Our West Sacramento-based portfolio company, California Cultured has teamed up with Japan’s largest chocolate company to bring cell-cultured chocolate to the market. This marks the first time that cell-cultured chocolate will enter any market worldwide.

California Cultured harvests cells from a cocoa plant and cultivates them in fermentation tanks to create cultured chocolate and coffee, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional cocoa production which is closely linked to labor exploitation and deforestation. California Cultured also hopes to relieve pressure on the widening supply gap, as cocoa becomes increasingly difficult to grow in a warming climate.

The proprietary manufacturing technology was developed in-house and is highly scalable, fueling California Cultured’s aggressive plans to commercialize within the next two years. Already, the 10-year commercial agreement with Meiji will see California Cultured integrate its cultured cocoa products into a lineup of packaged goods, including chocolate, truffles and wellness-enhancing chocolate products for consumer use.

Read more on Vegconomist: California Cultured Signs 10-Year Agreement for Cell-Cultured Cocoa with Japan’s Largest Chocolate Company – vegconomist – the vegan business magazine