Cacaonly chocolate).

Differentiation rests on three pillars: the proprietary CMPU mobile-processing architecture, blockchain-verified farmer payments integrated with MTN mobile money through the seedtrace platform (co-developed with ETH Zurich and ZHAW), and impact credentials including B Corp certification (the first cocoa fruit brand so certified, November 2022) and a stated 40% reduction in cocoa fruit waste. The company raised approximately $27.6M across multiple rounds including a $15M Series B in December 2023 led by Mirova, employs roughly 100 people across Ghana and Switzerland, and reports ~$307 of additional farmer income per ton of cocoa beans delivered through pulp sales. Recent extensions include consumer products Koa Natural (Ghana retail, 2023), Koalimo energy drink with Koawach (Germany, 2024) and Cacaonly with Altinmarka (2025).

Name

Koa Switzerland

Legal name

Koa Switzerland AG

Website

https://koa-impact.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Koa Switzerland is a Swiss-Ghanaian food ingredient company that upcycles cocoa fruit pulp into juice, concentrate, and dried pulp products using solar-powered mobile processing units, selling B2B to chocolate manufacturers, pastry chefs, and gastronomy professionals across Europe, Ghana, and Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Food Ingredients (Cocoa Fruit Ingredients)

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing (312), Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (31193)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Beverages (2080), Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Juices & Juice Blends (Cold-Pressed, NFC, From Concentrate) (AFAKAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Juice Concentrates & Fruit Bases (AFAFAGAB), Juice & Nectar Production (Including Juice Drinks) (AFAFABAC)

Keywords

• Cocoa fruit upcycling
• Natural food ingredients
• Specialty cocoa ingredients
• Beverage ingredient supply
• Sustainable cocoa processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cocoa Fruit Ingredients B2B Sales: Sale of cocoa fruit juice (Koa Pure), concentrated juice (Koa Concentrate), and dried pulp (Koa Flakes, Koa Choco Powder) as ingredients to food and beverage manufacturers including chocolate makers, pastry chefs, restaurants, and beverage companies.
2. Gastronomy Professional Sales: Direct sales of Koa products to gastronomy professionals including restaurants, cafes, bars, and pastry chefs through distributors and direct relationships. Products available in 10L and 200L units for commercial use.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Koa manufactures and sells cocoa fruit ingredients — fresh juice (Koa Pure), concentrated juice (Koa Concentrate), dried pulp (Koa Flakes), and cocoa fruit pulp with cocoa powder (Koa Choco Powder) — to food and beverage manufacturers and gastronomy professionals. Cocoa fruit pulp is extracted at the farm in Ghana using proprietary solar-powered Community Mobile Processing Units (CMPU) and finished at the Assin Akrofuom factory before being shipped to customers in Europe and Japan.

Product overview

Koa Switzerland is a Swiss-Ghanaian company that produces cocoa fruit ingredients for the food and beverage industry. The core product line consists of four main offerings: Koa Pure (fresh cocoa fruit juice), Koa Concentrate (50 brix concentrated juice), Koa Flakes (dried cocoa pulp), and Koa Choco Powder (dried pulp with cocoa powder). These versatile natural ingredients are used by gastronomy professionals and food manufacturers for sweetening and flavouring beverages, chocolate, confectionery, bakery goods, and ice cream. The company also has collaboration products including Oabika with Valrhona and Koalimo energy drink with koawach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Koalimo: World's first caffeinated energy drink made with cocoa fruit juice, launched in Germany in 2024.
• Koawach
• Koa Natural

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% food waste reduction
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ValrhonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Oabika - a cocoa fruit juice concentrate with rare fruity and tangy flavours. Premium chocolate manufacturer contributing to product development and market access.
• MTNcoreTechnology or IntegrationAfrica's largest mobile network operator enabling mobile money payments to cocoa farmers. Payments are automatically verified with blockchain through MTN's payment infrastructure.
• seedtracecoreTechnology or IntegrationBlockchain traceability platform partner that compares payment details from Koa with MTN information and stores verified transactions on blockchain.
• ETH ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss Federal Institute of Technology - academic partner in developing the cocoa fruit processing technology and innovation.
• ZHAWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZurich University of Applied Sciences - academic partner contributing to innovation in cocoa processing technology.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cabosse Naturals: Swiss-based cocoa-fruit pulp ingredient company producing cacao juice, pulp, and related ingredients from Latin American (Ecuador, Dominican Republic) cocoa. Most direct functional peer to Koa — same product family, same B2B ingredient model, same chocolate-industry target buyers — though Koa differentiates via Ghana origin and decentralized CMPU processing.

Broad incumbents

• Döhler: German-based global ingredient producer for beverages, dairy, and food, with deep fruit-juice and concentrate capabilities. Comparable to Koa where it overlaps in fruit/juice concentrates, flavor bases, and B2B ingredient supply to beverage and dairy customers — but at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Barry Callebaut: World's largest chocolate and cocoa manufacturer, operating across the full bean-to-product value chain with growing activity in cocoa-fruit valorization. Comparable because it controls the supply side Koa depends on and is also a potential competitor plus customer, with similar end-buyers in premium chocolate.
• Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate: Major cocoa processor and chocolate manufacturer with extensive West African sourcing and ongoing investments in cocoa-fruit utilization. Comparable as a vertically integrated incumbent that could replicate or compete with Koa's pulp-extraction model at significant scale.
• Symrise: Global flavor and ingredient manufacturer supplying beverage, confectionery, and bakery customers with fruit-based flavors, juice concentrates, and natural sweetening systems. Comparable on the ingredient-platform dimension where Koa competes for the same food-manufacturer wallet share.
• Givaudan: World's largest flavors and fragrances house with a Food & Beverage segment delivering natural fruit-based flavors and integrated ingredient solutions. Adjacent comparable because it operates at the same buyer interface (chocolate, beverage, dairy manufacturers) and has the R&D and capital capacity to launch a cocoa-fruit flavor system competitively.
• Olam Food Ingredients (ofi): Major cocoa and coffee ingredients business with deep West African farmer networks. Comparable as a vertically integrated cocoa-ingredient supplier with potential to develop and distribute cocoa-fruit products at scale using its existing farmer infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Regrained: US-based ingredient startup that upcycled spent grain from breweries into food ingredients (SuperGrain+ flour). Comparable to Koa as a category-defining upcycled-ingredient B2B supplier with mission-driven branding and similar positioning with craft/food-industry buyers.
• Barnana: Brand turning "imperfect" and surplus plantains/bananas into snacks, with B2B ingredient applications. Comparable as an emerging brand using upcycling narrative to convert a previously discarded fruit byproduct into a premium ingredient — strong thematic parallel to Koa's cocoa-pulp story.
• Renewal Mill: US-based upcycled-ingredient company producing flours and powders from food-production byproducts (juice pulp, okara). Comparable to Koa as a B2B upcycled-ingredient startup targeting natural and clean-label food manufacturers with traceability and impact stories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/koaswitzerland
• Instagraminstagram.com/koa.impact
• Xx.com/koaimpact
• Facebookfacebook.com/koa.impact

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Koa Switzerland