Soaring cocoa prices have driven chocolate products (almost?) out of the average consumer’s reach. And that trend has triggered a burgeoning interest in alt-coca products. Which is why food processing giant Cargill has launched NextCoa…
Cargill insists… Suitable applications for NextCoa span the entire range of chocolate products…
It’s an alt-cocoa chocolate base that is made from ingredients you might consider unlikely substi-tutes for cocoa. Like grape seeds. But Cargill and partner Voyage Foods say their new product tastes and behaves just like the real thing…
Future-proofing
Mia Divecha, Senior Product Line Specialist at Cargill explains, NextCoa will, “future-proof our favour-ite treats,” by stabilizing price and supply.
European innovation
There’s currently greater interest in chocolate alternatives among European manufacturers, who’ve been actively researching cocoa substitutes for some time – since cocoa prices started rising out of control. They’ve been concentrating on reformulating their products to use less cocoa, as well as starting to (cautiously) implement chocolate alternatives
US chocolate makers have also been experimenting with substitutes. But their quiet efforts to reduce the use of real cocoa in their products have been outed by fans, triggering fierce backlash. Earlier this year, Hershey was called out by Reese’s founder’s grandson for using chocolate alternatives in some of its signature products. And the company abruptly pulled a hard 180. Hershey‘s will revert to using ‘Pure Chocolate’ by next year…
Nevertheless, food processors and manufacturers see substitutes as the way of the future, and their R&D departments are working full-tilt on it.
‘Voyage’ of discovery…
Voyage Foods is a new-ish California company whose mission statement is pretty straightforward: “We’re not out to create the newest trendy alternative spread that costs an arm and a leg or any other artisanal, high-dollar products for that matter. We’re creating real, delicious food that can be enjoyed by everyone.”
Those foods include plant-based chocolate, coffee and nut substitutes, which address the emerging demand for cheaper, more-plentiful sources of the favours millions around the world love. And it hasn’t been easy.
“Creating the iconic tastes and textures of peanut butter, chocolate, and coffee without peanuts, cocoa beans, or coffee beans, respectively, is the ultimate challenge for any food scientist – as our R&D team can surely attest to.”
Cargill has purchased exclusive distribution rights to Voyage’s products. In response to that gesture of support, Voyage has added a 284,000-square-foot facility in Mason, Ohio, to expand production.
Multiple advantages…
Voyage Foods’ alt-cocoa product claims to have a 67 percent lower carbon footprint than traditional chocolate. It’s also billed as free from common allergens including dairy, soy, peanuts and tree nuts.
Because the product will be made in the USA, it will be unencumbered by the uncontrollable fluctu-ations of the world economy and free from massive trans-global transportation costs.
My take
I’ve said it before. And, yes, time has passed. But I still think the mass consumer acceptance alter-native chocolate, coffee and nut products needs to thrive is just not there yet.
However, current behind-the-scenes activity in the industry will at least ensure that alternatives will be available when their time comes…
~ Maggie J.