Ardent Mills has 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 percent of cocoa powder in cakes, brownies, cookies and muffins, Cocoa Replace is the latest innovation in the leading flour-milling and ingredient company’s growing portfolio of cost-effective, label-friendly ingredient solutions.

With cocoa prices rising nearly 400 percent over the past decade, this solution helps brands maintain product flavor and performance while navigating broader pressures—from supply disruption to evolving consumer demand for cleaner, simpler ingredients.

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

Results from both sensory screening trials by highly trained sensory experts and from consumers demonstrated that Cocoa Replace closely matches cocoa powder in sensory experience and acceptability, making it a viable alternative to cocoa in baking applications up to 25 percent.

“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 the ones coming next.”

Like Ardent Mills Egg Replace, Cocoa Replace is part of a purposeful pipeline designed to help food brands adapt faster and reformulate with confidence.

“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 & development. “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.”