Plant-based is trending in the chocolate industry too, these 5 concepts prove

Nucao was awarded the title ‘best vegan chocolate bar’ during the Vegan Food Awards from PETA Germany. The plant-based chocolate is promoted as ‘chocolate with inner values’. The bars aren’t just free from animal-based ingredients and come in plastic-free packaging, but the Nu Company plants one tree for every bar it sells. Eating Nucao is better for the planet and better for the consumer. 

Refined sugar is replaced by high-quality chocolate and tasty fillings, with a punch of coconut blossom sugar for that extra something. Extra additions such as hemp seeds, tiger nut flour and acerola provide additional nutrients. By cutting down the amount of sugar - which is about 30% in an average dark chocolate bar - Nucao says it prevents the spike in blood sugar levels with the inevitable sugar low that comes after. 

In 1999, before plant-based eating became a global food trend, Booja Booja started working on creating indulgent products without animal products and using just organic ingredients. “It means that we have a minimal impact on our planet while giving as many people as possible the chance to enjoy scrumptious moments of Booja yumminess”, explains chocolate maker Simon Middleton in an interview.

The company creates high-quality vegan chocolate truffles and ice cream that have won 141 awards over the years. The packaging has a luxurious look - black with gold foil details - and the flavors are interesting as well, for instance ‘Fine De Champagne’ which is inebriated with organic french champagne and rhubarb vanilla foul.

Nohmad’s approach to chocolate making is very different from traditional brands. Not just because they use Single Origin Ecuadorian Cacao or produce vegan chocolate only, but even the production process diverges greatly. They want to showcase the unique taste of the cacao bean and thus they chose not to roast the beans. 

Eating chocolate raw also means you profit more from the health properties of the cacao seeds. To keep their chocolate bars clean, they also avoid added preservatives. The dairy in the milk chocolate products is replaced by raw coconut milk. 

“Chocolate = self-care” states the Pascha Chocolate homepage. For them, chocolate is a tool to impact your mind and body. It makes you feel energized, it impacts your mood, reduces stress and acts as an antioxidant. They claim other chocolates only offer a sugar rush, but Pascha Chocolate claims their pure chocolate has a greater and deeper impact, offering a “necessary little escape from your busy day”. 

Their 0 sugar chocolate bars use Stevia instead of sugar and other varieties use just 4 grams of sugar per serving. Their No Way List with ingredients they avoid we also find food allergens, emulsifiers, colorings, preservatives and artificial flavorings. To get the best results, they produce with the ‘Bean to Bar At Source’ method. Because the beans have minimal traveling time, they are fresher and younger when the chocolate is produced.

Making a vegan chocolate bar isn’t hard. In fact, most pure chocolate bars are vegan already. The true challenge lies in producing plant-based chocolate that can compete with the creaminess of milk chocolate. H!P Chocolate has made it its mission to create the creamiest vegan chocolate there is.

To achieve creamy, plant-based chocolate they use oat milk, which they claim is also one of the most sustainable plant-based milk alternatives. Using oat milk, H!P - which stands for Happiness in Plants - even managed to develop its first vegan white chocolate bar. The brand founded by James Cadbury, the great-great-great-grandson of John Cadbury, also has interesting flavors such as salty pretzel and salty honeycomb.