Craft chocolate company Tcho (pronounced “cho”) announced it will replace dairy milk with plant-based alternatives in all of the company’s products by 2023, making it one of the first chocolate makers to go completely plant-based.
Tcho’s re-branding kicks off with a new line of six chocolate bars debuting across the company’s retail line and on Tcho.com. The square-shaped, colorfully packaged bars are priced at $5.99 each and will eventually replace all of the company’s dairy chocolate:
- TOFFEE TIME — Made with cashew butter, coconut sugar, oat milk, cacao, and vegan toffee pieces.
- AWW NUTS! — A dark chocolate bar filled with almond butter.
- CHOCO LATTÉ — A coffee truffle filled with oat milk chocolate and organic coffee beans.
- HOLY FUDGE — A dark chocolate bar with a fudgy center.
- BORN FRUITY — An organic dark chocolate bar with fruity notes.
- DARK DUO — An outer shell of chocolate filled with fruity cacao.
Tcho also sells premium foodservice chocolate that is already dairy-free, including cacao nibs, bittersweet baking chocolate and cocoa powder.
Sustainable Vegan Chocolate
With the plant-based re-design, Tcho says the company’s products are now Certified Fair Trade, Certified Organic, vegan, gluten-free and kosher. In September 2021, the company earned Certified B Corp status for its dedication to sustainability, such as using recyclable cartons and post-consumer wrapping to package the company’s chocolate.
“Reducing our reliance on dairy is one of the quickest ways TCHO can lighten our impact on the environment. While this will not be an easy transition for us, we know it’s the right one,” said Josh Mohr, Vice President of Marketing at TCHO. “From the beginning, TCHO has been committed to working with our farming partners in the field, improving farming techniques, bettering soil conditions and doing what we can to help minimize deforestation – all of which speaks to a plant-based model.”
“This was an exciting opportunity to make chocolate that further reflects our values,” said Brad Kintzer, Chief Chocolate Maker for TCHO and President of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association. Kintzer and Tcho’s team worked to develop the plant-based chocolate for three years.”The spirit of TCHO is rooted in the idea of accepting challenges and trying to bring them to life. Taking out dairy and focusing entirely on plants opened up a whole new world for us. We’re proud of the unique flavor profiles we’ve created. Our alt-milk is an entirely new cacao experience.”