Sustainable Chocolate Confectionary brand cultivated in the Bunong region, straddling the Cambodian-Vietnamese border, Culture Choc, has officially joined Friend of the Earth as the first-ever chocolate brand to bear the world’s leading sustainability certification.
Culture Choc prides itself on its mission to transform the chocolate confectionery industry into one that nourishes not only the mind and body, but also the planet’s biosphere.
The company produces the purest of ingredients, and undertakes packaging free of chemicals or artificial elements. Culture Choc aims to make each bite of its chocolate taste luxurious and healthy; without the presence of dairy, palm oil, gluten, or white sugar, each chocolate coin is 100% vegan and wholly sustainable.
Standing tall in the Chocolate Confectionary industry, the cacao division of Culture Choc boasts of 36 hectares of cacao farms, unlike most of its competitors; ensuring sustainability across the entire value chain.
Additionally, the company prioritises the development of its local community, and contributes to this by supporting indigenous farmers of the Bunong and Krung Hill-tribes with cacao cultivation, cementing its business impact within the Cambodian-Vietnamese border.
In just two years, Culture Choc has educated over 80 farmers in the art of proper cacao cultivation; sharing its eco-friendly method of embracing ancestral practices of organic agroforestry cacao farming, intertwining cacao trees with forest and fruit trees.
Culture Choc’s range of chocolates include Choin Vegan Chocolate; the first vegan chocolate brand in Malaysia, Coconut Milk Vegan, Speculaas Vegan, Pandan Vegan, 71% Dark Vegan, 80% Dark Vegan, 100% Dark Vegan and its new release – Drach-oc; a wholly vegan chocolate brand released alongside a manga comic titled, Drach-oc. The comic is designed around the astonishing adventures of dragons; an experience to be replicated in each bite of Culture Choc’s Drach-oc chocolate range.
The new product released in 2024, targets Europe’s Gen Z generation; most of which are focused not only on manga and anime comics, but also possess a high consciousness of sustainability and ethics in snacks and dietary products; a quality exemplified by the Culture Choc Chocolate Confectionary brand.
The company utilises the most advanced chocolate machinery from Italy for processing, employs the expertise of top-tier chocolate artisans, and engages trained food scientists for extensive research and development.
At Culture Choc six key values are upheld; each chocolate range is purely vegan, dairy free, gluten free, palm oil free, cane sugar free and slave free, placing sustainability at the heart of its operations.
With footprints proving significant milestones in sustainable chocolate production, Culture Choc stands tall in the industry, with an organisational history making it qualified to obtain the world’s leading sustainability certification, Friend of the Earth.
Founded in 2016 by Conservationist and Sustainability Expert, Paolo Bray, Friend of the Earth is the foremost international certification scheme for sustainable agriculture; developed with the guidelines of the Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems. Globally, over 5,000 farms, employing an estimated 50,000 farmers, have had their production, with an estimated total value of more than 1.5 billion euros, certified by Friend of the Earth. The Friend of the Earth logo on a product guarantees safeguarding of the ecosystem, protection of wild fauna and flora, protection of soil and water resources, prohibition of the use of dangerous substances, responsible waste and energy management, legal compliance, and social responsibility of the whole chain; each of which Culture Choc has met.
“At Culture Choc, home to our vegan manga chocolate brand Drach-oc, our passion for sustainable practices goes hand in hand with the palatable taste of our chocolate treats. Joining the World Sustainability Organization (WSO) is a harmonious step for the brand. The cultivation of our cacao beans in the lush, hilly landscapes of Cambodia using organic agroforestry methods, as well as nurturing cacao trees in synergy with the environment; enables us to not only combat deforestation but also forge a close alliance with farmers of the indigenous Bunong and Krung Hill-tribes. This sustainable approach to chocolate production offers local farmers a golden opportunity to thrive in an eco-friendly manner, amidst the rich embrace of a cacao-agro-forest.” Outlined Founder of Culture Choc, Stefanus Lambertus Jacobus Struik.
Marking 11 years in the Cacao Cultivation and Chocolate Confectionary industry, Culture Choc has pioneered sustainability each step of the way. Initially offering cacao beans for direct purchase by chocolate makers, and later venturing into the production of chocolate in 2022, the brand continues to craft a truly sustainable image across the cacao value chain. From community development, to conservation centered chocolate, Culture Choc enriches the lives of its customers through tasty organic chocolate treats, now stamped by globally recognized sustainability certification, Friend of the Earth.
