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Organic cocoa and guarana specialist Koawach has unveiled Koalimo, claimed to be the world’s first caffeinated soft drink made with cocoa fruit juice.

The beverage is available in three flavour varieties: Sun Burst, with tangy flavours of grapefruit; Citrus Wave, a zesty lime infusion; and Tropic Ocean, with passionfruit notes.

Koawach has teamed up with Koa, a Swiss-Ghanaian startup that upcycles cocoa fruit pulp, to create the beverage.

Each flavour is lightly sweetened with cocoa fruit juice, an upcycled product made from the cocoa fruit pulp. This helps to provide an extra income stream for small-scale farmers in Ghana and promotes upcycling as a sustainable practice for the cocoa and wider F&B industry.

Natural guarana provides 75mg of natural caffeine per can, aiming to deliver a simpler and cleaner ingredients list than traditional energy drinks while offering a comparable energy kick. The drink also contains less sugar than typical drinks in this category – up to 3g per 100ml.

Anian Schreiber, co-founder and managing director of Koa, said: “With Koalimo, Koawach has created a drink that brings together exquisite flavour, energising functionality, and a positive, sustainable impact on people and the planet.”

The beverage will be available at over 1,100 DM stores across Germany and online, starting in late November 2024.

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