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 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.

About Barry Callebaut Group:

With annual sales of about CHF 14.8 billion in fiscal year 2024/25, the Zurich-based Barry Callebaut Group is the world’s leading solutions provider of high-quality chocolate experiences across the full spectrum of chocolate, cocoa, cacao coatings and non-cocoa alternatives – from sourcing and processing cocoa beans to crafting premium chocolates, fillings and decorations. The Group operates more than 60 production facilities worldwide and employs a diverse, committed workforce of over 13,000 people. Barry Callebaut serves as a trusted partner for the entire food industry, from large-scale food manufacturers to artisanal and professional users such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants and caterers with Callebaut® as its main global brand. The Barry Callebaut Group is dedicated to making sustainable chocolate the norm – helping secure the future of cocoa and improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers. It supports the Cocoa Horizons Foundation which aims to shape a sustainable future for cocoa and chocolate.

About Planet A Foods (www.planet-a-foods.com): 

The food solution company Planet A Foods develops innovative ingredients that make food production more independent and resilient. Using a scalable fermentation platform, the company creates future-proof alternatives to increasingly threatened raw materials – independent of traditional supply chains. The global food system as we know it is under pressure: climate change, resource scarcity, and geopolitical tensions are putting key ingredients at risk. Through technological innovation, Planet A Foods provides real alternatives – for a secure, sustainable, and delicious future. 

The company's portfolio includes ChoViva, the world’s leading cocoa-free chocolate alternative. Starting in Europe, ChoViva is made from sunflower seeds and produced at scale, with over 70 products in more than eight countries. Powered by Planet A Foods’ ingredient platform, Choviva’s formulation can be adapted to a wide range of locally available crops, enabling sustainable production anywhere in the world, from Europe to Asia and beyond. 

Founded in 2021, Planet A Foods employs 75 people. The company is headquartered in Planegg near Munich and operates its production facility in Pilsen, Czech Republic. It is led by co-founder Dr. Sara Marquart (CTO), co-founder Dr. Maximilian Marquart (CEO), and Stefan Rost (CFO). 

About ChoViva (www.choviva.com)

ChoViva is a delicious alternative to chocolate—offering the familiar, indulgent taste everyone knows and loves. Instead of cocoa beans, ChoViva is made with ground sunflower seeds using an innovative fermentation platform. The traditional chocolate-making techniques of fermentation and roasting are adapted to suit these new ingredients, creating a rich, chocolatey flavor. Combined with sugar and plant-based fats, the result is a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Developed in 2021 by Sara and Maximilian Marquart, ChoViva is already available in over 60,000 supermarkets in more than eight countries, including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. Products made with ChoViva can be identified by the ChoViva logo on the front of partner product packaging. ChoViva® is a registered trademark.