The world’s love affair with chocolate is running into a wall. Cocoa prices have swung wildly over the past two years, crops in West Africa are under siege from disease and climate change, and candy makers are scrambling for answers. Now, an Italian startup says it has one, and investors are buying in.
What the New Funding Round Looks Like
1 Foreverland, a Milan-based startup making chocolate without cocoa, has raised €6 million in fresh funding led by Kost Capital and Maia Ventures, alongside new investors CDP Venture Capital, Linfa agrifoodtech fund (managed by Riello Investimenti SGR), and Newtree Impact. 1 This brings its total capital to €9.4 million.
The money is not just going into research labs. 1Foreverland plans to use the capital to expand across Europe, focusing on Germany, France, and Italy. 1The company is already building relationships with major confectionery manufacturers and hiring experienced commercial leaders from global chocolate and cocoa players.
This round signals that Foreverland is no longer just a foodtech experiment. It is positioning itself as a serious industrial supplier for some of Europe’s biggest candy companies.
CEO and co-founder Massimo Sabatini said the funding reflects the company’s progress not just as a foodtech innovator but also as a dependable industrial partner. He added that with IFS Food certification in place and demand accelerating, the company is scaling commercial growth and strengthening key partnerships.
Foreverland Choruba carob-based cocoa-free chocolate alternative Europe expansion
How Choruba Replaces Cocoa Without Losing the Taste
At the heart of Foreverland’s offer is Choruba, its flagship cocoa-free chocolate alternative designed for industrial use.
5 To make Choruba, Foreverland grinds carob pulp and mixes it with other sustainable ingredients, like pumpkin seeds and chickpeas. The resulting mass is then conched and tempered the same way as chocolate, and the alternative is sold to companies either in liquid form or as drops.
Here is a quick snapshot of how Choruba stacks up:
| Feature | Choruba | Traditional Chocolate |
|---|---|---|
| Water Usage | 90% less | ~24,000 litres per kg |
| CO2 Emissions | 80% lower | Ranks 2nd among foods |
| Allergens | Free from 9 major allergens | Contains common allergens |
| Caffeine | Zero | Present |
| Supply Chain | Local Mediterranean crops | Dependent on West Africa |
1 Unlike many food innovations that remain limited to niche or small-batch production, Foreverland has taken a manufacturing-first approach. 1 Its production facility in Puglia has secured IFS (International Featured Standards) Food certification, a globally recognized benchmark for quality and safety.
That certification matters. Large manufacturers will not touch a new ingredient unless they are confident it meets strict safety and consistency standards. 1This certification plays a critical role in building trust with large-scale manufacturers, confirming that Choruba can be integrated into high-volume production without compromising consistency or reliability.
Why the Cocoa Crisis Makes This Urgent
The timing of this funding is no coincidence. The global cocoa market has been in turmoil.
13 After a poor growing season in 2023, the cocoa crisis began as cocoa prices rose rapidly through 2024, repeatedly hitting new highs. The period followed consecutive growing seasons in West Africa impacted by weather and disease. As of October 2025, prices in London had fallen to around US$4,000 per tonne from a high of US$11,530 on 13 June 2024.
Even with prices cooling from their peaks, the structural problems remain:
- 13 Most of the world’s cocoa is produced in the West African countries of Ghana and Ivory Coast; as of 2024 their output made up over 60% of global production.
- 15 Global cocoa production fell by 14% in the 2023-24 season.
- 14 US chocolate prices were up 14% in early 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
- 14 German chocolate prices rose 18.9% in 2025.
- 14 Barry Callebaut reported Global Cocoa sales volumes down 22% in the three months to 30 November 2025.
Consumers are already feeling the pinch. 13A recent survey by the National Confectioners Association found that 45% of respondents had cut down on chocolate spending.
11 Despite the recent downtrend, J.P. Morgan Global Research expects cocoa prices to remain structurally higher for longer, holding a medium-term price forecast at $6,000 per tonne while the market finds balance.
This is the exact environment where alternatives like Choruba become not just interesting, but essential for manufacturers trying to keep shelves stocked at prices people can afford.
From Puglia to the Rest of Europe
1 Foreverland was founded in Milan in 2023 by Massimo Sabatini, Riccardo Bottiroli, Giuseppe D’Alessandro, and Massimo Brochetta. The four co-founders brought deep experience from multinational corporations and the food industry. 5 The startup has opened its first production facility in Puglia, which can produce 500 tonnes of its cocoa-free chocolate every year. The site also houses a pilot fermentation room for testing and refining new processing methods.
The company has already been making moves in the retail space. 5It partnered with Italian protein innovator Small Giants to roll out a protein bar pairing its Choruba ingredient with the latter’s nutritional yeast protein. 5Each bar has 30% protein and costs €1.99 online and at Gulliver stores.
Earlier products included limited-edition Easter eggs, pralines, panettone, and chocolate-coated almonds with nut producer Pioppo.
1 Foreverland is also expanding into organic cocoa-free chocolate with a dedicated Choruba line. The company is positioning itself as potentially the first to produce an organic cocoa-free alternative at an industrial scale. 1 Early traction is evident, with organic products made with Choruba appearing on shelves in Italy and France.
A Growing Race in Cocoa-Free Chocolate
Foreverland is not alone in this space. 5It is part of a fast-growing cocoa-free chocolate industry, which includes innovators such as Voyage Foods, Planet A Foods, Compound Foods, Prefer, Nukoko, Endless Food Co, and Win-Win.
8 Planet A Foods, for instance, plans to use its recently raised $30 million Series B funding to increase production from 2,000 to 15,000 metric tons annually.
But Foreverland’s edge lies in three areas that set it apart from competitors:
- Local supply chain resilience. 8Italy, where Foreverland is based, is the second-largest carob producer in the world.
- Food waste reduction. 5Globally, 90% of the carob fruit is discarded, with only the seeds used for locust bean gum. Foreverland upcycles the byproduct into Choruba.
- No regulatory hurdles. 8Foreverland’s production approach allows it to bring its products to market without regulatory approval.
“We have discovered how, from a product considered waste, we can create something unique and disruptive through technology and innovation.” — Riccardo Bottiroli, CTO and co-founder of Foreverland
The chocolate industry stands at a crossroads. Climate change, disease and decades of unsustainable farming have pushed cocoa to a breaking point, and the old playbook is no longer working. Companies like Foreverland offer a glimpse of what the future of indulgence could look like: local, sustainable and free from the volatility that has rattled the global supply chain for years. Whether carob can truly win over the hearts of chocolate lovers worldwide remains to be seen. But with €9.4 million in the bank, a certified factory humming in Puglia, and European shelves starting to fill with Choruba-based products, Foreverland is making its case louder than ever. What do you think about the future of cocoa-free chocolate? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
