Foodtech company Celleste Bio has released the first milk chocolate bar made with real cocoa butter that uses cell suspension culture technology.
The company called the milestone a "critical achievement," saying it would strengthen its capabilities to build a scalable, commercially viable supply chain.
Mondelēz International, Celleste's strategic partner, used the cocoa butter to create nearly a dozen chocolate bars that met the integrity and consumption standards for its products — thus demonstrating that the cell-cultured ingredient delivered the same texture, melt profile and sensory experience compared with conventionally grown cocoa.
Celleste said that it expects to be able to scale production to market-ready quantities within the next two years.
"Celleste launched in 2022 with the mission to secure a sustainable future for the global chocolate industry amidst increasing supply chain pressures of climate change, disease, traceability and geopolitical instability," said Michal Beressi Golomb, CEO, Celleste Bio.
"In three years, we've made unprecedented progress to meet this formidable scientific challenge."
We've validated our ingredients as drop-in replacements, created an operational R&D pilot facility to scale up our volumes and now proven our cocoa butter performs identically to conventional cocoa, clearing the next phase to commercial scale.
The company looks poised to change the dynamic of the chocolate market, with its model designed to leverage AI computational modelling to customise cocoa butter to customer specifications, such as higher melting points and taste experiences.
Celleste's Chief Technical and Scientific Officer, Dr Hanne Volpin, underscores the environmental upside of using cell-cultured technology to supplement traditional growing methods: "Building a resilient supply chain means being able to produce at commercial volumes while offsetting disruptions caused by climate change, deforestation and resource scarcity."
We are on track to produce one ton of cocoa butter annually in a 1000-litre bioreactor from a single bean, which would otherwise require about a hectare of cocoa trees.
"To that end, we've curated a very robust bank of multiple cocoa bean varietals we can use to grow, test and scale material without ever having to cut down a single tree in the rainforest."
To date, Celleste Bio has raised $5.6m, including Mondelēz International as a strategic and design partner, along with Supply Change Capital, Trendlines, Barrel Ventures and non-dilutive grants.