> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://cocoaradar.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # York Cocoa Works Launches Bar Made with Fermented Cocoa Shells - URL: https://cocoaradar.com/york-cocoa-works-launches-bar-made-with-fermented-cocoa-shells/ - Published: 2026-10-09T13:15:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-09T13:14:59.000Z - Description: The 30g cocoa fibre bar marks the first consumer-product launch for Fermtech’s Koji Cocoa ingredient, which uses solid-state fermentation to turn a cocoa-processing side stream into food - Author: Anthony Myers - Tags: Fermtech, York Cocoa Works, Alt Chocolate [ ![EU-Nigeria Agribusiness Platform](https://eungagribusiness.com/eunap-logo.png) 29 October 2026 · Brussels, Belgium Nigeria/West Africa Cocoa Origins – EU Industry Match-Making Forum Connect with leading cocoa stakeholders from West Africa and Europe at this high-level B2B forum in Brussels. Explore new business opportunities, build strategic partnerships and unlock access to European markets. Register for the forum ](https://eungagribusiness.com/events/brusselsb2b-2026/registration?ref=cocoaradar.com) --- York Cocoa Works has introduced a £4.50 bar made with fermented cocoa bean shells, taking biotechnology company Fermtech’s Koji Cocoa ingredient from development and customer trials into a retail product. The York chocolatier’s 30g Milk Cocoa Fibre Bar contains 45% cocoa-origin material. It combines Koji Cocoa fibre with cocoa butter instead of conventional cocoa mass, believed to be the first retail bar made with Koji Cocoa. ![Image shows a product shot of Koji Cooca i](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/e5/42e56cb4-2135-4886-b7a8-860153b64965/content/images/2026/10/YCW-Cocoa-fibre-bar.jpeg) Koji Cooca is now on sale via York Cocoa Works. Image: YCWThe The bar went on sale through York Cocoa Works’ website and at its York shop earlier this month, following its introduction at the York Food & Drink Festival in late September. It was also presented to the industry at this week’s London Chocolate Forum. Fermtech, an Oxford-based biotechnology company founded by chief executive Andy Clayton, produces Koji Cocoa from shells removed during cocoa bean processing. The shells are commonly used for composting, animal feed and anaerobic digestion. The company uses a two- to three-day solid-state fermentation process in which mycelium grows through the shells, breaking down lignin and cellulose and changing their texture and flavour. Fermtech says the resulting ingredient retains cocoa characteristics while acquiring additional flavours and compounds associated with fermentation and subsequent heat treatment. > “Koji Cocoa is about extending the cocoa crop, not replacing it,” Clayton said in the launch announcement. “We use fermentation to turn cocoa bean shell into a valuable, great-tasting ingredient, helping manufacturers make more from the crops they already source.” The distinction is important to York Cocoa Works founder Sophie Jewett, who has previously criticised ‘alternative cocoa’ products that she believes could allow chocolate businesses to avoid their responsibilities within the existing cocoa supply chain. Jewett said she agreed to work with Fermtech only after making clear that she would not support the validation of non-cocoa substitutes. Instead, the collaboration centres on finding additional uses for material from the cocoa crop, including shells generated by York Cocoa Works’ own production. “This bar is an opportunity to explore that question through chocolate,” she said. “We’ve combined our chocolate-making expertise with Fermtech’s approach to fermentation to see how more of the cocoa crop can be valued – and, importantly, to give people the opportunity to taste the result for themselves.” ## **Cost, Formulation and Scale** Speaking at the London Chocolate Forum, Clayton said Fermtech’s current Koji Cocoa price was around half that of mainstream cocoa ingredients. He did not provide the underlying price comparison, product specification or contract period. ![Image shows Fermtech Chief Executive Andy Clayton delivering Koji Cocoa ingredient to the LCF](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/e5/42e56cb4-2135-4886-b7a8-860153b64965/content/images/2026/10/adam-clayton-Fermtech---LCF.jpg) Fermtech Chief Executive Andy Clayton delivers Koji Cocoa ingredient to the LCF. Image: cocoaradar.com Clayton said the ingredient can be used in fillings, creams, drinks, baked goods and compound coatings. Fermtech claims that it can replace cocoa on a one-for-one basis at substitution levels of up to 100%, although recipes may need to be adjusted because its higher fibre content absorbs more fat and water. The retail bar contains about 50% more fibre than an equivalent formulation made with cocoa mass, according to Clayton. Fermtech also presented findings from consumer research conducted with Oxford Brookes University. Clayton said 89% of participants identified flavour as their leading consideration, 84% were open to koji as a production method and approximately three-quarters were receptive to an innovation offering a health or functional benefit. The sample size and full methodology were not included in the material supplied. The company currently works with a soy sauce factory in China, where equipment already used for koji fermentation can process cocoa shells at scale. Fermtech said it also intends to expand production in the UK and expects to launch a Series A funding round towards the end of 2026 to finance its own production capacity. Its commercial model includes producing ingredients from shells sourced on the open market and licensing its technology to larger cocoa businesses. Under the licensing model, manufacturers could process their own shell streams and return the resulting ingredient to their formulations. ## **Environmental Claims Require Context** Fermtech says Koji Cocoa could help manufacturers get more food from already-cultivated cocoa, potentially reducing exposure to supply constraints and price volatility. The company’s life cycle assessment indicates that UK-produced Koji Cocoa can have a carbon footprint up to 98% lower than that of conventional cocoa powder. The comparison applies only to the Koji Cocoa ingredient, not the finished York Cocoa Works bar, and is based on Fermtech’s own assessment. Clayton also said the ingredient carries no agricultural or deforestation footprint because it uses a processing side stream. The full life-cycle methodology, allocation assumptions, and treatment of fermentation, transport, and energy were not supplied, so the environmental comparison cannot be independently assessed from the available information. ## **CocoaRadar View** The launch gives Fermtech something more valuable than another laboratory prototype: a product that consumers can buy and manufacturers can examine in a commercial setting. Its positioning may also help Koji Cocoa avoid some of the resistance faced by cocoa-free alternatives. Fermtech is not asking chocolate makers to abandon cocoa but to extract additional value from material already present in their supply chains. The larger test will be whether the process can deliver consistent flavour, food-safety performance and competitive economics at industrial scale. Evidence on those points will matter more than launching a single £4.50, 30g bar.