The Hershey Backlash
Brad Reese, grandson of the creator of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, accused Hershey of replacing milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut crème without clear public disclosure. The complaint, posted on LinkedIn, drew major U.S. media coverage including appearances on Good Morning America, the Late Show and NBC News. In April 2026, Hershey responded by committing to bring a small portion of remaining Hershey's and Reese's products back in line with their classic milk and dark chocolate recipes starting in 2027, though the company said core recipes for its chocolate bars and peanut butter cups have not changed overall.
Why Manufacturers Are Looking Beyond Cocoa
Climate change is destabilizing cocoa crops and prices, pushing confectionery giants to explore alternatives. Mondelēz has partnered with Israeli start-up Celleste Bio, which recently produced a dozen chocolate bars using cell-cultured cocoa butter. Nestlé launched Choco Crossies Snack Vibes in Germany featuring ChoViva, an alternative from Planet A Foods, targeting younger consumers on a trial basis.
The Science of Taste Without Cocoa
Food technologists have moved far beyond carob, the failed 1970s and 1980s substitute. Ahrum Pak, founder of UK-based cocoa-alt company Win-Win, explains that chocolate's depth comes not primarily from cocoa itself but from fermentation and roasting. Win-Win uses solid-state fermentation on cereals, carob, sunflower and other sustainable crops to unlock chocolate-like flavour compounds. The company required thousands of R&D iterations to get the taste, texture and melt right, and now produces at industrial scale for cookies, cakes, ice creams and other applications.
Celleste Bio claims its cell-cultured cocoa butter is bio-identical to conventionally grown cocoa, delivering the same texture, melt profile and sensory experience. The company expects to scale production to market-ready quantities within two years and uses AI to customise cocoa butter to customer specifications, such as higher melting points.
Real-World Launches and Consumer Response
ChoViva, made with 20 percent ground sunflower seeds, sustainable plant-based fats and sugar, is featured in over 120 products across 10 countries including Griesson-de Beukelaer, Treets and Jokolade. In Japan, retail giant Aeon introduced three Topvalu Choco ka chocolate substitute bars in summer 2025 following a successful biscuit launch. Aeon reported positive consumer feedback, with shoppers saying the product tastes like milk chocolate despite lacking cocoa, and praised its melt-in-mouth texture and sustainable credentials based on sunflower grown on existing farmland.
The Trust Challenge
Consumer acceptance remains the biggest hurdle. Taste alone is not enough; consumers want transparency about ingredients. Win-Win's Pak acknowledges the difficulty: "Creating a convincing chocolate alternative is incredibly difficult." She credits investor patience and early customer support in allowing the company to iterate toward success. The failure of carob in the 1970s and 1980s still looms as a cautionary tale.
Pak and Planet A Foods both emphasize that cocoa alts are not meant to fully replace traditional chocolate but to ease pressure on fragile global supply chains. Win-Win is now distributing through Martin Braun-Gruppe in European bakery and patisserie sectors and recently signed an exclusive UK partnership with wholesaler Keylink.