California Cultured is developing real chocolate by growing it in a lab from harvested cocoa cells. This process tricks the plant cells into growing infinitely in a nutrient mix, creating cocoa in days instead of the years required for conventional farming. The goal is to offer high-quality, affordable chocolate while reducing the deforestation caused by traditional cocoa cultivation.
A taste test of a small sample revealed a familiar, slightly bitter chocolate that melts authentically. While it may not yet rival the finest artisan chocolates, it is vastly superior to the low-quality, palm-oil-filled products common in many sweets today. The company’s CEO, Alan Perlstein, admits the initial price will be high but plans to reduce it to conventional levels within a few years of launch.
This innovation is not limited by geography, unlike cacao plants that only grow near the equator. The company envisions producing chocolate close to consumers, potentially turning production facilities into visitor attractions. The world’s first lab-grown chocolate could be on store shelves as early as 2028, aiming to reinvent a staple ingredient that has seen little advancement for over a century.
