Cocoa-Free Confectionery Solutions for Food Manufacturers
89% of consumers enjoy chocolate at least once a week.1 But volatile cocoa prices can impact formulation affordability. Our NextCoa™ confectionery alternative to chocolate brings you a more predictable and affordable solution. Delightful, stable, scalable. With a responsibly sourced approach to water, land use and carbon footprint (compared to traditional chocolate2), NextCoa™ confectionery alternative is helping to reduce reliance on cocoa — satisfying both consumer cravings and your business goals.
NextCoa™ confectionery alternatives to chocolate help food manufacturers create indulgent products with a chocolatey-like taste and familiar functionality without using cocoa.
Developed through a partnership between Cargill and Voyage Foods, NextCoa™ is made from plant-based ingredients and can be incorporated into a wide range of food and beverage applications. As cocoa markets continue to face supply and pricing volatility, manufacturers are increasingly exploring cocoa-free ingredient solutions that support product innovation and supply chain resilience.
Available in Mild and Dark-Mild varieties, NextCoa™ gives brands an additional formulation option for creating confectionery-inspired products across bakery, snack, cereal, frozen dessert, and confectionery applications.
What is NextCoa™ confectionery alternative?
NextCoa™ products are a portfolio of cocoa-free confectionery alternatives to chocolate, designed to deliver a chocolatey-like sensory experience while reducing reliance on cocoa.
NextCoa™ is designed for manufacturers looking to expand formulation flexibility while delivering the sensory experience consumers expect from indulgent products. Its chocolatey-like flavor profile and familiar functionality make it a strong option for applications that traditionally use chocolate or cocoa-based ingredients.
By offering a cocoa-free approach, NextCoa™ helps brands explore new product opportunities while supporting more resilient ingredient sourcing strategies.
What NextCoa™ confectionery alternative flavor profiles are available?
NextCoa™ is available in two flavor profiles to support different product development goals.
- Mild - delivers a lighter, sweeter, creamier profile for applications where a milk chocolatey-like taste is desired.
- Dark Milk - offers a richer profile that blends dark and milk chocolatey-like characteristics for more robust flavor development.
What NextCoa™ confectionery alternative format options are available?
- Bake-stable drops
- Tempering wafers
- Non-tempering wafers
What applications are the NextCoa™ products best suited for?
Depending on format, NextCoa™ confectionery alternatives are well-suited for coatings, enrobing, inclusions and baked applications. Technical support is available to help determine the best fit for your application.
Bakery and Bars
- Create tempting coatings, fillings, ganaches, inclusions and more
Confectionery
- From truffles to toffees, caramels to cordials, The NextCoa™ confectionery alternative portfolio has you covered
Cookies
- Elevate cookie recipes with sweet inclusions, chocolatey foundations and more
Ice Cream
- Blend in sweet chocolatey morsels, drops & other delights
Snacks
- NextCoa solutions fuel the crave, from coated pretzels, drizzled popcorn, trail mix & beyond
Food manufacturers can use NextCoa™ across a variety of product concepts, including:
- Coated pretzels
- Snack bars
- Granola products
- Truffles
- Molded confectionery pieces
- Cookie inclusions
- Ice cream inclusions
- Seasonal and limited-time offerings
Its compatibility with familiar confectionery manufacturing processes allows brands to explore new product concepts without significant process changes.
A cocoa-free formula for today’s needs
Cost effective - Offers more pricing stability than traditional chocolate
To bypass the volatile cocoa market, NextCoa™ confectionery alternatives utilize upcycled grape seeds from wine-making side-streams. These reliable and cost-stable inputs yield better pricing stability and availability at scale – protecting your cost-in-use.
Plant-based & formulated without major allergens
NextCoa™ confectionery alternatives are crafted with purpose from plant-based ingredients, unwrapping sweet indulgence that’s vegan, non-GM1 and formulated without the top-9 allergens.
- Upcycled grape seeds
- Sunflower seed flour
- Vegetable fats
- Sunflower lecithin
- Sugar
- Natural flavor
Supporting Sustainability Goals
NextCoa™ confectionery alternatives are designed with an intentional approach to resource use, including water use, land use, and carbon footprint considerations compared to traditional chocolate production.
By utilizing innovative plant-based ingredients and alternative sourcing approaches, NextCoa™ helps manufacturers explore new ways to align product development with evolving sustainability objectives while maintaining the sensory qualities consumers enjoy.
How cocoa-free stacks up environmentally
NextCoa™ confectionery alternatives contribute to a more circular food system while reducing pressure on cocoa-dependent supply chains. And compared to traditional chocolate, it results in measurable advantages for the environment.2
- 95% lower water footprint
- 90% lower land-use impact
- 67% reduction in carbon footprint
Partner with Gillco for NextCoa™ Ingredient Solutions
Gillco helps food and beverage manufacturers source innovative, clean-label, and functional ingredients from trusted supplier partners.
Through Gillco's partnership with Cargill, manufacturers can access NextCoa™ confectionery alternatives to chocolate and receive support in identifying the right solution for their product applications.
Contact Gillco to learn more about NextCoa™ availability, formulation opportunities, and application support.
Frequently Asked Questions About NextCoa™
What is NextCoa™?
NextCoa™ is a cocoa-free confectionery alternative developed through a partnership between Cargill and Voyage Foods. It is designed to provide a chocolatey-like taste and sensory experience without using cocoa.
Is NextCoa™ chocolate?
No. NextCoa™ is a confectionery alternative to chocolate. It is made without cocoa and is designed to deliver a chocolatey-like flavor profile and familiar functionality in food applications.
What ingredients are used in NextCoa™?
NextCoa™ is made from plant-based ingredients, including upcycled grape seeds, using innovative processing methods that help create a chocolatey-like taste experience.
What applications can NextCoa™ be used in?
NextCoa™ can be used across a wide range of applications, including cookies, baked goods, confectionery products, snack coatings, cereal products, frozen desserts, bars, and other indulgent food formulations.
Why are manufacturers interested in cocoa-free confectionery alternatives?
Many manufacturers are evaluating cocoa-free solutions as they navigate cocoa supply challenges, pricing volatility, and evolving sustainability goals. NextCoa™ provides an additional formulation option while delivering a familiar indulgent experience.
What flavor options are available?
NextCoa™ is available in Mild and Dark-Mild varieties, allowing manufacturers to select the flavor profile that best supports their product objectives.
Is NextCoa™ suitable for plant-based products?
Yes. NextCoa™ is made from plant-based ingredients and can support plant-based product development initiatives.
Does Gillco distribute NextCoa™?
Yes. Gillco partners with Cargill to help food manufacturers source NextCoa™ confectionery alternatives and identify the right formulation solutions for their applications.
NextCoa™ confectionery alternative is a product of a global partnership between Cargill and Voyage Foods.
*There is no single definition of “non-GMO” in the USA. Contact Cargill for source and processing information.
**In unopened, original packaging only.
SOURCES:
1 National Confectioners’ Association. “Sweet Insights: Getting to Know Chocolate Consumers.” 2024.
2 Results presented indicate the upper bounds of reductions across the alternative products assessed when compared to conventional chocolate. For conventional chocolate products a representative commercial product with similar manufacturing conditions are determined. This is not intended to represent the totality of the chocolate industry but rather a realistic market average for indicative comparative assertations. The underlying LCA study incorporates the European Commission-recommended PEF impact assessment method and is 3rd party panel review for ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006 conformance. Ex-ante results are ISO 14044 certified, iterations in supply-chain configurations will be accounted for. Report available at: Voyage Foods.