Alt Cocoa Granolas

At first glance, Barnhouse’s Krunchy Low Sugar (No) Choco resembles any other chocolatey granola product on the market, but this innovation makes the most of Danish startup Endless Food Co’s waste-derived cocoa-free chocolate, THIC (This Isn’t Chocolate.) The vegan-friendly, low-sugar granola is as crunchy and chocolatey as ever, yet its resource-conserving formula gives new life to a pair of by-products from food production via upcycling. The organic crunchy oat muesli features 4.5% of the chocolate alternative, comprised of barley spent grain flour and cocoa shell, and a small percentage—just 1.7%—of cocoa powder.

The demand for cocoa alternatives is rising as the industry faces mounting challenges, including supply chain disruptions, climate-related crop failures, and sharply increasing cocoa prices. Consumers and manufacturers alike are interested in great-tasting, affordable alternatives that hold promise for reducing reliance on traditional cocoa sources.