Like many people, I’ve always had a soft spot for chocolate. It’s the pick-me-up I reach for without thinking - a small ritual that’s as much about comfort as it is about taste. But as someone working in food and drink communications, I’m increasingly aware that behind this everyday indulgence lies a much bigger story — one that’s being forced to adapt to a range of complex global challenges.
Cocoa prices have risen to record highs and are continuing to grow. Alongside that, the industry continues to grapple with environmental pressures and human rights concerns. As a result of these challenges, while chocolate will never go out of fashion, the way it’s made is changing fast.
What I find fascinating is how innovation is stepping in. On one side, we’ve got cocoa-free alternatives like ChoViva - already being championed by our client Hames Chocolates - which uses sunflower seeds to create something that looks, feels and tastes like chocolate, but with a fraction of the environmental footprint. On the other, there’s lab-grown cocoa, backed by global names like Barry Callebaut and Meiji, aiming to cultivate cocoa cells in a way that avoids deforestation and exploitation.
Two very different approaches, but both aiming for the same outcome: keeping chocolate on shelves, in tummies, hearts and minds - in a way that’s fit for the future.
Why PR has a role to play
Here’s where it gets really interesting for communicators. Because no matter how brilliant the science, innovation won’t succeed unless people can understand it, trust it, and feel excited by it. And that’s exactly where storytelling earns its place.
Take cocoa-free chocolate. To some, it might sound like compromise. Lab-grown cocoa? For many, the phrase alone conjures up something clinical. That’s why communication is a tightrope: lean too heavily on the tech and you risk alienation; gloss over the detail and you lose credibility.
The role of PR is to strike that balance - beginning with emotion. Chocolate has always been about joy, connection and comfort, and that can’t be lost. What we can do is layer in the values people now expect: responsibility, climate-consciousness and ethics. By framing the science in a way that feels inspiring and credible - whether to retailers, industry partners or consumers - we can help innovations land with the impact they deserve.
What’s next?
If cocoa-free and lab-grown chocolate can win consumer trust, it won’t just change the confectionery aisle - it could set the pace for a new generation of future foods. Coffee and vanilla are already being cultivated in labs, showing how science is stepping in to protect crops under threat. But the pipeline goes further, with breakthroughs in air-based proteins, cultivated fats that recreate indulgence without the footprint, and even insect cell cultures designed to deliver sustainable protein at scale.
For me, that’s the exciting part. Nothing will ever beat the joy and comfort that real chocolate brings - it’s an experience rooted in taste, ritual and emotion. But innovation has a vital role to play in future-proofing the industry, ensuring that chocolate continues to be enjoyed for generations to come. The future isn’t just being shaped in labs or factories, it’s being shaped in the stories we tell – and as PRs, we can help make sure those stories celebrate both the timeless pleasure of chocolate and the new ideas that will sustain it.
And perhaps chocolate can do more than that - it could become the test case for how future foods successfully balance joy with responsibility, proving that progress doesn’t have to come at the cost of pleasure.
