RFINE commercialises coffee-derived cocoa replacement ingredient

RFINE Biomass Solutions has launched KAFFIKA, a cocoa extender developed from spent coffee grounds, making the ingredient commercially available to food manufacturers in Canada and the European Union as businesses seek alternatives to volatile cocoa prices.

The Halifax-based company has spent five years developing and testing the product, which is intended for bakery, confectionery, and beverage formulations. RFINE claims that KAFFIKA can replace up to 60% of the cocoa powder in suitable recipes while maintaining the required flavour and quality characteristics.

The stated replacement percentage is an application-dependent supplier claim. RFINE has not published independent comparative testing establishing equivalent performance across every bakery, confectionery, or beverage formulation, and the proportion suitable for an individual product will depend on its composition and processing requirements.

KAFFIKA uses coffee grounds remaining after industrial cold brew and instant coffee extraction. These materials would otherwise enter a residual materials or waste management stream, but RFINE has developed a patent-pending process intended to convert them into an ingredient suitable for further food manufacturing.

The company describes KAFFIKA as gluten-free and offers product data sheets, technical information, and case studies to prospective manufacturing partners. Samples are available to businesses in the United States, while the November launch establishes commercial availability in Canada and the EU.

Spent coffee grounds have a different composition from the beans before brewing because extraction removes part of their soluble material. The remaining solids retain a mixture of structural carbohydrates, residual lipids, proteins, minerals, and other components whose proportions vary according to the coffee feedstock and extraction conditions.

Those differences are relevant to further processing. Grounds recovered from cold brew and instant coffee operations may vary in moisture content, particle characteristics, and residual composition, making consistent raw material specifications important when producing an ingredient for industrial use.

RFINE operates services for collecting and handling spent coffee grounds, including material generated by large-scale coffee extraction facilities. Its existing activities provide a route for aggregating industrial coffee byproducts, while the KAFFIKA development creates a potential food ingredient application for part of that material stream.

Recovering wet coffee grounds for further use requires attention to handling conditions and storage time. Moisture and temperature can affect microbial activity and material deterioration, so the production of a food ingredient requires suitable controls between collection, processing, and the release of finished material.

Moisture reduction, particle preparation, and the management of material consistency are relevant engineering considerations when converting a wet byproduct into a stable dry ingredient. RFINE has not disclosed the complete commercial manufacturing sequence for KAFFIKA, however, and no particular drying, extraction, or milling configuration has been confirmed for its production.

The company describes its transformation process as patent-pending. Details of process temperatures, residence times, equipment arrangements, and finished ingredient specifications have not been made publicly available, limiting the extent to which its manufacturing method can be assessed independently.

The resulting material is intended to extend cocoa powder rather than replace every functional contribution of cocoa in all food products. Cocoa powder supplies colour, flavour, and particulate material, while its behaviour in a formulation also depends on fat content, particle characteristics, and interactions with other ingredients.

A substitute ingredient must consequently be evaluated against the properties required in the finished food. Changes in colour intensity, flavour profile, particle size, and moisture behaviour may affect the amount of material that can be replaced without altering an established product specification.

Bakery formulations present one set of requirements. Cocoa powder contributes solids and can influence the properties of batters and doughs, including their interaction with water and other ingredients. Changing the quantity or type of cocoa material may affect mixing behaviour, colour, texture, and the appearance of the baked product.

The degree of substitution that can be achieved depends on the complete recipe. The presence of flour, sugar, fat, raising agents, and other ingredients determines how a new cocoa extender interacts with the mixture during preparation and baking.

In confectionery fillings and chocolate spreads, the physical behaviour of dispersed particles can be especially important. Particle size distribution and interaction with the fat phase influence viscosity, flow characteristics, and mouthfeel, while the choice of cocoa ingredients contributes to the finished flavour and appearance.

Replacing a proportion of cocoa powder with an alternative material may therefore require changes to other ingredients or processing conditions. The suitability of KAFFIKA for an individual formulation cannot be determined from its maximum claimed replacement percentage alone.

Beverage applications introduce different technical considerations. Powdered drinks require suitable dispersion or dissolution characteristics when mixed with liquid, while ready-to-drink formulations must maintain the required appearance, flavour, and physical stability throughout their intended shelf life.

Suspended solids may behave differently according to particle dimensions, density, and interactions with other ingredients. Manufacturers evaluating a cocoa replacement therefore need to determine whether the revised formulation meets the relevant specification for sediment formation, texture, and product consistency.

RFINE has not publicly disclosed comparative viscosity measurements, particle size distributions, independent sensory results, or shelf-life data for commercial products containing KAFFIKA. The company states that technical documentation and case studies are available directly to prospective partners, indicating that detailed application information is being handled through its commercial development process.

The ingredient’s gluten-free positioning may provide an additional formulation option for products intended to exclude gluten. However, a finished food’s suitability for a gluten-free claim depends on all its ingredients, manufacturing controls, and compliance with the applicable labelling requirements, rather than the status of one component.

Commercial adoption will also require food manufacturers to assess the regulatory status and documented specifications of the new ingredient for the intended application and market. Raw material traceability, microbiological quality, composition, and any relevant contaminants must be addressed through the appropriate food safety and supplier approval processes.

The intended use of KAFFIKA also requires consideration of product identity and labelling. Certain chocolate products are subject to specific composition requirements, and changing the proportion of cocoa-derived ingredients may affect how the finished product can be described or marketed.

RFINE’s commercial rationale is closely connected to instability in cocoa markets. Substantial movements in cocoa bean prices have affected the costs faced by chocolate, confectionery, bakery, and beverage manufacturers, increasing interest in ingredients that can reduce the quantity of conventional cocoa powder required.

The developer states that KAFFIKA can be supplied at a price below that of cocoa powder, potentially reducing exposure to changes in cocoa markets. The financial benefit will depend on the actual purchase prices, the proportion replaced, and any adjustments required to the remaining ingredients or production process.

No independently verified cost comparison has been published. RFINE has also not disclosed contracted supply volumes, its current KAFFIKA manufacturing capacity, or the number of European customers incorporating the ingredient into commercial products.

The use of spent coffee grounds creates an additional route for recovering material from industrial beverage production. A byproduct that would otherwise require management or disposal can potentially become an input to another food manufacturing process, provided the necessary quality and safety requirements are satisfied.

The environmental outcome depends on the resources required for collection, transportation, conversion, and distribution, as well as the material and processes displaced by the resulting ingredient. RFINE describes KAFFIKA as circular, but a product-specific lifecycle assessment establishing a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with cocoa powder has not been published.

The company received international recognition during 2026, including selection as a winner of the MassChallenge Switzerland Sustainable Food Challenge. It was also named a finalist for the Louis Dreyfus Company Impact Prize for Climate Resilience, following recognition through Canadian food innovation awards.

Quinn Cavanagh, president and founder of RFINE Biomass Solutions, identified cocoa price volatility as a principal motivation for developing the product. RFINE intends to work with manufacturing partners to determine suitable application conditions and support integration into commercial formulations.

The launch moves KAFFIKA into commercial availability after an extended development programme. Its adoption across the food industry will depend on the consistency of the recovered coffee feedstock, the economics of converting it into a food ingredient, and performance validated against the requirements of individual manufacturing applications.