Cargill Brings Cocoa-Free Chocolate to North America

Cargill and Voyage Foods are bringing NextCoa™, an award-winning confectionery alternative to chocolate, to North America, starting in the United States….
NextCoa North America

Share this article:

Cargill and Voyage Foods are bringing NextCoa™, an award-winning confectionery alternative to chocolate, to North America, starting in the United States. The product delivers a chocolatey-like taste consumers expect without cocoa, using innovative ingredients and familiar chocolate-making processes.

“The NextCoa™ line is about expanding choice, not replacing chocolate but redefining what’s possible,” said Kojo Amoo-Gottfried, vice president and managing director of Cocoa and Chocolate for Cargill Food North America. “It unlocks a new way for manufacturers to create the flavors and indulgent experiences people love while building resilience into the food system.”

Plant-based ingredients

NextCoa™ confectionery alternatives to chocolate are crafted from plant-based ingredients like grape seeds, helping improve pricing stability and availability. The product also delivers measurable environmental benefits, including a 67% lower carbon footprint compared to conventional chocolate.*

The cocoa-free offering is formulated without major allergens, free from dairy, soy, peanuts and tree nuts,** expanding options for both food manufacturers and consumers. It is also vegan, Kosher pareve and Halal suitable.

NextCoa™ products combine Voyage Foods’ patented technology with Cargill’s supply chain scale to bring new food innovations to market.

“We built Voyage Foods to rethink how the world’s favorite foods are made,” said Adam Maxwell, CEO and Founder of Voyage Foods. “With Cargill, we can scale that vision, making our approach to chocolatey-like foods accessible to even more manufacturers.”

In the U.S., the NextCoa™ line is available in Mild (milk-chocolatey-style) and Dark Mild (a blend of dark and milk chocolatey-like flavors) varieties. Formats are suited for a wide range of applications from inclusions in bars, baked goods and ice cream to coatings for snacks and confectionery treats like truffles.

Through their commercial partnership, Cargill serves as the exclusive global business-to-business distributor for Voyage Foods. Cargill is working with regional partners Batory Foods, Blendtek and Gillco Ingredients, an Azelis Company to supply U.S. customers and plans to expand to customers in Canada soon.

About International Confectionery

International Confectionery is the leading authority in global confectionery content, delivering expert news, in-depth articles, exclusive interviews, and industry insights across print, digital, and event platforms. Published 10 times a year, the magazine is a trusted resource for professionals seeking updates and analysis on the latest developments in the confectionery sector.

To submit an article, or for sponsorship opportunities, please contact our team below.

Joseph Clarke Picture

Joseph Clarke

Senior Editor

Steve Blakebrough Picture

Steve Blakebrough

Sales Manager

Afua Akoto Picture

Afua Akoto

Marketing Manager

Related News

EXBERRY® Aerated Gums

The Power of Plant-Based Colours

GNT will demonstrate how plant-based EXBERRY® colours can deliver vibrant shades while supporting natural ingredient lists at Gulfood Manufacturing 2026 (November 3-5, Dubai).
Pralines

Cargill Introduces Coconera Across Europe

Cargill introduces its Coconera cocoa butter equivalent range to Europe, offering confectionery manufacturers greater formulation and supply flexibility.
Ingredient-of-the-year-International-Confectionery

Ingredient of the Year Voting Opens

Vote for Ingredient of the Year at the International Confectionery Awards 2026. Discover the four finalists and cast your vote before 9 November.
Product-of-the-year-International-Confectionery

Vote for Product of the Year

Vote for Product of the Year at the International Confectionery Awards 2026. Discover the four finalists and cast your vote before 9 November.
Gleb Headshot

Building Safer AI into Confectionery

Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, behavioural scientist and author of The Psychology of AI Adoption at Work reveals why confectionery manufacturers need clear limits on the authority given to AI agents as automation becomes increasingly autonomous. 
Wolf Gulfood Manufacturing

Gulfood Manufacturing Exhibitor – Wolf

On Stand S1-G12, Wolf will showcase flexible coating, tempering and bar-forming technologies designed to help confectionery manufacturers develop innovative, protein-rich snack products efficiently. 
vote now2

Vote Now in the International Confectionery Awards

Voting for the International Confectionery Awards 2026 is now open, giving readers the opportunity to recognise the products, technologies, initiatives and individuals making an important contribution to the global confectionery industry.
Scroll to Top