How two founders invented an incredibly healthy, fair and sustainable drink by accident

Dave and Burkhard, both natural scientists, had invented a technology to regenerate depleted soils in the tropics and ended up developing a healthy, almost medicinal chocolate drink which is good for your mind and body as well as for the earth. An unusual, impact-driven founder’s story. 

ChillChoc is a delicious chocolate drink with hemp. Through the combination of cocoa and hemp, ChillChoc has a relaxing effect on mind and body. The CBD naturally contained in the hemp leaves does not have an intoxicating effect, but rather a stress-reducing, anti-inflammatory and muscle-relaxing effect. The story behind ChillChoc is rather unusual. It shows, however, how startup founders need to be creative to not lose sight of their mission while seizing opportunities which arise.

I first met Dave Tjiok 5 years ago at the Social Entrepreneurship Summit in Berlin, a conference for people who want to start their own business with a sustainable business idea. He had a booth with a sign “Dein Stück Erde – Your piece of earth”. Engaging in a conversation with him I realized that the founders had a deep knowledge background. Together with his co-founder, Burkhard von Stackelberg, the two natural scientists had founded a company that manufactures Terra Preta on an industrial scale. Terra Preta describes a mysterious fertile soil that has been found in parts of the Amazon region. Mysterious, because most tropical soils have very little nutrients; it’s just the thin layer of humus which makes all the wildlife possible. The deep “Terra Preta” soils must have been “cultivated” by humankind.

The vision: Making infertile soil fertile again

The lack of nutrients is the reason why the deforestation of tropical forests not only destroys the unique biodiversity and lungs of our planet, but often causes savannah-like wastelands after a few years, which are economically worthless. What if a rich tropical soil could be produced on an industrial scale, thus stopping or reversing the problem of soil erosion?

Wikipedia describes Terra Preta as a mixture of wood and plant remains, human faeces, dung and compost, interspersed with clay fragments and occasionally bones and fishbones. I don’t know how Dave and Burkard’s recipes looks like. But they managed to develop a method to produce a soil comparable to Terra Preta artificially, on an industrial scale. And this as a small start-up, the “Dein Stück Erde UG”.

 

 

In the end, their project failed. Not the technology, but the marketing posed major challenges. It would have required more capital or strong partners to develop successful marketing and sales channels. The dream of saving the world was over for the time being.

Two years ago I met Dave by chance in the Social Impact Lab in Stuttgart – again full of energy. He told me that they had not lost sight of their vision, but that they were now making cocoa. Cocoa? – Yes, cocoa! They would use part of the proceeds to share the knowledge about the – now: rural  – production of Terra Preta with the cocoa farmers of their producer cooperatives in the tropics, for example in Sri Lanka and Brazil.

From personal involvement to product development

Anyone who knows Burkhard and Dave knows that they would not simply launch a commercial cocoa drink on the market, even if it saved tropical soils alongside. This is where Burkhard comes in, with a very moving personal story. His girlfriend suffers from multiple sclerosis. Burkhard and Dave had been working for some time on methods to alleviate her complaints with hemp in a natural way – and legally. Together with the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL) in Quakenbrück, the two had developed their own method which is now also used in ChillChoc. This tasty drink allows everyone to benefit from the positive effects.

«With the chocolate drink ChillChoc, the positive effects are now also available to the general public and can be integrated pleasantly and deliciously into everyday life.» Dave Tijok, Founder of ChillChoc

About CBD and THC

For its cocoa, ChillChoc processes natural hemp leaves using a special process that releases the cannabinoids of hemp (CBD). The intoxicating THC does not occur in ChillChoc, or only in minimal, naturally present quantities. This is comparable to fruit juices. Nobody would think of getting drunk with fruit juices, although they naturally contain a minimal amount of alcohol. The hemp plants cultivated regionally by ChillChoc in Germany and Austria are bred in such a way that they contain a negligible amount of THC, which is far below the legal regulations. (One pack of ChillChoc contains 0.006% THC). So ChillChoc does not make you high, but relaxed and it is completely harmless.

 

 

«Many know hemp only as a narcotic and think of smoking pot. Most people do not know that there is hemp, which is completely legal and harmless.»  Dave Tijok, Founder of ChillChoc

The cannabidiol contained in ChillChoc on the other hand has a relaxing effect on body and mind. It reduces stress, has an anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effect. Due to these manifold positive effects CBD is a real superfood and makes life easier in many ways. In stressful situations and in case of inner restlessness CBD can reduce the stress level. In case of menstrual pain the symptoms can be reduced because CBD has a relaxing effect. For athletes it helps to loosen the muscles after the workout and prevents sore muscles.

In the USA, Canada, Switzerland and Austria CBD is now considered an established natural means to relax body and mind. The range of products there is already much larger than in Germany.

GOOD’s project #1

For us at GOOD, ChillChoc is a very special project. It was the first project ever to be launched on our platform and we supported the then ongoing crowdfunding campaign on Startnext with the proceeds from our very first beta version. This was just 20€, but an important first step for us.

Since then, ChillChoc has developed rapidly. The product has been successfully launched and is available through the online store, several cafés and stores and increasingly in food retail. The founders have expanded their team.

 

 

Via the connection to the Social Impact Lab in Stuttgart, Lena and Laura joined the team, who actually wanted to establish their start-up VoluntHero there. As “frontman” for the sales department they also welcomed the 1,92m tall Chris (middle of picture) to the team. So the extended founding team consists of five people from different social bubbles and backgrounds – loud and quiet, but always 100% authentic.

ChillChoc is also strongly embedded in the impact community of Baden-Württemberg, reaching beyond the Social Impact Lab in Stuttgart. The start-up was part of the Smart Green Accelerator at the Lokhalle Creative Park in Freiburg and recently won state funding as part of the Start-up BW Pre-Seed Programme. A second crowdfunding campaign, the founders told us, is currently in preparation.

 

You have questions or suggestions? Write us!
Dr. Andreas Renner, Co-Founder GOOD: andreas@good-search.org