JUBL makes chocolate spread a healthier choice

The choice of chocolate spread is no coincidence. Research by JUBL into the eating habits of primary school children showed that chocolate spread is one of their favourite sandwich fillings. About a third of children take bread with chocolate spread to school every day. At the same time, the average chocolate spread consists largely of sugar and contains little fibre. It was precisely in this everyday habit that JUBL saw room for innovation.

JUBL focuses on products that children already know and enjoy, but which can often be improved nutritionally. Its first product is a plant-based chocolate spread made with 40% chickpeas. According to JUBL, it contains 50% less sugar than the average product in the category and is high in fibre. The product is also free from gluten, lactose, nuts, peanuts, soya and sesame, and contains no palm oil, sweeteners or colourings.

This keeps the innovation close to the daily lives of parents and children. JUBL does not ask children to try something completely new, but makes a familiar favourite more nutritious. It is precisely this down to-earth approach that appeals to Rabobank: a better product, in a recognisable category, introduced in places where children eat every day, such as childcare centres. In a market where taste, convenience and acceptance make all the difference, this matters.

A healthier alternative can only make an impact if children actually want to eat it. That is why taste is not an afterthought for JUBL, but a prerequisite. Products perceived as healthier sometimes meet resistance — especially among children. JUBL wants to show that less sugar does not necessarily mean less taste.

The first results indicate that this approach works. During a pilot, according to JUBL, the chocolate spread sold more than 2.5 times better than a competing brand in the range and four times better than the customer had initially expected. The product has since been permanently included in the range. Feedback from pilots also shows that children accept the product well, despite it being different from traditional chocolate spread.

These initial successes are now translating into broader market adoption. From the start of the new school year, JUBL products will be served during school lunches at 20 primary schools. In addition, through its distribution partners, JUBL now reaches more than 1,000 out-of-school care (BSO) locations.

JUBL's ambition goes beyond one jar of chocolate spread. By using ingredients such as chickpeas, the company is also positioning itself within the food transition. Legumes are a plant-based source of protein, are rich in nutrients, require relatively little water and contribute to healthier soil.

— Isil Dijkstra, FounderJUBL

JUBL is interesting for Rabobank because it shows how major themes can become very concrete. Health, the food transition and the protein transition come together here in a product that children recognise and parents can easily choose. In this way, JUBL contributes to raising awareness of healthier food for children.

JUBL is in the phase between early validation and its first serious scale-up. Until now, the company has been financed through bootstrapping and subsidies, and has received a Rabo Innovation Loan. This financing is in line with the phase in which JUBL is investing in product development, market validation and further strengthening its business model, while revenue is still being built up.

In such a phase, a startup needs more than funding alone. For JUBL, Rabobank's Startup & Scale-up Banking team helped think through the choices that determine whether growth can become truly scalable.

— Sander Peltenburg, Startup & Scale-up Banker

Founder Isil Dijkstra also sees this collaboration as valuable. She feels that Rabobank understands where JUBL is now: beyond initial validation, but still in the process of making choices around growth, distribution and scalability. In addition to financing, Rabobank brings knowledge and contacts that are difficult for a young food startup to organise itself.

In the coming period, JUBL will focus on increasing the number of regular customers and distribution partners. Stable, recurring demand is important for better planning ingredient purchases, buying larger volumes and reducing costs. This helps keep the price accessible while increasing impact.

In addition, JUBL is working on a new product and expanding into a new channel. In the medium term, the company aims to achieve approximately 1% market share in the Netherlands. In this way, JUBL is gradually building a broader position in a market where taste, positioning and commercial execution are decisive for further growth.

JUBL shows that food innovation does not always start with technology or completely new behaviour. Sometimes change simply starts with something familiar: a sandwich with chocolate spread. By making such a favourite healthier, more plant-based and more nutritious, JUBL wants to make it easier for parents and children to make better choices. For Rabobank, that is exactly the reason to support entrepreneurs like Isil: to help innovators grow as they build a healthier and more future-proof food system step by step.

Startups and scale-ups are drivers of economic renewal through their innovative power. They make a significant contribution to solving societal challenges and are a key engine of economic growth and employment in the Netherlands. As such, this segment represents substantial strategic value for Rabobank. The Startup & Scale-up team supports entrepreneurs who share this mission in achieving sustainable growth by providing access to networks, including international ones, expertise and financing. Ask for advice.