Planet A Foods was founded in 2021 by siblings Sara and Maximilian Marquart to develop new food products that can be produced independently of heavily limited resources such as cocoa, palm oil, or land. The startup initially focused on producing cocoa-free chocolate and developed Nocoa.
Nocoa uses oats instead of cocoa beans and dairy products. These are processed (fermented) by yeast and then roasted. This allows the product to develop typical chocolate aromas and also gives it the texture of chocolate. The yeast is then filtered out of the product. And since oats are naturally sweet, Nocoa in all its flavors requires about 30 percent less sugar than conventional chocolate. Visitors to this year’s Bits & Pretzels were able to try a vegan ice cream variant of Nocoa. Munich Startup also got to taste the ice cream.
“Our nationwide market launch has shown: people are ready for Nocoa”,
says Maximilian Marquart, CEO and co-founder of Planet A Foods.
“Whether as a bar, ice cream, or cookie – Nocoa passed the consumer test with flying colors. Our chocolate, made from local, sustainable raw materials, is a hit. It’s just as smooth and full-flavored as conventional chocolate, but with a 92 percent lower ecological footprint and less sugar. Now we’re taking the next step with our new production facility.”
Nocoa “competitive with conventional chocolate”
In the Czech Republic’s Pilsen, 750 kilograms of cocoa-free chocolate mass per hour are to be produced in the future. The product meets all technical requirements for further industrial processing. Thanks to the new equipment, the startup can also easily scale new products and reliably test process changes. Product development and prototyping take place at the company headquarters in Planegg. There, Planet A Foods develops additional varieties and flavors of Nocoa chocolate.
“With our new production line, we’re continuing our rapid growth trajectory and are delighted that our vision of local, sustainable chocolate, which started as an idea, is now becoming a reality”,
explains CTO and co-founder Sara Marquart.
“We already operate our production units according to industrial standards, but we’re aiming for more: our rollers in Pilsen are designed for continuous production with a capacity of approximately one ton of Nocoa per hour. Even today, we’re at a very attractive price level for our customers and competitive with conventional chocolate.”
