Voyage Foods, a US company developing future-proof alternatives to the world’s favorite foods, has launched bean-free coffee for food service and the food manufacturing industry.
The coffee alternative is made from roasted chickpeas and rice hulls, with similar caffeine levels to traditional coffee (achieved using caffeine derived from green tea). It is also more than 40% cheaper than regular coffee, providing manufacturers with price stability and better margins.
The bean-free coffee is available in several varieties, including roast and ground, liquid, liquid concentrate, and instant. Several flavor profiles are available, along with decaffeinated varieties.
The launch comes after the price of robusta coffee beans reached a record high, increasing by 63% this year. The price rise has been partly driven by climate change, which is reducing the amount of land suitable for growing coffee beans; attempts to expand cultivation have contributed to further environmental issues such as tropical deforestation. With the new bean-free product, Voyage Foods aims to provide an ethical, sustainable, and affordable swap for mass-market coffee, which accounts for the vast majority of coffee consumed worldwide.
“Biggest possible impact”
Founded in 2021, Voyage Foods uses breakthrough technology and wholesome ingredients to recreate classic foods. The company started by developing Peanut-Free Spread and Hazelnut-Free Spread, both now available at Walmart stores US-wide and via Amazon. Voyage also offers cocoa-free chocolate, and announced a partnership with Cargill in April to distribute chocolate alternatives and nut-free spreads to companies worldwide.
In May, Voyage Foods announced it had raised $52 million in a funding round co-led by Level One Fund and Horizons Ventures. The round took the total sum raised by the company to $94 million.
“Given the current dynamics of the coffee market, food and beverage suppliers are uneasy about supply-chain volatility as well as fulfilling their triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit,” said Adam Maxwell, CEO and founder of Voyage Foods. “There will always be a place for premium, fair-trade, single-origin coffee, and that’s not our target — we intend to make the biggest possible impact, and we’ll do that by supplying an eco-friendlier, ethically made alternative to commodity coffee.”
Companies and food service operators interested in sampling Voyage Foods’ bean-free coffee can contact the company here.
