This Cell-Cultured Chocolate Bar Was Made by Mondelēz
Michael Hemsworth — April 17, 2026 — Eco
References: celleste-bio & preparedfoods
This cell-cultured chocolate bar has been created by Mondelēz International thanks to a strategic partnership with Celeste Bio to give it a sustainable profile when compared to conventional alternatives.
The milk chocolate bars were achieved using real cocoa butter that was developed with cell suspension culture technology to give them an eco-friendly edge. The cocoa butter was first developed by the brand several years ago, but is only now positioned to be ready for at-scale production thanks to this development with Mondelēz. The products are reported to meet the stringent requirements and standards set out by Mondelēz.
Celleste Bio CEO Michal Beressi Golomb spoke on the cell-cultured chocolate bar saying, "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."
Image Credit: Celleste Bio
The milk chocolate bars were achieved using real cocoa butter that was developed with cell suspension culture technology to give them an eco-friendly edge. The cocoa butter was first developed by the brand several years ago, but is only now positioned to be ready for at-scale production thanks to this development with Mondelēz. The products are reported to meet the stringent requirements and standards set out by Mondelēz.
Celleste Bio CEO Michal Beressi Golomb spoke on the cell-cultured chocolate bar saying, "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."
Image Credit: Celleste Bio
Trend Themes
1. Cell-cultured Ingredients - Growing functional cocoa butter via cell culture presents alternatives to commodity farming that can alter raw material sourcing and land-use footprints.
2. Drop-in Replacement Technologies - Materials engineered to perform identically to traditional ingredients enable seamless reformulation across existing manufacturing lines and product portfolios.
3. Sustainability-driven Supply Chain Transparency - Heightened demand for verified environmental credentials creates pathways for traceability systems that quantify and communicate lower-impact sourcing.
Industry Implications
1. Confectionery - Chocolate brands face opportunities to diversify product lines with cell-derived formulations that maintain taste while reducing agricultural dependencies.
2. Ingredient Manufacturing - Bioprocessing firms can scale cultured-ingredient production methods to serve food manufacturers seeking consistent, high-purity replacements for natural extracts.
3. Food Packaging and Traceability - Labeling and verification providers may capture demand for new certification and digital-trace systems that authenticate the provenance and sustainability of novel ingredients.
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