Dive Brief:
- Cocoa-free chocolate provider Voyage Foods is opening a 284,000-square-foot facility in Mason, Ohio, to produce cocoa-free chocolate, nut-free spreads and bean-free coffee, according to an Oct. 16 company press release.
- The plant is expected to start operations by 2025, with the capacity to produce 10,000 metric tons of cocoa-free chocolate annually.
- The push for cocoa and nut alternatives stems from worldwide shortages that have skyrocketed consumer prices. In February, cocoa prices reached a 46-year-high, roughly 65% higher than February 2023.
Dive Insight:
Voyage Foods has received both federal and private financial support as it aims to grow from a startup food technology company to a large-scale manufacturer, CEO and founder Adam Maxwell said in the release.
The Department of Agriculture will aid the facility’s construction with a loan of approximately $25 million.
In April, Voyage Foods entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Cargill. The Minnesota-based food company will work to add Voyage’s cocoa-free chocolate, peanut-free spread and hazelnut-free spread as ingredients in a variety of foods, such as ice cream and granola bars, according to the startup’s website.
Voyage Foods is headquartered and operates a manufacturing site in Oakland, California.
The company’s products include cocoa-free chocolate and allergen-free spreads, made from plant-based ingredients, aiming to have sustainability and supply-chain benefits, according to the release.
The push for cocoa-free chocolate and similar alternatives in the food industry are being driven by shortages over the past year for the precious ingredients all across the world. The International Cocoa Organization pointed to production declines in two countries that produce the most cocoa — Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Along with cocoa-free chips and melting wafers, Voyage Foods also uses proprietary technology to make nut-free spreads and bean-free coffee.
Instead of cocoa, the company uses vegetable oil, sugar, grape seeds and sunflower protein. For its coffee beans, Voyage Foods extracts caffeine from green tea and uses roasted chickpeas, rice hulls and water.
Voyage Foods, founded in 2021, has raised over $94 million from investors, trying to capitalize on the new need for food alternatives. The company has raised the most equity among several startups pioneering “cocoa-free” chocolate, according to Crunchbase.
