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German plant-based ingredients company Planet A Foods has launched its second innovation in cocoa alternatives, Cocoa Booster, a functional single-ingredient cocoa powder replacement.
According to PricePedia data, cocoa is heading into its second supply shock in three years, with prices rising by more than 70% since February 2026 and cocoa priced above $6,000 per tonne well into 2027. Additionally, the strengthening El Niño weather pattern is expected to threaten harvests in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, regions that produce around 60% of the world’s cocoa supply.
Planet A noted that the pressure is shifting from cocoa butter to cocoa powder, which is used in most cocoa-flavoured biscuits, cakes, cereals and drinks.
Its new Cocoa Booster ingredient enables manufacturers to lower the amount of cocoa powder used in recipes, reducing their exposure to the cocoa market. The solution is made from a single, EU-sourced plant ingredient – Planet A pointed out that alternatives to cocoa so far have mainly been limited to carob, malt or multi-component blends.
The launch follows Planet A’s flagship ChoViva cocoa-free chocolate launch, made from sunflower seeds and now used in more than 230 products across 12 countries. Cocoa Booster is built on the same platform and is the company’s first foray into powder, taking the approach beyond chocolate and into broader confectionery applications.
The solution comes in three profiles – natural, alkalised and dark – designed to match the taste and colour of the respective cocoa powder. They are designed to work in existing recipes without process changes, and, according to the company, can replace cocoa powder partially or up to 100% across applications such as cookies, muffins, sponge cakes, pudding creams, fat-based cream fillings and beverages.
Planet A Foods also noted the opportunity to address growing interest in fibre-rich products, as rising use of GLP-1 medications for weight management continues to drive demand for nutrient-dense food options due to users’ changing eating behaviours.
Cocoa Booster can allow manufacturers to raise fibre content of a recipe by partially replacing cocoa powder while retaining its taste and colour, Planet A said. Cocoa Booster contains around 69g of fibre per 100g, compared with around 37g in cocoa powder.
Sara Marquart, co-founder and chief technology officer at Planet A Foods, said: “When we spoke to R&D teams, the message was consistent: they had tested alternatives, but existing powder extenders either brought an off-taste, matched only the colour but not the taste, or came with added sugars and flavours.”
“We set out to solve this with one ingredient that works in the recipe they already have – and adds fibre at the same time”.
Co-founder and CEO Maximilian Marquart added: “Cocoa volatility is not a one-off crisis, and manufacturers need ingredients they can plan with for years, not seasons. ChoViva has shown that alternative ingredients work at industrial scale. With our Cocoa Booster, we are bringing that experience to one of the most widely used cocoa ingredients – and we are just getting started.”
