Belgian food-tech startup Koppie has developed a patent-pending technology that creates a sustainable coffee bean alternative using locally sourced pulses such as chickpeas.
Koppie uses fermentation and roasting technology to create hybrid blends, in which the alternative pulse-based product is mixed with traditional coffee beans to make up a maximum of 50 per cent of the final product.
The company has closed its pre-seed round of investment, which will help support product scale-up, pilot collaborations with roasters, and further sensory development of the product. Nucleus Capital led the pre-seed round, and have been joined by Mudcake, Rockstart, and other investors.
Koppie Founder Daan Raemdonck says the coffee industry needs to follow the lead of the meat and dairy sectors to create a more sustainable supply chain.
“We see strong interest from coffee companies looking for low-risk ways to increase supply and price stability,” says Raemdonck.
“We believe the path forward for coffee innovation mirrors the dairy and meat industry: hybrid products will be the first to scale.
“We want to offer roasters, retailers, and CPG brands a reliable, flavour-forward tool to reduce supply chain pain sustainably.”
Koppie says it is not positioning itself as a full replacement for traditional coffee beans, but as an integrative ingredient that has been scored by Q Graders as comparable to some commercial coffees.
“Compared to coffee, the company estimates a 70 per cent lower carbon footprint, 60 per cent less land use, and 90 per cent less water use while also eliminating a further need for deforestation,” a company statement reads.
“Both consumer panels and specialists like the product, with independent Q-Graders scoring it a 70/100, which rivals commercial coffee. Tasting notes indicate strong resemblance to coffee, with higher sweetness, muted bitterness, and no off-notes.”
