Chocolate…ahh! That smooth, velvety, brown, aromatic, soulful goodness! The taste just speaks for itself. Manufactured and produced individually or combined with many food products, chocolate is one confection that is loved by many. If it takes around 400 cocoa beans to make just 1 pound of chocolate, you know it’s a big deal. 

The thing is, as much as many people love chocolates and confectionary goodies, this ingredient is used in various other dishes and cuisines worldwide. Therefore the demand for chocolate is always at an all-time high. Invariably people lack the knowledge and awareness of just how much it takes to grow, manufacture, and produce this confectionary, although numbers are present. 

From 2021 – 2022, over 4.9 million tons of chocolate were globally produced. Estimates say that in the crop year of 2023 – 2024, over 4.5 million tons of chocolate is expected to be produced, where the biggest cocoa-producing countries are – Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana making up for over 60% of cocoa produced, Ecuador making up for over 7%, and followed by Indonesia which is the largest cocoa-producing Asian country. 

Since cocoa trees can only grow in climatic Rainforest areas, cocoa manufacturing farmers, industries, and companies disrupt the environment’s ecosystem and biodiversity when cocoa trees are grown to be manufactured and produced. Many environmental detriments occur where cocoa trees are planted and grown. Over 4 million hectares of trees are cut down to plant, grow, harvest, manufacture, and produce cocoa beans. The massive deforestation also comes with huge quantities of water being used and wasted. Further estimates from the Global Forest Watch say that the complete process of the production of chocolate from 2001 – 2021 in Ghana, has cut down over 1.4 million hectares of trees in Ghana which has released 739 million tons of Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which is a staggering number and to be taken very seriously.

Therefore in this article, we will be sharing aromatic and delicious insights into how a trailblazing and pioneering sibling duo – Max and Sara Marquart co-founded Planet A Foods – which specializes in sustainably manufacturing food ingredients that are devoid of environmentally exploitative actions, to manufacture the world’s first cocoa-free alternative for chocolate through the use of proprietary technology to produce ChoViva – a delicious, flavourful, aromatic, velvety-smooth, brown goodness! 

The Trailblazing and Pioneering Sibling Duo – Max and Sara Marquart: 

The Co-founders of Planet A Foods and ChoViva are German nationalities – Max Marquart who is the Chief Executive Officer and his twin sister Sara Marquart who is the Chief Technology Officer. The sibling duo manufacturers recognized the major environmental impacts that were hurting the planet to great extents and hence decided together to call to action in addressing these global food concerns that are contributed by the Cocoa Manufacturing and Producing Industries worldwide. 

Dr. Max (Maximilian) Marquart has a Post-Graduate Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich, and a Doctor’s Ph.D. Degree in Engineering from RWTH Aachen University and at ETH Zurich. Max started his employment career in prominent and leadership positions and roles, such as – Project Leader at BMW Group, and Managing Director at 27Pilots, and soon co-founded Planet A Foods and ChoViva alongside his twin sister. 

“At Planet A Foods, we produce future-proof chocolate using fermentation processes. We can create cocoa-free chocolate called ChoViva that is 10x more sustainable than conventional chocolate.”

Dr. Sara Marquart has a Master of Science Degree in Food Chemistry from the Technical University of Munich and a Doctor of Science Degree in the same field as well as university. Like her twin brother Max, Sara too went on to start her career in leading positions and roles, such as – Food Scientist at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Ph.D. Research at Technische Universität München, Chief Curator at Deutsches Museum, Principal Scientist at Atomo Coffee, Head of Flavour at ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. Finally alongside Max, she co-founded Planet A Foods and ChoViva in the year 2021. 

About Plant A Foods and ChoViva:

Planet A Foods is the world’s 1st-ever cocoa-free chocolate alternative manufacturing and producing company that uses locally grown Oats and Sunflower Seeds to sustainably innovate and create a delicious substitute for chocolate. Devoid of environmentally exploitative actions in deforestation, excess water consumption, and staggering CO2 emissions, the company uses its proprietary technology to produce ChoViva – a delicious, flavourful, aromatic, velvety-smooth, brown goodness! 

Founded in the year 2021, Planet A Foods has its headquarters established in Munich, Germany. A biotechnology research facility and company that “deliciously crafts sustainable food for everyone”, replaces Palm Oil with their cocoa-free chocolate butter as well. The fermentation process of Oats and Sunflower Seeds follows an ancient beer brewing technology that contributes to half of the work done in making this exquisite cocoa-free chocolate experience. 

Mission Statement – “To create dramatically more sustainable food ingredients and thus save millions of tons of CO2 emissions each year.” 

Reducing the need for land and labor resources, the company keeps its supply chains short as Oats and Sunflower Seeds which are the main ingredients are locally grown. Using 30% less sugar, 94% less water, 100% naturally grown ingredients, and avoiding deforestation, Planet A Foods makes ChoViva with vegan options, keeping the deliciousness levels at a premium level, and has since seen a huge 90% reduction in CO2 emissions. Planet A Foods is partnered with Kölln, REWE, LambertZ, Penny, Lindt, Seidl Confiserie, and De Beukelaer. From manufacturing and producing cocoa-free alternative chocolate, ChoViva also covers a range of Granolas and Cereals, Bakery items, and Snacks.