The four-year COCO-AI project brings together nine international partners from industry, academia and research and technology organisations. AI will be used to analyse biological and manufacturing data, helping researchers optimise cultivation conditions, accelerate process development and identify commercially viable production methods. The approach is intended to complement conventional agriculture and could ultimately support more resilient supply chains for natural ingredients used across sectors including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Over the course of the project, the consortium will demonstrate the industrial-scale cultivation of cocoa cells, develop cocoa-derived ingredient formulations and prototype products. The project will also release open-source AI tools, datasets and methodologies designed to support wider adoption of plant cell culture technologies across research and industry.