Ardent Mills Introduces Cocoa Replace to Address Cost and Supply Instability

Ardent Mills Cocoa Replace Brownie — Image courtesy of Ardent Mills.

Ardent Mills recently introduced Cocoa Replace — a wheat-based, clean-label solution to cocoa powder — developed in response to customer needs for ingredient flexibility, cost control and supply assurance. Designed to replace 25% of cocoa powder in cakes, brownies, cookies and muffins, the Cocoa Replace is the latest innovation in Ardent Mills’ portfolio of label-friendly ingredient solutions.

Ardent Mills’ Cocoa Replace is being introduced at a pivotal moment for food manufacturers, as ongoing ingredient volatility challenges cost management and supply chain assurance. With cocoa prices rising nearly 400% over the past decade, this solution helps brands maintain product flavor and performance while navigating pressures — from supply disruption to evolving consumer demand for cleaner, simpler ingredients.

Consumer-Friendly

The Cocoa Replace can be substituted for up to 25% of cocoa powder in standard formulations. Unlike other solutions on the market, the Cocoa Replace is a single-ingredient product and, therefore, requires a minimal label change in wheat-based goods — streamlining reformulation for manufacturers and protecting brand trust on the shelf. It is also vegan, kosher-certified and non-GMO.

Recognizing the challenges to replicating cocoa flavor in a replacement product, Ardent Mills validated the solution through sensory trials with trained panels and consumers. Results from sensory screening trials by sensory experts and consumers demonstrated that the Cocoa Replace closely matches cocoa powder in sensory experience and acceptability, making it an alternative to cocoa in baking applications, up to 25%.

“(The) Cocoa Replace is a targeted response to cocoa market volatility, but it’s also part of a broader strategy,” says Angie Goldberg, chief growth officer at Ardent Mills. “We’re focused on helping our customers build resilience into their supply chains and formulation strategies — supporting not just the challenges they face today, but (also) the ones coming next.”

Creating Customer Solutions

The Cocoa Replace reflects Ardent Mills’ ongoing effort to address customer challenges through innovation — helping customers strengthen supply reliability, reduce ingredient costs and respond to shifting market demands. Like Ardent Mills’ Egg Replace, the Cocoa Replace is part of a pipeline designed to help food brands adapt faster and reformulate with confidence.

“(The) Cocoa Replace is a powerful example of how Ardent Mills equips customers to navigate disruption with practical, high-impact solutions,” says Sergio Machado, senior director of research and development at Ardent Mills. “This ingredient innovation showcases our R&D agility and our ability to collaborate closely with customers to transform real-time market challenges — whether rising input costs, clean-label reformulations or shifting consumer expectations — into scalable, commercial-ready innovations.”