Lab Chocolate is Coming

Cocoa butter is getting more expensive and tougher to source, and while companies have experimented with shea butter or palm fats, nothing replicates the signature melt of true cocoa. That’s a big issue when the world eats more than 7 million metric tons of chocolate every year.

💡 The pitch: California Cultured is crafting lab-grown chocolate using real cacao plant cells. They grow, harvest, and ferment the cells, then dry and mill them into cocoa powder ready for candies, coatings, and all kinds of sweets.

🚀 The outlook: The company is still awaiting FDA approval before it can hit store shelves, but it already has a partnership with Meiji, the maker behind treats like Hello Panda and Chocorooms. Lab-grown chocolate will cost more at first, but it offers confectioners total control over flavor and texture. Translation: expect some wild, next-gen chocolate creations in the not-too-distant future.

As long as it tastes just as delicious, I’m in!
Lana Backman