Cracking cocoa-free chocolate consumption wide open

Since the cocoa crisis emerged, cocoa-free chocolate has been tipped as a new and novel segment in the traditional chocolate space. As the El Niño weather phenomenon, pests and crop disease have continued to plague the cocoa sector from season to season, producers are considering cocoa-free confectionery as a longer-term prospect.

According to Statista, ​global cocoa production​ figures are anticipated to reach over 4.5 million tonnes in the 2023/2024 crop year. However, with cocoa prices hitting over $3 per kilogram in 2023, manufacturers are looking for new ways to avoid the cocoa crisis while still appealing to consumers’ confectionery demands.

Could cocoa-free chocolate rival traditional cocoa-packed varieties? Perhaps not. But its sales figures and industry interest show positive growth—despite being an innovation that may have entered the sector as a temporary plaster rather than a significant and sustainable solution.

Voyage Foods is exploring that opportunity with a new large-scale manufacturing plant dedicated to cocoa-free production.

Is large-scale cocoa-free production here?​

Food tech startup Voyage Foods is opening a 284,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Ohio, US, to manufacture its cocoa-free chocolate, nut-free spreads and bean-free coffee. With completion anticipated for January 2025, the new production plant will have an annual capacity to make 10,000 metric tonnes of cocoa-free chocolate.

Voyage Foods has a vision to secure the future of confectioners’ favourite sweet foods without exploiting their source ingredients. Using the latest in food science and technology, the US-based company strives to be a leader in sustainable sweet treats. It’s developing products made from “real, wholesome ingredients” that strive to be more sustainable by using less water and land than traditional cocoa producers.

Voyage Foods’ new large-scale facility comes after the foodtech company ​signed a deal with food company Cargill​ ​in April. As per their agreement, Cargill has become Voyage’s exclusive B2B global distributor for nut-free spreads and cocoa-free chocolate. The brand hopes the new facility will help it deliver on new opportunities, particularly with consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) and food service companies.

The US Department of Agriculture is partially funding the new build, providing a guaranteed loan programme that Voyage Foods details is “in the ballpark of $25 million.

“With this new facility, Voyage is maturing from a startup food technology company to a large-scale manufacturer with the ability to deliver value across the entire ecosystem to our people, partners, and the planet,” says Adam Maxwell, CEO and Founder of Voyage Foods.

Sustainability meets scalability​

Jumping on immediate trends, routes to market and sought-after sweet product launches were the driving forces behind Voyage Foods opening its new manufacturing plant. “It’s really been about delivering on opportunities that are in front of us, and meeting consumer and commercial demand in B2B, food service, and retail distribution channels,” shares Maxwell.

Accessing direct opportunities that enable the peanut-free and hazelnut-free spread creators to grow in sustainable sweet aisles is a key priority. “​For any food tech startup, the ability to execute is based on the ability to scale,” Maxwell says.

Achieving scalability is central to the role Voyage Foods hopes its new manufacturing facility will play in the cocoa-free chocolate sphere. “This facility will allow Voyage to deliver cocoa-free chocolate solutions to industry on a global scale,” Maxwell highlights.

The company’s bold ambitions reflect the bold actions consumers expect from confectioners in the cocoa-free space. “Consumers want even more sustainable products without compromising great taste or affordable prices,” Maxwell says.

Through its cocoa-free chocolate and nut-free spreads, Voyage Foods wants to enable its partners to deliver against these consumer demands. Production output, therefore, needs to increase.

Due to its unrivalled capabilities, Voyage Foods foresees its new facility having a sizable impact on production output and its future position in the cocoa sector. “To our knowledge, this is the largest capacity of cocoa-free chocolate that can be produced by any company in the category,” Maxwell says.

Cocoa cuts create consumption curiosity​

Due to the ongoing struggles to access cocoa at affordable prices, manufacturers are exploring ​new ways to survive the cocoa crisis​.

The Institute of Food Technologists shares how some producers are turning to product positioning to attract consumers through premium ingredient choices. Alternative formats by brands like Tic Tac also make inroads to engage consumers by showcasing formats other than the typical chocolate bar.

Sustainable solutions are also at the forefront of tackling the cocoa crisis, with producers focusing on their production processes. Barry Callebaut and its Future Farming Initiative, for example, (FFI) is one brand concentrating on scalability to maximise its volumes. 

Cutting back on cocoa production is another route, with brands like taste and nutrition company Kerry exploring alternative ingredients or formulation options to use less cocoa.

Beyond cocoa reduction, though, is ​cocoa removal​, which alongside Voyage Foods, confectionery companies like Celleste Bio, Foreverland, Win-Win, Planet A and Nukoko are focusing their R&D efforts on. To create an eating experience not too dissimilar to cocoa consumption, cocoa-free brands are exploring and utilising various ingredients like faba beans, oats, sunflower seeds and grape seeds.