Barry Callebaut Brings Planet A Foods’s Cocoa-Free Chocolate to US
German food tech startup Planet A Foods is entering the US through its partnership with Barry Callebaut, which has debuted the former’s cocoa-free chocolate ingredient, ChoViva.
Months after striking a partnership with the world’s largest chocolate supplier, Germany’s Planet A Foods has made it across the Atlantic.
The firm has expanded its commercial deal with Barry Callebaut, which will make Barry Callebaut the exclusive distributor of its cocoa-free chocolate ingredient, ChoViva, to industry customers across the US.
The innovation is being debuted at the Snacks & Sweets Expo 2026 (May 19-21) in Las Vegas, which Barry Callebaut describes as its “first non-cocoa chocolate experience”.
“We are very excited to broaden our capabilities and portfolio to share relevant solutions that meet changing customer and industry needs,” said Laura Bergan, director of brand and customer marketing at the Swiss chocolate giant.
Most of chocolate’s flavour doesn’t come from the bean
ChoViva is made from a base of sunflower and grape seeds, which are put through proprietary fermentation and roasting processes to elicit aromas, flavours and textures similar to cocoa. These are then combined with plant-based fats and sugar to create a mass that can be used as a 1:1 replacement of chocolate.
“Most people are surprised to learn that 80% of the chocolatey taste we love doesn’t actually come from the cocoa bean itself, but from the fermentation and roasting processes,” said Maximilian Marquart, co-founder and CEO of Planet A Foods.
“By applying those same principles to sunflower seeds, we’ve created a chocolate alternative that is convincing in taste while solving the industry’s most pressing challenges,” he added.
ChoViva is available in vegan, dark, milk and white chocolate formats, and has featured in over 130 products across 11 countries (including in Europe and Asia), with partners such as Lindt, Aeon, Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn, Kaufland, Rewe, Aldi, and Lidl.
Having raised $30M in late 2024, Planet A Foods has successfully expanded the capacity of its production facility in Pilsen, Czech Republic, from 2,000 tonnes to over 15,000 tonnes annually.
To ensure the continued availability of ChoViva, which is available in more than 100,000 stores globally, Planet A Foods relies on a commercial partnership with Barry Callebaut.
The Swiss company already supplies to industry giants like Unilever, Hershey’s, Mondelēz International, Mars, and Nestlé (the latter two have recently launched products using ChoViva). If you’ve ever had a KitKat bar, you’ve likely eaten Barry Callebaut’s chocolate.
Climate crisis confronts chocolate companies
The US launch of ChoViva comes as the chocolate industry continues to reckon with supply shocks induced by the climate crisis – in 2024, global cocoa stocks fell to a decade-low, and the ingredient’s prices hit an all-time high. In the US, a tonne of cocoa was going for a record $12,565 that December.
Chocolate itself is one of the primary food-related drivers of climate change, emitting more greenhouse gases than any other food except beef. On average, it can take as much as 1,700 litres of water to produce a single bar of chocolate.
The industry is notorious for causing rampant tropical deforestation. It’s why chocolate is the subject of anti-deforestation legislation in the EU and the UK, as well as a similar proposed bill in the US.
Planet A Foods’s ChoViva lowers emissions by 82-91%, depending on the type of chocolate it’s replacing. And for Barry Callebaut, it opens the door to new product development opportunities, offering its customers a way to expand their portfolios with “sustainable and novel chocolate-like experiences”.
“By continuously introducing new solutions and expanding our capabilities, we enable our partners to unlock incremental growth and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market,” said Natasha Chen, Barry Callebaut’s North American president.
The partnership with Barry Callebaut will help Planet A Foods gain immediate access to the largest food manufacturers and brands in North America, enabling them to incorporate the cocoa-free innovation into coatings, fillings, snacks, bakery items, and confectionery.
Barry Callebaut is among a number of Big Chocolate players investing in chocolate alternatives. Cargill, Dulciar, Walcom, Piasten and others have introduced products with innovations from cocoa-free chocolate startups. Cargill is also working with a cell-cultured cocoa startup, as are Puratos and Mondelēz International.