Together with Planet A Foods, Deutsche Bahn is surprising its first-class passengers this year with a special snack: Treets Vegan Crunchy Corn with Choviva. The snack combines roasted corn kernels with a coating of the chocolate alternative Choviva. Choviva was developed by the Munich-based foodtech startup Planet A Foods, which replaces cocoa with ground sunflower seeds. Compared to conventional chocolate, this alternative saves around 80 percent on CO2 emissions and is completely vegan. In doing so, the company is addressing one of the biggest challenges facing the food industry: the dwindling availability of cocoa and the high environmental impact of conventional chocolate production.
Maximilian Marquart, CEO and co-founder of Planet A Foods, sees the cooperation with Deutsche Bahn as a “match made in heaven”:
“Deutsche Bahn is the perfect partner for us. We both pursue the same mission, namely to save CO2 – one through sustainable mobility and the other through sustainable food.”
Also Alexander Thies, Head of On-Board Service DB Long-Distance Transport, is pleased about the collaboration:
"With the Favorite Guest Gift, we give our passengers a sweet treat while supporting sustainable innovations. Through our collaboration with ChoViva, we've succeeded in building this bridge."
Climate-friendly cooperation
The partnership taps into the growing desire for climate-friendly alternatives in everyday life. For confectionery manufacturer and Katjes subsidiary Treets/Piasten, the collaboration also marks a step toward plant-based products.
Stephanie K. Schuth, CMO of Treets/Piasten, comments:
"With Crunchy Corn, we are hitting the mark with a new generation of snack lovers: vegan and full of flavor. Together with Choviva, we are creating an innovative product that shows what modern snacking can look like today."
Planet A Foods was founded in 2021 by siblings Sara and Maximilian Marquart. Startup awarded “Rising Star” Planet A Foods employs around 70 people. With its own fermentation platform, the company develops alternatives to critical raw materials and positions itself as a food solution company for a more resilient food supply. With its cocoa-free chocolate alternative Choviva, the company is considered one of the most exciting innovators in the European food market. According to the Company Choviva is already sold in over 60 products such as cereals, confectionery and baked goods in nine countries.
