Together with Planet A Foods, Deutsche Bahn is surprising its “favorite guests” in first class this year with a special snack: Treets Vegan Crunchy Corn with Choviva. The snack combines roasted corn kernels with a coating made from the chocolate alternative Choviva. Choviva was developed by Munich-based foodtech startup Planet A Foods, which replaces cocoa with ground sunflower seeds. Compared to conventional chocolate, the alternative saves around 80 percent of CO2 emissions and is completely vegan. In doing so, the company is tackling one of the food industry’s greatest challenges: the increasingly scarce availability of cocoa and the high ecological impact of conventional chocolate production.
Maximilian Marquart, CEO and co-founder of Planet A Foods, sees the partnership with Deutsche Bahn as a “match made in heaven”:
“Deutsche Bahn is the perfect partner for us. We both pursue the same mission: reducing CO2 – one through sustainable mobility and the other through sustainable food.”
Alexander Thies, head of on-board service at DB Fernverkehr, is also delighted about the collaboration:
“With the favorite guest gift, we’re giving our passengers a sweet treat while supporting sustainable innovation. We’ve succeeded in bridging this gap with ChoViva.”
Climate-friendly partnership
The partnership capitalizes on growing demand for climate-friendly alternatives in everyday life. For candy manufacturer and Katjes subsidiary Treets/Piasten, the collaboration also marks a step toward plant-based products.
Stephanie K. Schuth, CMO of Treets/Piasten, comments:
“With Crunchy Corn, we’re hitting the nerve of a new generation of snack lovers: 100% vegan and full of flavor. Together with Choviva, we’re creating an innovative product that shows what modern snacking can look like today.”
Planet A Foods was founded in 2021 by siblings Sara and Maximilian Marquart. The startup, recognized as a “Rising Star”, employs around 70 people. With its own fermentation platform, Planet A Foods develops alternatives to critical raw materials and positions itself as a food solution company for more resilient food supply. With its cocoa-free chocolate alternative Choviva, the company is considered one of the most exciting innovators in the European food market. According to the company, Choviva is already distributed in over 60 products such as cereals, confectionery and baked goods in nine countries.
