ChoViva Cocoa-Free Chocolate Alternative

Planet A Foods is a German food technology company founded in March 2021 and based in Planegg near Munich. It develops ingredients that make food manufacturers less dependent on volatile raw materials, starting with cocoa, whose supply is hit by weather patterns, crop disease and political shifts.

Its scalable fermentation platform produces ChoViva, a chocolate alternative made from sunflower seeds that replicates the flavour, snap, texture and melt of chocolate. ChoViva comes in milk, vegan, semi-sweet dark, white and no-added-sugar versions, supplied as chips or liquid in tanks, and is produced at more than 10,000 tons a year at an IFS-certified site in Pilsen, Czech Republic. A cocoa butter alternative is in development. Customers are confectionery, bakery, cereal, biscuit and ice cream manufacturers and retailers' private labels.

• ChoViva Smooth Milk: classic milk-style recipe with a creamy mouthfeel.
• ChoViva Vegan: fully plant-based version with a smooth melt.
• ChoViva Semi Sweet Dark and White: dark-style and vanilla-noted white variants.
• ChoViva No Added Sugar: maltitol-based recipe without cocoa or added sugar.
• Industrial formats: chips or liquid in tanks with a minimum order of 12 tonnes.
• Co-development: recipe and process support for brands and private labels.

• Vietnamese confectionery and biscuit makers stabilising costs for chocolate-coated products.
• Bakery chains using cocoa-free fillings and coatings in cakes and croissants.
• Ice cream producers adding chocolatey inclusions without cocoa price exposure.

• Supply security: independent of cocoa supply chains and their price volatility.
• Cost efficiency: a transparent, cost-efficient supply chain for mass-market products.
• Drop-in processing: suited to moulding, enrobing, inclusions and clusters without tempering.
• Broad claims: suitable for halal, kosher, vegan and no-added-sugar products.

Cocoa prices have been highly volatile because of weather and crop disease in West Africa, squeezing confectionery margins. Manufacturers are looking for cocoa-independent and sugar-reduced alternatives, and Asian retailers have begun launching such products, starting with Japan.

Planet A Foods GmbH, Planegg, Germany; founded in 2021 by Dr. Maximilian and Dr. Sara Marquart. Raised a USD 15.4 million Series A (2024) and USD 30 million Series B (2024). Production site in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Partners include Barry Callebaut, Lindt, REWE Group and Aeon (Japan launch, 2025).