Barry Callebaut and Planet A Foods to pioneer sustainable chocolate alternatives without cocoa

Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa solutions, and Planet A Foods, the German food-tech innovator behind ChoViva, the world’s leading chocolate alternative without cocoa, today announced a commercial long-term partnership. 

United by a shared passion for innovation and consumer insight, the partnership meets the growing customer demand for sustainable, chocolate solutions without cocoa while reaffirming that traditional cocoa remains at the heart of Barry Callebaut’s business and will continue to play a central role in its future. As the world’s trusted provider for chocolate solutions, Barry Callebaut is navigating today’s cocoa-market volatility with a proactive and diversified approach, fueled in part by its innovation strategy, which is powered by industry-leading R&D capabilities and underpinned by a passion for pioneering new taste experiences.  

           ChoViva in fluid form (Source: Planet A Foods I  Photographer: Daniel Schvarcz)

ChoViva offers a groundbreaking solution made from locally available crops, such as sunflower seeds, delivering a chocolate-like experience without compromising on quality or taste. By using sustainable, locally sourced non-cocoa ingredients, this alternative complements Barry Callebaut’s broader sustainability ambitions by shortening supply chains and contributing to a lower environmental footprint across the value chain. 

For Planet A Foods, the partnership provides a strong foundation for responsible global growth, while empowering the company to drive innovation on its platform technology and establish itself as a future ingredient leader across existing and new verticals. Planet A Foods and Barry Callebaut will jointly strengthen their presence across Europe while accelerating their expansion towards a truly global footprint. Together, the collaboration brings Planet A Foods’ vision of resilient, sustainable food ingredients to customers and consumers worldwide.

“Through this partnership with Planet A Foods, Barry Callebaut is embracing technology to open further avenues for growth while enhancing our resiliency to today’s cocoa-market volatility,” said Christian Hansen, Head of Global Strategy at Barry Callebaut. “We are excited about the collaboration with Planet A Foods to shape the future of chocolate solutions together with our customers.” 

“This partnership marks a key milestone in diversifying our portfolio and capturing the exciting opportunities in chocolate alternatives without cocoa,” said Dries Roekaerts, President Customer Experience at Barry Callebaut. “These non-cocoa innovations are not meant to replace traditional chocolate but to complement it, expanding our portfolio to meet growing customer and consumer demand. Together with Planet A Foods, we can scale the production of irresistible chocolate-like creations that broaden choice without compromising on taste, quality and our commitment to the planet.” 

“Our goal has always been to scale ChoViva into a global ingredient platform - and this equal partnership helps us do just that”, said Dr. Maximilian Marquart, CEO and Co-Founder at Planet A Foods. “By combining Barry Callebaut’s global footprint and capabilities with our innovation, we can scale responsibly and bring more products to markets worldwide, faster than ever.” 

Dr. Sara Marquart, CTO and Co-Founder of Planet A Foods added: “ChoViva delivers a genuine chocolate-like experience, crafted from 100% natural ingredients and entirely without cocoa. This innovative alternative offers consumers the indulgence they love while supporting more mindful and sustainable choices.”