The cocoa crisis rages on.
Though prices may have fallen below the record-breaking highs of early 2025, when costs quadrupled to more than £8,000 / metric ton, the commodity remains relentlessly volatile.
Fuelled by a mix of extreme weather, ageing trees, geopolitical disruption and demand slumps across Europe, there seems little relief in sight for the $100bn industry, upon which an estimated four to six million smallholders – and the global confectionery sector – all rely.
And though long-term supply contracts may have created a buffer between that ongoing volatility and what people pay for their favourite chocolate bar, that gap is closing fast, with smaller packs, higher prices and controversial recipe changes – including cocoa being quietly stripped out of biscuits and bars – now an all-too-common theme in supermarket aisles.
It’s against this pretty tumultuous backdrop that a raft of cocoa-free chocolate alternatives insist they have the solution.
Often spearheaded by smaller food tech start-ups, these alternatives are using new ingredients and new techniques to achieve what they say is an incredibly close imitation of chocolate but without the cocoa, and with far more stability and sustainability baked in.
It’s a bold ambition. So, how do their promises stack up?
ChoViva
How is it made?
Developed by German tech start-up Planet A, ChoViva has been created on the premise that the taste and texture of chocolate is less about the cocoa bean itself, and far more about the way in which the bean is processed. Specifically, Planet A say 80% of cocoa’s characteristics develop via fermentation and roasting. By processing sunflower seeds in much the same way, first using fermentation based on an ancient beer brewing technology before they’re roasted and ground into a concentrate that looks pretty close to cocoa powder, they’ve created an alternative that tastes and behaves in much the same way. That concentrate is then mixed with plant-based fats, sugar and milk powder (or sunflower seed flour for the vegan variant).
What are the benefits?
ChoViva is incredibly versatile and can be used exactly like conventional chocolate, say Planet A. Perhaps more importantly though, by using sunflower seeds sourced from Europe, it claims to have shorter, more sustainable supply chain than cocoa, which is primarily grown in West Africa. Though sunflower seeds haven’t entirely escaped the impact of climate change – supplies in France have been negatively impacted by drought and repeated heatwaves in the last year – they are considered to be relatively climate resilient, coupled with low-input demands and being nutrient-dense. As a result, Europe’s supplies are booming making them a seemingly more stable option for the confectionery sector.
How is it being used?
Widely. According to Planet A, ChoViva is already used in more than 120 products across 10 countries. That includes some big names within global confectionery.
Last year, the company formed a long-term commercial partnership with world leader Barry Callebault to open up new avenues for growth. A spokeswoman for the confectioner says: “Combining Planet A Foods’ technology platform with Barry Callebaut’s global manufacturing footprint, commercial reach and technical expertise can help bring these solutions to customers in different markets. Importantly, this is about complementing our traditional cocoa and chocolate portfolio with additional choices, not replacing cocoa.” Earlier this year, ChoViva also partnered with Nestle on its ‘Choco Crossies’ Snack Vibes line.
Green Spot Technologies
How is it made?
French biotech start-up Green Spot Technologies upcycles the food industry’s waste products – think spent brewer’s grain, tomato skins, apple pomace and wine grape marc – and ferments them to into a range of nutrient dense powders. Its cocoa alternative Milatea is made using the side stream from fava beans, like hulls and husks, which are transformed by this process into a “versatile ingredients with the same uses as chocolate, lowering the impact of indulgence and empowering the fava supply chain,” says marketing director Manon Ledoux.
What are the benefits?
Today’s cocoa farming model is reaching its limits, says Ledoux. “We’re not here to replace [it]. We want to make it possible to do things differently.” By using fermented fava bean hulls, made in France, it can create the “perfect match for high-quality certified cocoa, delivering an intense, premium chocolate taste, while bringing in a natural ingredient that is locally grown and fermented with a low carbon footprint.” It’d be pretty hard to argue with the environmental advantages too, given that the team is essentially making use of the waste product from an already highly sustainable crop.
How is it being used?
The company’s products are already being served in French restaurants, incorporated into high-end desserts and ready-to-eat products, like spreads and ice-cream. In late 2025, it also secured €5m to scale up production to industrial volumes, overcoming one of the biggest barriers it has faced in becoming a viable alternative. “Beyond our own Milatea range, our R&D team now partners with others on a wider range of projects, from lab work through to first industrial batches and full-scale production,” says Ledoux.
Win-Win
How is it made?
Like ChoViva, London-based Win-Win has used its proprietary fermentation and roasting technique to mimic the taste and aroma of traditional chocolate but using cereals and legumes rather than cocoa.
What are the benefits?
According to CEO Mark Golder, its cocoa-free products “deliver a great chocolate-like experience” while minimising the impact on the planet, generating up to 80% lower carbon emissions and up to 80% less water usage than conventional chocolate. The advantages go beyond environmental footprint though, he insists. “Diversifying the ingredients used in chocolate products can help reduce demand pressure on cocoa-growing regions while making the wider supply chain more resilient. The aim isn’t simply to replace cocoa with another ingredient, but to help build a more diverse and resilient chocolate industry.”
How is it being used?
Win-Win’s alternatives can be used as a direct swap for conventional chocolate in applications like brownies, syrups, ice creams, cookies, cakes, and drinks. It also has cocoa-free chocolate buttons with the same “snap, sheen and performance of conventional chocolate.” It has already struck up a number of commercial partnerships, including with ingredients supplier Keylink, which primarily supplies chefs, chocolatiers and bakeries, as well as securing a major distribution partnership with the baking ingredients group Martin Braun in 2025.
California Cultured
How is it made?
US company California Cultured has gone one step further in its pursuit of creating a cocoa alternative, by producing chocolate from cultured plant stem cells. Those cells are sampled from plant varieties selected for their taste, smell and ‘melt’ performance, before being grown in specialised bioreactors. The cocoa harvested from this method is then fermented and roasted to produce cocoa nibs that, say the company, can be used exactly like conventionally farmed cocoa.
What are the benefits?
Despite the novel technologies underpinning its alternative, California Cultured say its products will be price competitive with the chocolate currently found in supermarkets – and far more sustainable. By creating products in the controlled conditions of a centralised facility the company says its process can be replicated anywhere, removing reliance on regions bearing the brunt of climate change. That also means far shorter supply chains, which reduces carbon emissions.
How is it being used?
California Cultured has plans to launch its cultivated cocoa powder before the end of the year following US regulatory approval. It says it plans to start with baked goods, drinks, coatings and snacks with “broader chocolate applications” to follow.
From these four frontrunners alone, it’s clear that alternatives to cocoa are fast shifting from small pilot concepts to genuine commercial substitutes, with the added bonus of often more resilient, sustainable supply chains. And though that doesn’t mean the world’s appetite for cocoa is going anywhere quickly – many of the start-ups themselves insist they’re not vying to become replacement ingredients – it may just provide both suppliers, and consumers, with a buffer against the worst effects of the ongoing cocoa crisis.
Interested in the topic? Find our Sustainable Chocolate Guide here, and read more of the Wicked Leeks Sustainable Food Series
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