Marketplace Tech Chocolate's high tech and climate-friendly pivot
Nov 10, 2025
In this insightful discussion, Amy Scott, a Marketplace reporter and host of How We Survive, delves into the impacts of climate change on cocoa production. She explains how extreme weather events are driving up cocoa prices and threatening future supplies. The conversation also explores innovative solutions like lab-grown chocolate, detailing how it's created from cultured cocoa cells and the exciting potential for its market release. Join Amy as she uncovers the future of chocolate in a changing climate.
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Climate Threatens Cocoa Supply
- Climate change is already pushing cocoa prices to record highs through extreme rainfall, drought, and heat.
- Experts warn much current cocoa-growing land may become unusable in the future.
Lab-Grown Cocoa Cells In Action
- Amy Scott toured California Cultured's West Sacramento lab and watched cocoa cells grown in trays and Petri dishes.
- CEO Alan Perlstein explained they coax cells to grow specific tissues, then repot and scale them until harvest for chocolate production.
From Cell Blobs To Chocolate
- Amy Scott described trays of tiny brown cell clumps that contain thousands of cocoa cells and resemble what grows inside pods.
- The lab ferments, roasts, and grinds these cultured cells into powder or liquid to make chocolate.