ISM & ProSweets 2025 review: Industry innovates for the future with cocoa-free chocolate and fortified snacks

With the cocoa supply chains hit hard by climate change and political and economic unrest in key cocoa-producing regions, the F&B industry is being pushed to revitalize the sector with new innovation approaches, as seen at this year’s ISM and ProSweets 2025. 

On the show floor in Cologne, Germany, companies presented a bevy of solutions targeting sustainability, cost reduction, production efficiency, and enduring consumer demand for indulgent cocoa and chocolate solutions. 

“The challenges are tremendous when it comes to cost, but also availability. And therefore, we need to think of new ways,” Stefanie Engel, global market segment manager for Food at Döhler, tells Food Ingredients First on the show floor.

Cocoa reduction and alternatives

Döhler presented a side-by-side comparison of sandwich cookies — one made with traditional cocoa and another with a cocoa-reduced version incorporating the company’s ingredient solution.

“We try to mimic the ingredients in the best way when it comes to texture, taste, and all the organoleptic parameters that everyone knows and expects when buying such a product. These solutions can help to adjust the cost of use,” says Engel.

At the Döhler booth, the supplier also showcased the “world’s first” cocoa-free “bean-to-bar” chocolate, developed by UK-based start-up Nukoko. The two companies plan to scale production together as part of a strategic partnership, with products expected to hit the market later this year.

“Fava beans are an incredible legume. They are nitrogen fixing, so they help the soil, but most importantly, they share some properties with the cocoa bean that allows us to then take fava beans through a similar journey that the cocoa bean goes on to develop similar taste and aroma,” says Nukoko’s co-founder Kit Tomlinson.

The cocoa industry is responsible for significant social and ethical challenges, such as poverty among farmers, cocoa-linked deforestation, and child labor.

Döhler presented sandwich cookies both with regular amounts of cocoa and with a reduced-cocoa solution.On whether chocolate alternatives can create an industry-wide shift or will remain a more niche innovation, Tomlinson says he expects players in the cocoa alternatives space to “work hand in hand” with the cocoa industry to address the challenges.

“If you just look at the numbers, there’s a deficit of around 500,000 metric tons in cocoa beans at the moment. Five million metric tons of cocoa beans are used each year in the market. So it’s already a pretty large chunk. And they’re looking at getting up to about a million metric ton deficits in the next few years. This is a long-term problem,” adds co-founder Ross Newton.

Cocoa and beyond: future-proofing ingredients

Sustainability and a focus on “future-proofing” F&B solutions remained consistent themes across the show floor, with brands emphasizing a holistic approach to ingredient sourcing, packaging, and production efficiency.

Belgian chocolate maker Gudrun returned to the event with Uppa, its award-winning plant-based upcycled cacaofruit bites. Over 70% of the cacaofruit is traditionally discarded once the seeds are harvested for chocolate. Additionally, the bites are sold in a 100% recyclable “tree-free” cup.

CEO Sofie De Lathouwer tells us that the company “lives sustainability” by focusing on plant-based, palm-free, and sustainable cacao, aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Over at ofi’s booth, the industry giant showcased its cocoa ingredients, including cocoa powder, butter, and liquor. Naveen Pessani of the company’s product development and innovation team underscored that “everybody still wants to eat cocoa,” but environmental challenges demand industry action.

The company is making inroads in regenerative farming with its target of implementing regenerative agriculture across one million hectares of farmland.Belgian chocolate maker Gudrun returned to the event with Uppa, its award-winning plant-based upcycled cacaofruit bites.

“As a part of this, we’re educating our farmers to practice mulching actively and also grow co-crops, like bananas in between current cocoa farms, so that they can grow both the crops together and generate additional income.”

Meanwhile, SternEnzym presented its full range of enzymes, targeting fluctuations within raw material supply chains, especially for wafers. Specific applications included two concepts created in an in-house lab: dark chocolate wafers filled with brownie-flavored cream and a Dubai chocolate version combining pistachio paste, kadayif (angel hair), and tahini (sesame paste). The wafers stay crispy because of a specially developed enzyme.

Sven Konradt, head of R&D at SternEnzym, tells us that the enzymatic solutions help make confectionery production more sustainable while maintaining taste and texture properties.

“Whenever you have too many viscosity enhancing ingredients in the dough and would need a lot of energy to remove the water from the wafers, these enzymes help reduce viscosity, and therefore help you to evaporate water easier, saving energy and time,” Konradt explains.

“They also prolong shelf life, reducing food waste. You have things that are consistent for longer times on the shelf, and consumers can consume them longer with all the texture and taste attributes they want.”

Indulgence and nutrition co-exist

Despite a clear push on sustainability and production efficiency, taste remains the most significant driver of consumer acceptance and loyalty, with nutrition and texture playing second fiddle. Fortified foods and clean label ingredients proliferated across the floor, showing that indulgence and nutrition are not mutually exclusive.

Gudrun introduced plant-based truffles with a high cocoa content, enabling them to deliver a “premium” taste and texture amid perceptions that plant-based chocolate might carry off notes.

Meanwhile, Brenntag presented vegan concepts for baked goods enriched with fibers, vitamins, and proteins, such as “energized black biscuits” with 30% less sugar and enriched hard-boiled candy that “boost energy and strengthen immunity.”

Brenntag presented vegan concepts for baked goods enriched with fibers, vitamins, and proteins.“The Nutri-Score is a hot topic at ProSweets and is one of our focuses. We have fat and sugar reduction concepts for baked goods and salt reduction solutions for various applications available. The challenge is to influence the Nutri-Score positively while maintaining an excellent taste and texture, which the consumers request,” Sandra Vennemann-Toppka, regional business director, DACH, BSP Food EMEA, tells us.

Döhler also presented sugar reduction innovations, including a polydextrose-based jelly formulation that can improve the Nutri-Score from D to B without compromising mouthfeel or flavor. 

“We need to adjust the texture and the flavor so that it remains indulgent and feels like a treat, but of course, with better nutritional values,” says Engel.

Taste, however, remains the “cornerstone of innovation” at the company, and Engel explains why.

“Over 90% of consumers would repurchase a product if the taste was convincing. So in anything we do, we have the taste, overall texture, and mouthfeel to deliver a convincing product,” she concludes.