If you have been living under a rock (or outside Switzerland, as a matter of fact) here is what you need to know about coffola: it is an absolutely delicious food, based on the recipe for chocolate, but with coffee instead of cocoa. Quite smart, right? In centuries of consuming both, it seems no one saw the similarities between cocoa and coffee, until Bertrand Baud came along (and the penny dropped). Both are bitter and unpleasant before processing, and Bertrand, coffola’s creator, proved that the same miracle can be made from both.
If you have not tried coffola yet, imagine a food with the texture, sweetness and refinement of chocolate, but with the distinctive taste of coffee. And not just any coffee: the coffolatiers work with specialty coffee only. You can now rush to coffola.ch to see the in stores locations or order online, so that you will not be the last one in!
Since spring 2021, Leo Ventures has had the privilege of supporting Bertrand and his two cofounders and partners (chocolate-maker Marc-André Cartier and top corporate manager Mathias Matti) with strategic decisions and funding. These gentlemen had the opportunity to establish a Swiss stock corporation, move from small underground premises to a factory ten times the size, order new machines to ramp up production capacity, and rethink their branding and packaging entirely.
Alongside coffola’s taste, which we fell in love with, as well as the founders’ boldness, conviction and determination, we appreciated from the beginning their effort to reduce their environmental footprint. “The packaging is not made from plastic, but corn starch”, they were proud to say on our first meeting, without us pestering about it. As expected, the following has only been the development of a very good relationship. And, since they have expressed concerns about this: there will never be another “first deal”, so yes, they will forever be our favourites!
Now, together, we are working on making coffola mankind’s favourite new dessert, and a new common word in the dictionary – while staying mindful of the company’s footprint.