Colombian chocolate manufacturer targets plant-based substitutes as healthy snacking proliferates

17 Sep 2024 --- The plant-based space is diversifying to accommodate evolving consumer trends as convenience and indulgence fuel increasing demand for on-the-go snacks. The rise of flexitarian diets, primarily plant-forward diets with occasional meat consumption, presents innovation opportunities for snacking companies. 

Food Ingredients First sits down with Daniela Quintero, director of design and product development at Luker Chocolate, to understand the company’s response to growing consumer interest in health and plant-based lifestyles and how these trends culminate in the snacking sector.

“Consumers looking for plant-based products have never had more options. However, as the quality of these products continues to increase, so do consumer expectations,” says Quintero.

As a result, demand for plant-based confectionery, specifically chocolate, that does not take away from flavor, texture and indulgence is picking up.

“Where plant-based offerings used to be predominantly dark, with a high cocoa content, it’s now much more common to find ‘milk’ chocolate alternatives using vegan substitutes like oats. These are formulated to be just as creamy and silky as their dairy counterparts,” she adds.

Health and “snackification”

The rise of “snackification” — the trend of having smaller meals — drives consumer interest in healthier formats, particularly bite-sized treats.

“The global plant-based snack market is projected to grow significantly, indicating a promising future for this industry. These snack-sized products meet the demand for healthier options and allow consumers to buy higher quality products at a more affordable price,” explains Quintero.

With an increased focus on health and plant-based diets, there is also a growing market for functional ingredients. In response, the Colombian chocolate supplier has developed a nutrient-enriched plant-based 44% dark chocolate with pea protein.

“Protein sources added to confectionery post-production often produce a dry, chalky or ‘sandy’ mouthfeel. This couverture enables our clients to enhance the nutritional profile of their creations, reducing the unwanted texture of added proteins. Our R&D team has therefore created a balanced taste with a clean plant-based protein source, producing a functional chocolate couverture that contains 5 g of protein per 25 g serving,” she says.

Luker has developed a nutrient-enriched plant-based 44% dark chocolate with pea protein.As sugar remains contentious, younger consumer cohorts increasingly lean toward sugar-reduced products.

“To address consumer demand for more natural sugar sources, we have been experimenting with coconut sugar in some plant-based couvertures. This natural, less processed sugar alternative allows us to satiate consumer desire for authentic, natural flavors with less refined ingredients.”

Sustainability in cocoa

Cocoa has recently come under intense scrutiny over its environmental and social footprint. Consumers and producers are progressively prioritizing clean labels and shorter ingredient lists. Quintero says plant-based ingredients are especially useful for Luker in meeting its long-term sustainability goals.

“Many plant-based ingredients, such as the oat milk used in our dairy-free couverture, produce lower carbon emissions during production — 73% less in the case of oat than dairy milk. These ingredients typically also require less land and water to grow.”

Luker Chocolate is launching a tiger nut “milk chocolate” as a plant-based, dairy-free alternative. The manufacturer notes that tiger nuts are nutritious and enable a luxurious, rich flavor profile.

“Importantly, this ingredient has an incredibly low climate footprint for us, meaning we continue to innovate with better products for the planet.”

“We continue to enrich our toolbox with natural ingredients such as unprocessed sugars, fibers and protein sources. These innovations amplify our ability to create new, custom-made chocolates for our clients while responding to ever-changing consumer trends, using our chocolate to fulfill the growing demand for healthier products,” Quintero concludes.

By Anvisha Manral