After two decades working across business, government, and industry, Tal Govrin set out to rethink one of the world’s most beloved — and troubled — ingredients: cacao. The result is a cell-based cacao platform designed for stability, traceability, and function. Kokomodo’s approach could help avoid 14,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and unlock new potential for clean-label and health-focused products across food, beverage, and supplement categories. Read on to learn how Kokomodo is reimagining cacao from the cell up — and what’s next.

I’ve spent the last two decades working across business, government, and industry. I was a member of the global executive team at Caesarstone (NASDAQ: $CSTE ( ▲ 1.32% )), managed the investment banking team at KPMG, and served as economic advisor to the Israeli Minister of Economy. Much of my work has focused on strategic growth and collaboration across sectors, particularly when innovation and real-world impact intersect.

Kokomodo emerged from that same space, a deep interest in how food systems work, and how they break. Cacao stood out as a perfect example: it’s a beloved ingredient, global, and increasingly unstable. I saw an opportunity to rethink cacao production from the ground up, and build something that’s both scientifically exciting and commercially relevant.

Cacao is an essential ingredient for countless food, beverage, and supplement products, but its supply chain is under growing pressure. Climate change is making cacao cultivation less predictable and more geographically limited. Most cacao is still grown in just a few countries, creating a high level of dependency and risk. At the same time, the industry is grappling with serious ethical and safety concerns. These include deforestation, low farmer incomes, and ongoing reports of child labor. On the product side, cacao often contains heavy metals like cadmium and lead, which is increasingly flagged by regulators and consumers alike.

For companies that rely on cacao- whether for indulgence, wellness, or both- this creates a real challenge: how to source an ingredient that is safe, stable, and aligned with evolving expectations.

Kokomodo crafts real cacao through cellular agriculture, growing it from selected cell lines in clean, controlled environments. By removing land pressure, pesticides, and long, volatile supply chains, we deliver a sustainable, climate-resilient alternative to conventional cacao. Our cacao is rich in flavanols known to support antioxidant activity, circulation, energy, and healthy aging- making it ideal for functional food, beverage, and supplement applications. With customizable bioactive and sensory profiles, Kokomodo enables consistent quality, clean-label formulation, and year-round production. We are advancing scale-up and regulatory planning to bring our functional cacao to market in the coming years.

Our proprietary process uses non-GMO cacao cells to produce a stable, scalable ingredient with high bioactive content. We don’t rely on synthetic mimics or cocoa substitutes, we cultivate real cacao from the cell level up, allowing us to steer both the sensory profile and nutritional benefits based on use case.

Because everything is controlled — from growth to harvest — we’re able to offer reliability, traceability, and safety ingredients.

At Kokomodo, we believe that growing cacao differently isn’t just about improving supply, it's about shifting the impact it has on people and the planet. If we scale successfully, our model could avoid some of the most damaging parts of today’s cacao industry.

By 2031, our model could help avoid an estimated 14,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions by removing the need for deforestation and land-intensive agriculture in regions like West Africa and LATAM. We’re also aligned with EUDR regulations, supporting deforestation-free sourcing for global food companies. Because our process eliminates the use of pesticides and agrochemicals, it reduces exposure risks for both people and ecosystems.

For us, this isn’t a sustainability “add-on.” It’s built into the way we grow, the way we work with partners, and the kind of industry we want to help shape.

We operate as a B2B ingredient company, working with manufacturers to co-develop and pilot applications. Our goal is to offer a premium, high-performance cacao that meets the needs of both product development teams and regulatory standards. We’re currently focused on building long-term partnerships and staying responsive to the diverse requirements of different markets.

The global chocolate and cocoa market is valued at over $130 billion, with strong growth in health-focused and clean-label segments. That includes not only traditional confectionery, but functional beverages, supplements, and nutraceuticals.

Our differentiator is that we aren’t replicating cacao, we’re producing it through a new, controlled process that solves for stability, traceability, and health. It’s a fundamentally different approach than commodity cocoa or plant-based analogues.

Over the next 2-3 years, we’ll be scaling production, securing regulatory approvals, and deepening R&D collaborations with leading food and wellness brands. We’re  focused on building strong partnerships, validating key applications, and preparing for market entry in priority geographies.

We’ve raised initial funding to develop our platform and begin early partnerships. While we’re not actively fundraising at the moment, we’re open to conversations with strategic investors who share our long-term vision and can support our next phase of growth.

We’d love to connect with:

We’re happy to share more and explore ways to collaborate.

The future of cacao won’t look like the past. We’re building something new, and we’re always on the lookout for collaborators who are excited to build it with us.

I’m always reachable via LinkedIn and love expanding my network. Please connect with me!