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Planet A Foods

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Building the next generation food ingredient champion.

Summer 2021Founded 20216 peopleMunich, BY, Germany

About

Imagine a world without chocolate. Horrifying, right? But the supply of cocoa is endangered and chocolate is as bad as meat for our planet. We make future-proof chocolate using precision fermentation. Doing this, our chocolate is 10x more sustainable and 20% cheaper than conventional chocolate. In order to mimic the organoleptic properties of chocolate (tender, smoothly melting taste release) we are working on the flavor itself but also on replacing the cocoa butter. 55 Mio lbs of chocolate are consumed every day. By 2035 we will substitute a big chunk of it through our sustainable chocolate. In addition, we are working on extending our technology platform to additional ingredients such as palm oil.

From their website

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Planet A Foods develops scalable fermentation-based ingredient alternatives for the food industry, focusing on future-ready chocolate and cocoa butter substitutes to improve taste, texture, and sustainability at scale. They partner with major players to bring these innovations to global markets and reduce supply-chain risk while maintaining quality and indulgence.

The company offers: 1) ChoViva, a chocolate alternative that matches flavor, snap, texture, and versatility of chocolate and is produced at scale (over 10,000 tons annually). 2) A cocoa butter alternative that provides the same properties and application possibilities as traditional cocoa fat and is currently in development. Their approach leverages a scalable fermentation platform to create resilient, cost-efficient ingredient substitutes suitable for a wide range of confectionery and food applications, enabling brands to maintain quality while reducing environmental impact and supply-chain fragility.

Who it’s for: Food manufacturers and brands in confectionery, bakery, cereals, snacks, and ice cream seeking sustainable, scalable ingredient substitutions for chocolate, cocoa butter, and related applications.

Features
  • scalable fermentation-based ingredients
  • chocolate alternative with same flavor and texture
  • cocoa butter alternative in development
  • premium-quality substitutes tailored to recipes and processes
  • supply chain resilience and cost efficiency
  • reduced carbon emissions

Partnerships with Barry Callebaut; scale production (>10,000 tons annually); development of cocoa butter alternative; active marketing and product launch activities

Founders · 2

Maximilian Marquart
Maximilian MarquartFounder

I am a food aficionado and my mission is to revolutionize the food system. Before founding QOA, I co-founded a company called 27pilots. At 27pilots I supported leading corporations to boost their innovation by collaborating with startups. During my time at 27pilots, I worked with >5000 B2B startups on selling their product to corporates and learned what it means to grow a 27pilots to a 7-digit revenue and 30+ employees. I am holding a Ph.D. in Material Science and Mechanical Engineering.

Sara Marquart
Sara MarquartFounder

My two eternal loves are that for food and science. I am holding a Ph.D. in Food Chemistry.

Formerly Next Chocolate, NxFoods, QOA, Planet A Foods

ConsumerFood and BeverageClimateClimateTech

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