Chocolate Giant Puratos Makes Strategic Investment in California Cultured’s Cell-Based Cacao – vegconomist

California Cultured, a startup pioneering plant cell culture to produce cacao, has received an undisclosed investment from Sparkalis, the food tech venture arm of the Belgian international group Puratos.
The new capital will fund the startup’s scaling operations at an upcoming new facility (currently under construction) to bring a cell-based cocoa powder product to the market.
“Their innovative approach to cocoa production aligns perfectly with our mission to foster a healthier and more sustainable future”
Filip Arnaut, managing director of Sparkalis, commented: “At Sparkalis, we seek out visionary startups like California Cultured that are creating transformative solutions for the food industry. Their innovative approach to cocoa production aligns perfectly with our mission to foster a healthier and more sustainable future for the global food ecosystem. We are thrilled to support their journey in the world of chocolate.”
© California Cultured
Uniting forces to address commodity challenges
The partnership aims to establish a sustainable production for cacao beans by leveraging cellular agriculture, bioreactors, and indoor settings. Cacao farming faces enormous environmental and ethical challenges, driving up prices and causing instability in the supply chain.
Puratos, founded in 1919, offers food ingredients and services for the bakery, patisserie, and chocolate sectors in over 100 countries. The company is a world leader in chocolate and baking, boasting $5 billion in revenues as of September 2024. This is not the first time that Puratos has looked to expand its portfolio with food tech ingredients. With the Californian company Shiru it is working to develop a next-generation egg replacement.
California Cultured, founded in 2020 in Davis, California, by Alan Perlstein (CEO) and plant-cell culture expert Dr. Harrison Yoon, has received financial backing from CULT Food Science, Meiji Ltd. Co, and Agronomics. Including this investment, it has raised $15.9 million to date.
Earlier this year, the startup made another significant deal with its investor Meiji, Japan’s largest chocolate company. The agreement seeks to introduce cell-cultured cocoa products into Meiji’s lineup of packaged goods.
Cultivated Coffee © California Cultured
Reimagining chocolate
As explained by California Cultured, the process of cell-based cacao begins by selecting cacao varieties with optimal flavor profiles. Then, a small sample of cells is extracted and nourished with natural plant nutrients to encourage growth and replication in condition-controlled bioreactors.
Within three to four days, the cacao cells mature enough to be harvested — far more quickly than traditional cacao farming. Post-harvest, the cacao cells undergo fermentation, drying, and roasting to ensure that chocolate has rich and deep taste profiles.
The whole process can be implemented in any location and avoids pesticides and other contaminants used in traditional farming. However, like other cell-based companies, California Cultured faces scaling challenges to achieve mass production and remain competitive with cacao prices from conventional crops.
Perstein shared, “We are on a mission to reimagine chocolate — making it more sustainable, ethical, and delicious than ever before. This investment from Sparkalis will allow us to scale our operations and bring our cell-cultured chocolate to more consumers who care about both quality and the planet.”

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