@mrm21017: Read Yes. Some companies are now developing lab-grown/cell-cultured cocoa, and major chocolate manufacturers are exploring it. * Mondelēz International (owner of Cadbury) has worked with Israeli biotech company Celleste Bio to produce chocolate using cell-cultured cocoa butter. They reportedly made chocolate bars at Cadbury’s Bournville factory in the UK in 2026. * Puratos is partnering with California Cultured to launch a professional chocolate ingredient containing cultured cocoa, with commercial availability planned in the US toward the end of 2026. * Lindt & Sprüngli and Barry Callebaut are also reported to be investigating cell-culture cocoa technologies. Important distinction: this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re growing an entire cacao tree in a laboratory. The technology can take cacao plant cells and grow them in controlled bioreactors, producing ingredients such as cocoa butter that are intended to mimic conventional cocoa. And it isn’t currently the case that all ordinary supermarket chocolate has secretly been replaced with lab-grown cocoa. The technology is still emerging and regulatory approval and large-scale production are still being developed.
