Planet A Foods Honored

Berlin/Munich, June 27th 2025 – Two major honors within one week highlight Planet A Foods’ role as one of the most promising young companies in the European food-tech sector.

The Munich-based start-up, revolutionizing the chocolate market with ChoViva – a cocoa-free chocolate alternative – has been named one of the Top 3 finalists for the German Entrepreneurship Award 2025 in the “Rising Star” category. The jury, composed of representatives from FAZ, Sparkassen, ZDF, and Porsche, recognized the company’s exceptional growth, high level of innovation, and entrepreneurial relevance. The German Entrepreneurship Award is regarded as the most prestigious recognition of entrepreneurial excellence in Germany – with previous winners including BioNTech, Flix, Enpal, and Personio. The award ceremony will take place on September 9, 2025, at ZDF’s Capital Studio in Berlin.

In addition, Planet A Foods received the renowned Game Changer Award 2025 on Thursday evening in the special category “Rising Star,” presented by Bain & Company and manager magazin. The award celebrates companies setting new economic and social standards with disruptive innovations. Alongside Planet A Foods, this year’s honorees include Trade Republic (Customer Experience), TRUMPF (Product & Service Innovation), and the Nemetschek Group (Operations of the Future).

Founded in 2021, Planet A Foods is on a mission to create resilient and sustainable ingredient alternatives – independent of global supply chains. With ChoViva, the world’s first cocoa-free chocolate alternative made from sunflower seeds, the company addresses one of the most pressing challenges in the food industry: the declining availability of cocoa and the ecological costs of conventional chocolate production.

Today, ChoViva can already be found in more than 60 products across 9 countries worldwide – from cereals to confectionery to baked goods – with partners such as Riegelein, De Beukelaer, and Piasten (Treets). The next step: international expansion beyond Europe, with a focus on the USA and Asia, where first product launches and partnerships are in preparation.

“Both awards mean a great deal to us. They show how urgently we need new, innovative approaches to sustainably replace threatened ingredients like cocoa. Our cocoa-free chocolate alternative bridges the gap between growing demand and shrinking supply in the market,” says Dr. Sara Marquart, Co-Founder and CTO of Planet A Foods.