Celleste Bio™, a leader in cocoa technology, has announced a major breakthrough. The world’s first milk chocolate bars made with real cocoa butter produced through cell suspension culture technology. This achievement marks a significant step forward in building a scalable, commercially viable cocoa supply.
The company’s strategic partner, Mondelēz International, used the cultured cocoa butter to create nearly a dozen chocolate bars. These bars met all quality and taste standards, demonstrating that the cell-cultured ingredient is identical to traditionally grown cocoa. The breakthrough shows that Celleste can produce enough high-quality cocoa butter for chocolate bars using just a single cocoa bean.
This milestone proves that cell-cultured cocoa ingredients deliver the same texture, melt profile, and sensory experience as conventional cocoa. Celleste plans to scale up production to market-ready quantities within the next two years.
Founded in 2022, Celleste’s mission is to create a sustainable future for the chocolate industry. CEO Michal Beressi Golomb said the company has made unprecedented progress in just three years. They have validated their ingredients as drop-in replacements, built an R&D pilot facility, and proven their cocoa butter performs identically to traditional cocoa.
Celleste is also working on customizing cocoa butter with AI modeling, allowing manufacturers to enhance melting points and taste profiles—offering a competitive edge.
Chief Technical Officer Hanne Volpin highlighted the environmental benefits. Producing one ton of cocoa butter in a bioreactor can replace about a hectare of cocoa trees, helping offset deforestation and resource scarcity. To date, Celleste has raised $5.6 million, including investments from Mondelēz International, Supply Change Capital, Trendlines, and others.
