Cargill and Voyage Foods have announced the North American launch of NextCoa, an innovative cocoa-free confectionery product designed to deliver the rich, indulgent taste and sensory experience consumers expect from chocolate—without relying on traditional cocoa. The launch, beginning in the United States, marks a significant milestone in the evolution of alternative ingredients and reflects growing efforts across the food industry to create more resilient, sustainable, and diversified supply chains.
As cocoa prices remain volatile and climate-related challenges continue to pressure global cocoa production, the partnership between Cargill and Voyage Foods offers manufacturers a timely new option. Rather than positioning itself as a replacement for chocolate, NextCoa™ is being introduced as a complementary innovation—one that broadens formulation possibilities while helping manufacturers navigate increasingly complex sourcing and sustainability concerns.
According to Kojo Amoo-Gottfried, Vice President and Managing Director of Cocoa and Chocolate for Cargill Food North America, the introduction of NextCoa™ represents a major step forward for the confectionery industry.
“The NextCoa™ line is about expanding choice, not replacing chocolate but redefining what’s possible,” Amoo-Gottfried said. “It unlocks a new way for manufacturers to create the flavors and indulgent experiences people love while building resilience into the food system.”
The product reflects a broader transformation underway in the food sector, where ingredient innovation is increasingly being used to address challenges related to climate change, cost fluctuations, and consumer demand for cleaner, more sustainable products.
A New Approach to Chocolate-Like Flavor
NextCoa™ is designed to mimic the taste, texture, and functionality of conventional chocolate using alternative plant-based ingredients—most notably grape seeds—combined with familiar chocolate-making techniques. This allows manufacturers to use the product in existing production systems with minimal disruption while maintaining the flavor profile consumers expect.
The result is a confectionery ingredient that offers chocolate-like indulgence without dependence on cocoa beans, a crop that has become increasingly vulnerable to environmental and economic instability.
Global cocoa production has faced mounting pressure in recent years due to factors such as changing weather patterns, drought, crop disease, and geopolitical disruptions in major producing regions such as Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, which together supply more than half of the world’s cocoa.
By introducing a cocoa-free alternative, Cargill and Voyage Foods aim to give manufacturers more flexibility and reduce reliance on a single vulnerable commodity.
Sustainability Benefits Drive Interest
One of the strongest selling points of NextCoa™ is its environmental profile.
According to the companies, the product delivers a 67% lower carbon footprint compared to conventional chocolate, offering food brands a measurable opportunity to reduce emissions associated with confectionery production.
As major food manufacturers increasingly commit to ambitious sustainability goals—including carbon reduction, regenerative agriculture, and responsible sourcing—ingredients like NextCoa™ could become an important tool in helping companies meet environmental targets.
The use of alternative raw materials such as grape seeds also contributes to a more diversified agricultural supply chain, reducing dependence on tropical commodity systems that are often linked to deforestation and climate risk.
This aligns with growing consumer expectations as shoppers increasingly seek products that balance indulgence with environmental responsibility.
Free From Major Allergens
Beyond sustainability, NextCoa™ is also designed with inclusivity in mind.
The cocoa-free confectionery alternative is formulated without major allergens, making it free from:
- Dairy
- Soy
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts
This broadens its appeal to manufacturers developing products for allergy-sensitive consumers and families seeking safer snack and dessert options.
Additionally, the ingredient is:
- Vegan
- Kosher pareve
- Halal suitable
These certifications and claims make the product suitable for a wide range of global consumer segments and allow manufacturers to formulate products for diverse dietary lifestyles and cultural markets.
Powered by Food Technology and Scale
The launch of NextCoa™ combines the technological innovation of Voyage Foods with the global scale and distribution capabilities of Cargill.
Voyage Foods, a fast-growing food technology company focused on reinventing iconic foods using sustainable ingredients, developed the patented technology behind the cocoa-free product.
Adam Maxwell, Founder and CEO of Voyage Foods, said the partnership dramatically expands the company’s reach.
“We built Voyage Foods to rethink how the world’s favorite foods are made,” Maxwell said. “With Cargill, we can scale that vision, making our approach to chocolatey-like foods accessible to even more manufacturers.”
For Voyage Foods, partnering with a global agribusiness leader like Cargill provides access to one of the world’s largest ingredient distribution networks—critical for moving from niche innovation to mainstream adoption.
For Cargill, the collaboration strengthens its innovation pipeline and positions the company at the forefront of next-generation confectionery ingredients.
Product Formats Designed for Versatility
In the U.S. market, the NextCoa™ portfolio will initially launch in two varieties:
- Mild – designed to emulate a milk-chocolate-style flavor
- Dark Mild – a hybrid profile combining darker cocoa-style notes with creamy milk-chocolate characteristics
These options are designed to serve a broad range of applications across the food industry.
Potential uses include:
- inclusions in snack and nutrition bars
- bakery products such as cookies and brownies
- frozen desserts and ice cream
- coatings for nuts and snack clusters
- premium confectionery products such as truffles
- seasonal and novelty treats
Because the product behaves similarly to conventional chocolate in manufacturing environments, food companies can experiment with minimal reformulation costs.
That flexibility may accelerate adoption among both established brands and emerging food startups.
Expanding Distribution Across North America
Under the terms of the partnership, Cargill will serve as the exclusive global business-to-business distributor for Voyage Foods products.
To support the U.S. rollout, Cargill is collaborating with several established ingredient distribution partners, including:
- Batory Foods
- Blendtek
- Gillco Ingredients, part of Azelis
These partnerships will help ensure broad availability for food manufacturers nationwide.
The companies also confirmed plans to expand NextCoa™ availability into Canada in the near future, signaling broader regional ambitions.
A New Category in Confectionery
The introduction of NextCoa™ reflects a larger trend reshaping the global food industry: the rise of ingredient alternatives that deliver familiar experiences in more sustainable ways.
Just as plant-based dairy and meat alternatives transformed their respective sectors, cocoa alternatives may represent the next major wave of innovation in food.
Whether used to reduce supply risk, lower emissions, meet allergen requirements, or simply create new product experiences, cocoa-free ingredients are likely to gain momentum in the years ahead.
With NextCoa™, Cargill and Voyage Foods are not merely launching a new product—they are helping define an entirely new category in modern confectionery, one that blends indulgence, resilience, and sustainability for the future.
Source Link:https://www.businesswire.com/
