Anne Mertens-Hoyng has established herself as an influential figure in confectionery innovation, helping Cargill and its customers navigate cocoa volatility, affordability, sustainability and evolving consumer expectations around indulgence.
Having previously held senior leadership responsibilities across chocolate confectionery and ice cream, Mertens-Hoyng has recently transitioned into the position of Bakery Category Senior Director at Cargill. Importantly, her contribution to confectionery innovation continues, including her involvement in Cargill’s partnership with food-tech company Voyage Foods and the development of NextCoa™, an alternative to conventional chocolate designed to reduce reliance on cocoa.
Driving a New Approach to Cocoa
Rather than positioning alternatives as replacements for traditional chocolate, Mertens-Hoyng advocates a flexible approach where conventional cocoa, cocoa-optimised formulations, coatings and next-generation alternatives coexist. This enables manufacturers to balance consumer expectations, affordability and supply resilience.
Developed through Cargill’s collaboration with Voyage Foods, NextCoa uses revalorised plant-based ingredients to recreate the flavour, colour, texture and melting characteristics associated with chocolate. Applications include confectionery shells, coatings and inclusions, alongside bakery and ice cream products.
The partnership has received significant recognition. Cargill’s Indulgence Redefined platform, incorporating the confectionery alternative developed with Voyage Foods, won the Future Foodtech Innovation Award at Fi Europe 2024, following a joint presentation involving Mertens-Hoyng. NextCoa subsequently received Gold at the 2026 Edison Awards.
Combining Technical and Commercial Leadership
Mertens-Hoyng’s contribution extends beyond commercial strategy. She is named as an inventor on a Cargill patent application for a vegetable spread containing cocoa butter, demonstrating her involvement in formulation innovation.
Her transition into bakery leadership further highlights the relevance of her expertise across interconnected food manufacturing sectors, particularly where chocolate, coatings and fillings play important roles.
Through collaborative development, award-winning ingredient technology and efforts to build more resilient approaches to indulgence, Mertens-Hoyng has made a meaningful contribution to confectionery innovation.
Her achievements demonstrate how technical understanding, commercial leadership and cross-sector collaboration can help shape the confectionery industry’s future, making her a compelling candidate for International Confectionery Woman of the Year.
