Exclusive: Planet A Foods joins our 2026 World Confectionery Conference
Maximilian Marquart will be appearing at our 2026 World Confectionery Conference as part of our QandA panel. Pic: Planet A
A significant addition to our World Confectionery Conference comes in the form of Planet A’s co-founder Maximilian Marquart, who is set to join our Q&A on sustainability, writes Neill Barston.
The company’s core brand, Choviva, which offers an alternative to chocolate derived from sunflower seeds, has gained significant traction in recently gaining a manufacturing agreement with the Barry Callebaut group, that will further drive its brand.
Notably, Planet A was previously recognised in 2024 with honours at our annual World Confectionery Conference, which will be making its way to London on 10 September this year. You can register for the 2026 event via the following link, to make the most of our early bird rate this month.
The company, which is led by Dr Maximilian Marquart, and his sister, CTO Sara Marquart, earned an accolade at our event, as well as a number of other industry plaudits over the past few years for its work in developing sustainable food ingredients including oats and sunflower seeds.
The latter has been the basis for its Choviva brand, which has seen significant breakthroughs in placing a number of products on retailing shelves within Europe.
It has certainly come a long way since its founding in 2021, with Planet A Foods employing around 60 people. The company is headquartered in Planegg near Munich and produces in Pilsen, Czech Republic.
Speaking on the company’s addition to the World Confectionery Conference ranks, editor Neill Barston commented: “Having seen the rapid rise of Choviva in the past few years, it has been a deserved award winner at our conference for the work that Max and Sara Marquart have put into their ambitious venture within the industry.
“As with any new venture, it has gone through its phases of development, including revisions to its branding and name, but the company has retained a clear vision as to its ultimate goal in producing genuinely sustainable alternatives to cocoa, which have already gained strong market interest.”
