Nestlé research maps global cocoa diversity to strengthen future supply
Nestlé plant scientists and academic partners have mapped the global diversity of cocoa varieties to support long-term resilience in the chocolate supply chain. The research, published in BMC Genomics, resulted in a core collection of 96 cocoa varieties that captures more than 95 percent of the crop’s known genetic diversity.
According to Nestlé, the collection will help researchers identify cocoa plants with traits suited to changing environmental conditions, including climate resilience, disease tolerance, higher yields, and improved sensory characteristics. Scientists from The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), Fox Consultancy, and Nestlé Research contributed to the project.
Penn State provided several high-quality genome sequences through its Molecular Biology of Cacao program, while CATIE supplied access to one of the world’s largest living cacao collections. The sequencing data is publicly available through the National Center for Biotechnology Information database, and the corresponding plant material can be accessed at CATIE, Penn State, and other research locations.
Jeroen Dijkman, Head of the Nestlé Institute of Agricultural Sciences, said assembling a representative set of cocoa varieties will support both conservation and future breeding work. Patrick Descombes, Senior Expert in Genomics at the Nestlé Institute of Food Safety and Analytical Sciences, noted that only a small portion of global cocoa diversity is used commercially, leaving supply chains vulnerable to climate and disease pressures.
Nestlé is also researching post-harvest techniques that use additional parts of the cocoa pod to generate new ingredients and support greater crop value. These efforts, along with its Nestlé Cocoa Plan sourcing program, form part of the company’s broader strategy to reinforce sustainable cocoa production.
The core collection is positioned as a foundational tool for researchers and breeders working to develop more resilient cocoa varieties and maintain reliable chocolate production for the future.
This piece was created with the assistance of generative AI tools and was edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.