The increasing popularity of functional snacks in markets all over the world has been no secret – but while chocolate-flavoured protein products have been common, the idea of a chocolate snack that is high in protein has been less so.
This may be about to change with Singapore-based COA & Co (COA) Chocolates, which burst onto the scene recently with its high-protein chocolate snacks enriched with fermented soy.
“The mention of protein and chocolate tends to immediately be linked to chocolate protein bars, but we are not doing that – we have designed our product to be a real, premium chocolate that is high in protein,” COA Founder and CEO Eduardo Burg told us.
“The way this has been done is we have fortified our chocolate with fermented soy, and are the first in the world to do so – this is in contrast to 90% of food fortification being done currently that uses protein isolates or concentrates.
“Our fermentation process was designed to enhance protein bioavailability and create a healthier, more sustainable protein source compared to traditional protein isolates.
“The fermentation also introduces beneficial bioactive compounds and probiotics, enhancing the functionality of the chocolates.”
Bioavailability is an important concept in terms of plant-based proteins, as some experts believe plant-based proteins to be less absorbable by the human body compared to animal proteins, a situation that Burg believes can be remedied with fermentation technology.
The fermented soy in COA’s chocolates is present as a cluster of sorts, looking almost exactly like a nut or cereal component within 60% milk chocolate.
Despite its high protein value, COA’s initial target audience for the chocolate was not the gym or athletic crowds as might be expected, but instead female consumers between 35 to 55, and this later broadened significantly.
“The original positioning was due to the fermented soy also being able to confer benefits in terms of hormone regulation, but we quickly realised that there were many more consumer groups out there that this would also appeal to for various reasons,” he said.
“For instance, we can definitely see mothers liking this for their children to ensure they get adequate protein intake, university students who want a healthier, functional chocolate snack and then of course also the gym-goers for the protein.
“Importantly, this is a product that can address the taste limitations that many protein products such as protein bars and powders face because it is, at its heart, a chocolate.”
Simply put, COA’s high-protein chocolate combines the taste and indulgence of chocolate with the functionality of protein and fermentation, looking to tick all the necessary boxes for health-conscious snackers.
Where to next?
COA is currently being sold both online and offline in Singapore, but is already looking at expanding to more international markets like Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
“These markets are of interest due to findings from my own market research, where there is a higher per capita consumption of protein products as well as chocolate,” he said.
“At present, we source our cocoa from the central highlands in Vietnam, a region also known for its coffee production, whereas the soy is sourced and fermented in Indonesia.
“Fermentation in Asia and Indonesia in particular is very valuable due to the local expertise we can access here, because of Indonesia’s long history of soybean fermentation and tempeh production.
“Moving forward, we are looking at new chocolate flavours such as Matcha and Coconut, and also different fermentation aspects, e.g. using more food-safe microbes which can ferment soy to confer different benefits.
“The other aspect is of course to look into fermenting different types of legumes as well, as fermentation of these will also confer different types of functional benefits.”
We will be discussing protein in much more detail at our upcoming Growth Asia Summit 2025 this July – click here to join us and find out more!