Bas Franse

THE BITTER TRUTH As the global demand for coffee increases, so do coffee plantations — destroying rainforests at a critical rate. Recent research from WWF ranks coffee as number 6 on the list of leading causes of deforestation. In collaboration with the University of Amsterdam, we’re currently getting to the bottom of this; investigating the deeper consequences of increasing coffee production. The first results are alarming. We enjoy our daily shot of energy at the expense of our planet’s biodiversity. Over the years, we’ve seen beautiful initiatives such as the stimulation of organic plantations or increasing the coffee yield per hectare. However, the reality is that in order to really combat deforestation, these evolutions are not enough. COFFEE FREE COFFEE As food technologists succeed to make meat without animals, we asked ourselves: can we make coffee without beans? What if we could make our favourite elixir from local ingredients? Coffee is a unique gift of nature. Whether you adore your filter coffee at home, prefer a barista’s cappuccino or an Italian espresso at the bar — nothing should change about those delicious moments. THE FUTURE OF COFFEE As true explorers, we’re on a quest to research all components in all edible non-tropical plants. From our lab at the World Food Center, we work in close collaboration with Wageningen University & Research and our leading food technology partners to find answers to our big question: what molecules are promising building blocks to mimic that signature coffee flavour? In the coming years, we’ll pour ourselves into developing a delicious cup of coffee, indistinguishable from what you’re currently enjoying. FOUNDERS We’re four entrepreneurial food professionals, together with our team we sink our teeth into revolutionising the food industry. Leading up to our efforts to combat deforestation with Northern Wonder, we successfully launched Chikko; a single-source coffee substitute,