German Startup Creates World’s First Cocoa-Free ‘Chocolate’ from Sunflower Seeds

Berlin: Bavarian startup Planet A Foods has developed the world’s first cocoa-free chocolate alternative, ChoViva, made entirely from fermented and roasted sunflower seeds. Created by siblings Sarah and Maximilian Marquart, the product is being hailed as a potential game-changer for the global confectionery industry.
The innovation comes in response to a looming cocoa crisis. Chief Technology Officer Sarah Marquart warns that global cocoa supply could fall by 50% by 2050, as approximately 80% of the world’s cocoa comes from just two countries — Ghana and Ivory Coast — both increasingly vulnerable to climate change, pests, and monoculture farming.
The science behind ChoViva is straightforward: Marquart explains that up to 80% of chocolate’s flavour comes not from the cocoa bean itself, but from processing steps such as fermentation, roasting, conching, and the addition of milk and sugar. By applying these exact processes to sunflower seed concentrate from its factory in Pilsen, Czech Republic, Planet A Foods has successfully replicated the taste and texture of real chocolate.
ChoViva’s environmental credentials are equally compelling. Its carbon footprint is 73.6% lower than conventional chocolate — 2.8 kg CO2e/kg compared to 10.6 kg CO2e/kg for traditional chocolate. The company estimates that if Germany alone switched entirely to ChoViva, it could save approximately 6.02 billion kilograms of CO2 annually. The product is also significantly cheaper at a time when cocoa prices have surged two to four times in recent years.