Meiji launched its very first non-food venture, CACAO STYLE , in 2023. This innovative, sustainability-minded brand offers lifestyle products made from parts of the cacao plant that, until now, have mostly gone unused.
How exactly can cacao be used for something besides sweet treats? Meiji's Takeshi Hareyama, in charge of CACAO STYLE, and Kota Machida, from project partner fabula, tell us about the new brand's background and product development.
The challenge to realize cacao's true value
CACAO STYLE was born out of "Now Open the Cacao by Meiji," a Meiji initiative that since 2022 has been working to discover new possibilities for cacao.
Cacao is familiar to all as the key ingredient in chocolate. However, only the cacao bean, which is actually the seed of the cacao fruit, is used in chocolate manufacturing. Including the bean and the pulp used for fermentation, only around 30% of the cacao is effectively utilized.
Our goal with "Now Open the Cacao by Meiji" is to reconsider this deceptively versatile fruit, and make use of it in its entirety. This will raise cacao's value, in turn giving back to the regions where it is farmed.
Hareyama explains how he got involved: "Working at a Meiji research laboratory led me to become interested in cacao-farming regions. Eventually, I decided to visit some of these areas on vacation. Small-scale farmers make their living in many of these locations, and I was struck by their underprivileged lifestyles which involve heavy manual labor.
"This made me want to pursue work that could contribute more to these farmers and their communities. At that point, "Now Open the Cacao by Meiji" had just begun, and I eagerly joined the project."
A Malaysian cacao farm, photographed by Hareyama
The home of a farmer at this location
Encountering project partner fabula
Cacao husks
Hareyama's role in "Now Open the Cacao by Meiji" was to oversee the use of cacao husk: the skin of the cacao bean that is removed when chocolate is made. In Japan alone, husks removed for chocolate production are estimated to total as much as 5,000 tons each year. Though these husks had been used in fertilizer and animal feed, other possibilities had not yet been fully explored.
Our search for new ways to utilize cacao led us to fabula, a startup founded by University of Tokyo graduate Kota Machida together with some childhood friends. This company focuses on the development of new materials from surplus food products, such as "rejected" vegetables and remnants from processing. Fabula's new materials, we discovered, could be as strong as concrete—or stronger.
We first met fabula's Kota Machida at a business event. At that point, he had experimented with around 100 different raw materials, but had no knowledge of cacao beyond its use in chocolate. Machida was intrigued by the idea of cacao being something fabula could utilize, and so he approached Meiji.
"I had never imagined that materials as strong as concrete could be created with food-derived matter," says Hareyama. "The potential as a building resource captured my imagination, too."
We wondered if fabula's technology could similarly create something valuable out of cacao husks. From there, the collaboration between Meiji and fabula began.
Reimagining cacao husk as a valuable, richly aromatic resource
The two companies got to work on prototyping a new material. Fabula's process involves drying food-derived matter into powdered form, then applying heat and pressure to mold this powder into shape. This preserves the color, texture, and even the aroma of its 100% food-based raw materials.
That's right—a material made from cacao husks will have the familiar, much-loved smell of chocolate.
Removed cacao husks vary in moisture content and exact color. While developing the new material, we steadily amassed data on the effects of different degrees of drying, heat application, and pressure.
Powdered cacao husk
This powder is molded into shape by applying heat and pressure.
Hareyama and Machida agree that the manufacture of drinks coasters has, so far, been the most challenging use of the new material.
"Cacao is highly hygroscopic, meaning that it easily absorbs moisture," explains Hareyama. "So, a coating was essential to provide the water-resistance required for coasters. The aroma of cacao is diminished, however, as greater amounts of coating are applied. It took many prototypes until we achieved sufficient water-resistance, while still retaining the scent of cacao."
"When I first received a sample of cocoa husk," Machida says, "the aroma made me want to create items that would make the most of that. Maintaining the color and scent of cacao felt like a way to connect products with the story behind their material."
Hareyama was enthusiastic about this idea. "I thought it was very cool," he remembers. "In the world of upcycling, people often focus on the technologies and efforts that go into these projects. But I think it's equally important to create appealing products with these new techniques. I really appreciate that fabula's work recognized the appeal of preserving cacao's natural aroma."
I think it's important to create appealing products that people will want to pick up.
Bringing a smile to everybody involved with cacao
Under the CACAO STYLE brand, Meiji has been presenting various products that were created with the new material through trial and error. These items are currently sold through fabula, and a number of other partners.
Hareyama is eager for more people to know about the new brand. "We want to emphasize fun and excitement in the development of our products," he enthuses. "The CACAO STYLE ROOM, which we presented at our 2023 media event, is a great example. Its space is filled with a rich, chocolatey scent, thanks to flooring which was specially made by fabula. We hope that through experiencing different products made with cacao husks, people discover the world of cacao beyond chocolate."
The CACAO STYLE Room, unveiled at the 2023 media presentation.
Meiji and fabula's joint challenge continues, with Machida and Hareyama having both a shared vision, and personal hopes for the project.
"I want to continue to improve the suitability of cacao husk for use in building materials," says Machida. "If we can use it for larger applications, that could help solve problems faced by the construction industry. For example, manufacturing of cement for use in concrete emits huge amounts of CO2, while other raw materials such as sand are running out. At the same time, larger-scale applications would increase the amount of cacao husk effectively utilized."
Hareyama, meanwhile, would like to create a new cacao-focused business model. "Upcycling unused resources alone has social significance," he explains, "but in the future, I hope to establish a system that contributes more to cacao-producing regions.
"I imagine this as a circle of positivity. People would pick up and enjoy items made with cacao husks, with profits from the sales of these products then returned to cacao farmers. I'm going to continue taking on these kinds of challenges, with the hope that everyone involved in cacao can smile even more."
We will continue challenging ourselves to bring a smile to everybody involved with cacao.
