The present invention is directed to a cocoa-derived materialcomprising a soluble cocoa powder and a cocoa extract, wherein said extract comprises more than 25wt% based on the extract of polyphenols. The cocoa-derived material can be a syrup, a ready to use beverage or a powder composition. The invention also relates to uses of this cocoa- derived material for preparing carbonated beverages containing cocoa. The invention further relates to a carbonated beverage comprising said cocoa-derived material and to methods for preparing such cocoa-derived materials and beverages.