Exclusive: Planet A and Barry Callebaut launch collaboration venture at ISM 2026

A key launch of the partnership between Planet A cocoa alternative ingredients business and Barry Callebaut has proved among major highlights at this year’s ISM event in Cologne.

Confectionery Production was on hand in Germany to speak to the two businesses about the venture, which has been hailed as holding significant potential for both parties.

As our title noted, the partnership has envisaged the development of an enhanced range of products linked to Planet’s A’s Choviva series, which has gained significant traction in European markets.

Furthermore, the company’s core brand also gained an accolade at our World Confectionery Conference in 2024, commended as the best emerging start-up venture within the sectorl. 

Moreover, as previously reported, Swiss headquartered Barry Callebaut has notably sought out alternative product solutions in the wake of what it  described as ‘unprecedented conditions’ in conventional cocoa markets that saw prices rise significantly over the past year.

The business, which utilises sunflowers and oats as an alternative to chocolate, has grown considerably since the company began in 2021, founded by German-based brother and sister team of Doctors Maximilian and Sara Marquart.

Significantly, the company has rapidly delivered on its ambitions, scaling-up to a total of more than 70 team members, having gained at €30 million scale-up development funding to commercially develop their product ranges, which has seen the company gain a major private label deal in its home nation.

For its part, Barry Callebaut, which has its core manufacturing in Belgium, noted that it is navigating today’s cocoa-market volatility with a proactive and diversified approach, fuelled in part by its innovation strategy, which is powered by industry-leading R&D capabilities and underpinned by a passion for pioneering new taste experiences.

Speaking to exclusively to Confectionery Production, Dr Sara Marquart welcomed the collaboration with Barry Callebaut, which marked the next phase of Choviva’s development.

She said: “For us, it’s an amazing opportunity to partner with Barry Callebaut, as they are leaders in taste and in chocolate as the world’s largest producer, so this commercial partnership allows us to scale-up with the company’s footprint globally, and its sales team.

“So now we can reach the US and Canada and Asia, which is amazing,” added the company’s co-founder, who also expressed considerable optimism surrounding a parallel launch of new product series via Nestle, its chocolate coated cornflakes, Choco Crossies, which have been among the company’s key displays at its stand at ISM this week.

Confectionery Production also spoke to Alvaro Alonso, Barry Callebaut’s president for western Europe on its collaboration, who believed the collaboration with Planet A would mark an important chapter for both companies. See the next edition of Confectionery Production magazine for the full interview.