Estonian entrepreneur turns chocolate into medicine - Estonian World

Sugar and abdominous are sidesplitting us, truthful an Estonian cocoa shaper uses subject to marque saccharine treats healthier.

This nonfiction is published successful collaboration with Research successful Estonia.

“I can’t let the dreams of a amended time to stay a secret,” said Alar Kolk, an engineer, and U.C. Berkeley lecturer, erstwhile helium started moving with a cocoa shaper Kristi Lehtis. “I besides can’t let dealing with tiny problems that person nary impact.”

As a researcher and the president of the European Innovation Academy, Kolk is each astir inventing caller products. Regularly jumping betwixt the US and Europe, helium is ever reasoning big. When Kolk took a tiny cocoa boutique, Chocolala, nether his wing, helium was determined that thing little than disrupting the full nutrition assemblage successful the US would conscionable not do.

For astir a decade, Chocolala had moved astatine a overmuch slower pace. Lehtis had near her occupation arsenic a lawyer and opened her chocolaterie to walk much clip with her household and to bash what she loves: spreading sweetness!

Her chocolaterie successful the aged municipality of Tallinn, the superior of Estonia, is known for handmade sweets and experimenting with section produce. Sometimes Lehtis picks reindeer moss from the wood herself and adds it to her chocolate.

When Kolk joined arsenic a mentor and brought his ambitious ideas with him, Lehtis was sold. He sounded convincing.

The laminitis of Chocolala, Kristi Lehtis. Photo by Rene Riisalu.

Lehtis, successful immoderate case, is alternatively adventurous.

A mates of years ago, Chocolala turned to subject successful the hunt for caller products. The University of Tartu proposed adding probiotics to the chocolate. Marika Mikelsaar and Mihkel Zilmer discovered lactobacillus fermentum ME-3 in 1995, and it was already successful yogurts sold successful Estonia – truthful wherefore not chocolate? Its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties assistance with digestion and fortify the immune system. Munching cocoa that is bully for you, what could beryllium amended than that? 

It was present easier for parents to springiness their children probiotics too.

A tiny store meets large ideas

At the opening of 2022, Chocolala entered an acceleration programme wherever Lehtis met her would-be mentor Kolk.

With a inheritance successful the nutrient and wellness industry, Kolk told Lehtis that Chocolala has the imaginable to disrupt the eating habits of millions and not conscionable 3 people.

“I yet spot however the mindset is changing successful Estonia,” Kolk told Research successful Estonia. “Scientists and entrepreneurs are pinning down their goals arsenic good arsenic executing them!”

Alar Kolk. Photo by Mait Vestre.

Kolk uses large information and AI tools to representation the planetary population’s needs.

Market probe showed that astatine slightest each 2nd idiosyncratic successful the US is struggling with obesity oregon precocious cholesterol. That means a 100 cardinal imaginable adults should beryllium opting retired of consuming sweetener and abdominous successful the US alone. Kolk and Lehtis decided to crook their absorption to the different broadside of the Atlantic.

The existent conflict present is convincing millions of radical to devour healthily and wage more. According to Kolk, if your merchandise offers 10 times higher value, it should beryllium priced accordingly.

The communicative of Starbucks inspired him. When the 3 Seattle-based owners started their business, java was inexpensive and debased quality. “A cupful of java outgo 50 cents backmost then,” Kolk explained. “Starbucks asked for 5 dollars per cupful and made it sensation good.”

Chocolate could person a akin communicative since astir of the bars connected the market store shelves are of lousy prime astatine present.

Chocolala’s peculiar Estonian Independence Day chocolates.

Over-roasted cocoa beans

Natural cacao beans are affluent successful antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. Most cocoa factories usage chemic processing and roast the beans astatine specified precocious temperatures that astir of the goodness successful cocoa is lost. Instead, it is replaced by sweetener and fat, making the imaginable superfood a slayer food.

Chocolala and Kolk privation to alteration that. They usage the latest successful modern subject to process cacao beans astatine debased heat. How precisely this is achieved Kolk is not anxious to reveal, calling it a “secret”. 

To marque their treats disposable for radical struggling with obesity, they invented sugar- and fat-free chocolate. The confectioners replaced sweetener with monk fruit, which is galore times sweeter than sugar, natively recovered successful China, and precocious becoming progressively fashionable successful the US. Removing the abdominous from the barroom meant the cocoa became powder. To this powder, they adhd cholesterol-lowering properties. The user tin premix it with h2o for a blistery cocoa instead.

They are present besides moving connected a barroom of cocoa that increases well-being and happiness, utilizing the champion disposable science.

Cacao beans are incredibly steadfast earlier they are processed with chemicals and excessively overmuch heat. Photo by Rene Riisalu.

Access to ambition

Lehtis spent the past decennary perfecting her product. “I didn’t bash immoderate marketplace research; I conscionable made what I liked,” she explained. “Alar brought subject and the absorption connected income with him.”

Chocolala volition present absorption connected selling what they person alternatively of experimenting with caller ideas. With a inheritance successful concern engineering and a Ph.D. successful Mars proscription systems design, Kolk is simply a astonishing summation to the dessert industry. “A quality instrumentality works likewise to the bundle machine,” helium explained grinning. “They are the same, essentially.”

Anyone has the accidental to win anywhere, either successful Tallinn oregon Berkeley, Kolk believes. Data and subject are accessible if you cognize however and wherever to look.

“Want to larn astir processing cocoa oregon humanoids?” Kolk asks. “The entree to cognition is there, but the existent question is – is determination entree to ambition?”