REWE is the first retailer in Europe to use "ChoViva" in its own brands.choViva is the cocoa-free chocolate alternative from start-up Planet A Foods. It tastes like chocolate, but is made with oats and sunflower seeds.you can find out how this works and what the big plus is for people and the environment in this film with Planet A Foods CEO Maximilian Marquart and Marcel Weber, management of REWE Group's own-brand goods.
The key to the innovative idea was the founders' realisation that the flavour and aroma of chocolate comes from fermentation and roasting, and not from the raw cocoa bean itself. Processed in a similar way to cocoa, a chocolatey aroma and flavour profile is created without any cocoa beans. In addition, the new recipe and production process saves a lot of resources and has advantages over cocoa cultivation. The first articles under ja! and REWE Beste Wahl have been available in all REWE stores since February and under COVO, Granola and Chocolà in PENNY stores, in some cases as limited-time promotional items.
Why ChoViVa? ChoViva is more ecological and socially acceptable, conserves resources and enables independence from the world market
Whether confectionery or baked goods, ice cream or dairy products: Many products contain cocoa as a raw material. The supply chains for cocoa are very complex and harbour high social and environmental risks. REWE Group has been working for years to improve conditions in the countries where cocoa is grown and to make the cocoa value chain more sustainable. This is why a large number of REWE Group's own-brand products carry the Pro Planet label, which improves ecological and social aspects of production. With the use of ChoViva in its own-brand formulas, REWE Group has now developed another option for countering the risks in the supply chains: The cocoa alternative based on sunflower seeds and oats is more ecological and socially acceptable, conserves resources and enables independence from the global market.
Marcel Weber, Head of Merchandise Own Brand REWE Group
"ChoViva convinced us immediately - in terms of its quality as an ingredient and its benefits for nature, the climate, resource conservation and raw material availability," says Marcel Weber, national & international head of own-brand goods at REWE Group.
He emphasises: "REWE Group is continuously working on the further development of customer-oriented product ranges. Sustainability is of great strategic importance to the company. In addition, more sustainable and plant-based products are an unbroken trend across all generations. This is why REWE Group is consistently on the lookout for new approaches and pioneering ideas that bring us closer to our goals. Outstanding innovations in which we see real market potential naturally always have a good chance of finding their way onto the shelves of REWE and PENNY stores."
Background to the collaboration with Planet A Foods
Start-ups are particularly interesting for REWE Group if they promote necessary transformation processes in the value chain with their products and services. The cooperation with Planet A Foods is therefore a win-win situation for REWE Group from which both partners benefit. By integrating ChoViva into the recipes of popular REWE and PENNY own-brand products, REWE Group is reducing the risks associated with cocoa in terms of social and environmental conditions in the supply chain, making sourcing more sustainable and safer and improving the carbon footprint of the products.
The limited exclusivity of the cooperation is part of REWE Group's self-image with regard to the promotion of start-ups. After all, their development should not be hindered. Rather, REWE Group sees itself as a partner and coach for this young company.
ChoViva's innovative potential was also recently recognised at the International Sweets and Biscuits Fair (ISM) in Cologne: Planet A Foods won the internationally renowned "New Product Showcase" innovation award presented by experts for its cocoa alternative and the "ISM Consumer Award" voted for by consumers for its "ja! Neapolitan with ChoViva" product.