Nestlé is to launch a product in Germany containing cocoa-free chocolate through a tie-up with ingredient supplier Planet A Foods.
The Swiss giant’s Nestlé Choco Crossies Snack Vibes product will contain Planet A Foods’ cocoa-free ChoViva ingredient for the launch in April, described as a “significant milestone in how global leaders utilise innovative ingredients to drive strategic brand growth”.
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Nestlé hopes to tap into Gen Z consumers with the launch. Marc Nussbaumer, the business executive officer for confectionery at Nestlé’s unit in Germany, said: “This is a generation navigating constant digital noise, looking for small ways to hit the reset button. We developed these new varieties specifically for those moments – creating a snack that engages the senses and offers a brief, personal chill-out vibe.”
ChoViva is made from ground sunflower seeds instead of cocoa, which are fermented and roasted “then mixed with plant-based fats, grape seed flour and sugar”, a spokesperson for Germany-based Planet A Foods said.
Choco Crossies Snack Vibes are made up of 74% ChoViva and 26% cornflakes, the spokesperson told Just Food, declining to say if the product will be rolled out in other markets after German retailers across the country.
Further cocoa-free products under the partnership will depend on the success of the April launch but tests have shown that ChoViva has been “well received, especially by younger target groups like Gen Z”, the spokesperson added.
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By GlobalDataAccording to the launch statement, the ChoViva alternative is featured in around 120 products in ten countries.
Dr. Maximilian Marquart, the CEO of Planet A Foods, added: “The cooperation with Nestlé fosters ChoViva’s role as a strategic partner for brand manufacturers. We support brands to directly engage with younger generations and build lasting relevance with the consumers of tomorrow.”
Planet A Foods entered a partnership with global chocolate and ingredients producer Barry Callebaut in November to promote cocoa-free.
Christian Hansen, the head of global strategy at Barry Callebaut, said at the time that the company was “embracing technology to open further avenues for growth while enhancing our resiliency to today’s cocoa-market volatility”.
Its president for customer experience, Dries Roekaerts, said the partnership with Planet A Foods was a “milestone in diversifying our portfolio and capturing the exciting opportunities in chocolate alternatives without cocoa”, which, he added, “are not meant to replace traditional chocolate but to complement it”.
