Cocoa-free chocolate alternative

Cocoa-free chocolate alternatives, also called cocoa alternatives or cacao-free alternatives, are chocolate alternatives that look, taste, and perform like chocolate but do not contain cocoa as an ingredient. Due to problems associated with the cocoa supply chain such as shortages or deforestation, chocolate alternatives without cocoa are a growing sector in the global chocolate industry.

Production process
The cocoa alternatives possess slightly different production processes, but are all based on the traditional chocolate production process. Oats and sunflower seeds undergo a similar treatment to cocoa beans and are then grounded in several steps to get an aromatic concentrate. Afterwards, the concentrate is mixed with other ingredients like sugar and plant-based fats.

History
In the past, cocoa-reduced products were developed after World War II due to a limited availability of cocoa and high prices. In recent years, the demand for cocoa-alternatives has started to grow as cocoa prices soar due to shortages in cocoa cultivation.