California Cultured Inc.

Pulling Back The Curtain on the Science of Cell-Cultured Cocoa With supply chains under pressure, cellular agriculture is stepping into the spotlight as a game-changing solution. Our scientific team, led by Dr.?Steven Lang?and Dr.?Rio Stamler,?recently?broke down the?science, economics, and market potential. This conversation, hosted by?@Tufts University’s Center for Cellular Agriculture,? explored how cocoa grown via plant cell culture could redefine the future of chocolate. Want to view the recording? Comment "recording" below.

?? GIVEAWAY ALERT! Win Our Scientist’s Favorite Book! ?? The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly: Life wisdom from someone who will (probably) die before you.” We’re giving one away to a random person who likes this post. Now, meet the scientist behind the innovation… ?? Welcome Emma Skoog – Scientist at California Cultured! ?? Emma is on a mission to redefine chocolate through cellular agriculture. With a PhD background in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Microbiology, she’s helping us grow real cocoa—without traditional farming. ?? Master’s in Molecular Biology – University of Gothenburg ?? PhD research in Gastrointestinal Immunology & Cellular Systems ?? Previously at TurtleTree, Emma played a key role in securing FDA GRAS approval for recombinant bovine Lactoferrin and led mammary cell lactation research for cultivated milk. Now, she’s applying that expertise to scaling cell-cultured cocoa at California Cultured! ?? Fun Facts About Emma: Captain of her team in the senior soccer league ?? Scientific Focus: Cellular agriculture, functional proteins & bioactive compounds ?? Favorite Cocoa Memory: My dad used to make hot cocoa on the cold winter weekend mornings in Sweden, making it on the stove top with cocoa powder, sugar and milk. Those were my favorite mornings.? Like and Comment Below To Win: The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly: Life wisdom from someone who will (probably) die before you.”

Big Ribbon, Mayor of Sacramento and Scissors Can only mean one thing: The first US-Based Cell Culture production facility has gone live! Congratulations to the whole California Cultured Inc. team on this milestone.

?? Your Top Questions Answered:?? I'm beyond excited to share that our revolutionary lab-grown chocolate has been featured on KCRW's Good Food, hosted by the brilliant Evan Kleiman Curious about the science and flavor behind this innovation? Here are some thought-provoking questions @Gabriela Glueck raised during her visit that you might want to explore further: ?? What variety of beans does our cocoa originate from? ?? How are sustainable practices integrated into our lab-grown chocolate production? ?? What cutting-edge techniques enable us to produce chocolate in just a week? ?? How do we capture and control the complex flavor profiles in every batch? ? Can lab-grown chocolate truly revolutionize the future of food technology? ?? What are the critical steps in our fermentation and flavor optimization process? A huge thank you to @Evan Kleiman and the entire @KCRW team for spotlighting our journey. Let’s celebrate this milestone and continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in food tech!

?? GIVEAWAY ALERT! Win Our VP’s Favorite Book! ?? Want a copy of The Emperor of All Maladies? We’re giving one to a random person who likes and comments on this post! ?? (Tell us: What’s your favorite book) Now, meet the man behind the book choice… ?? Welcome Steven Lang – Our New VP of Technology & Science! ?? With 20+ years in pharmaceuticals and food tech, Steven has been a driving force in innovation. He was most recently VP of Bioprocess at UPSIDE Foods, a leader in cultivated meat. ?? Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology ?? MBA in Finance ??? Passionate Woodworker ?? Fun Facts About Steven Lang: ?? Latest Adventure: Summer of camping and exploring all over California ?? Most-Gifted Book: The Emperor of all Maladies by Siddharta Mukherjee and everything by Terry Pratchett ?? Best Cocoa Memory: Sharing “chocolate a la taza” with my oldest daughter in Barcelona. ?? Don’t miss your chance to win his favorite book—Like & comment to enter! ??

?? Tricking Cocoa Beans to Grow Cells– The Future Starts Here ?? What if we told you chocolate doesn’t have to come from a tree? At California Cultured, we’ve unlocked a way to grow real cocoa—without the environmental toll of traditional farming. By harnessing cellular agriculture, our technology tricks a single cocoa cell into replicating, producing the same rich flavors and compounds found in nature—without deforestation, child labor, or supply chain disruptions. ?? CNBC interviewed Alan Perlstein, to understand how this breakthrough could future-proof chocolate in a world where cocoa supply is under growing threat. ?? How does it work? ?? What does it mean for the future of chocolate? ?? Watch the video to find out & drop your thoughts below! ?? Could cultivated chocolate be the key to a more sustainable future

?? Cell-Cultured Cocoa just hit the big leagues! ?? For the first time, cultivated cocoa was mentioned on a major earnings call by one of the world’s biggest chocolate companies. ???? In her latest Bloomberg piece, Deena Shanker reports that Hershey’s is grappling with skyrocketing cocoa prices and actively tracking new innovations like cell-cultured chocolate as a potential game-changer. This isn’t a fringe idea anymore. The world's biggest chocolate players are acknowledging what we’ve been saying for years: ? Cocoa prices are at historic highs ? Supply chain risks—deforestation, child labor, climate change—are getting worse ? Brands need real solutions to maintain quality, sustainability, and affordability At California Cultured, we’re leading the charge to make premium real chocolate—without deforestation, without unethical labor, and with a fraction of the environmental footprint. What was once a “sci-fi” concept is now becoming a boardroom discussion. ?? We’re not just watching the industry change. We’re building it.

Team Spotlight: Meet Steven Stearns MBA- Head of Business Development and Strategy Steve worked as a chef in the Noma, the 1# voted restaurant worldwide. Afterward, he spent the next 6 years at UC Davis, completing a Food Science degree and an MBA. He worked in venture capital at Monsanto before leading commercial innovation at Arcadia Bioscience, a publicly traded biotech company. He has been alongside Alan for over 4 years as one of California Cutured's earliest hires. Your favorite hobby: Steve is an avid climber, recently returning from a week-long expedition across Morocco’s mountains. The book you have gifted most frequently: My Mexico City Kitchen: Recipes and Convictions Your earliest Cocoa experience: Making Stone Grown Chocolate in Culinary School.

8000+ Chocolate Fanatics will descend on Amsterdam for Chocoa, one of Europe's largest chocolate craft festivals. How will this crowd of diehards react to Cell Cultured Cocoa? Would they use it in their chocolate bars, put in their protein shakes, or spread it across their marshmallows over a campfire? With California Cultured Inc. making progress toward regulatory approval- 2025 is the year for this technology to take the central stage. Alex Shandrovsky will share the stage with Gianpaolo Rando SwissDeCode, Jesse Anjen of Cocoa Board Papau New Guinea, Fanny BUTLER Koltiva, Christine Müller Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa and the only and only Anna Laven. If you are in the area, DM Alex, he will be sharing hugs and samples.

Cocoa is harvested once or twice a year. Cell Cultured Cocoa is harvested weekly. After the initial cocoa cell line is developed, which can take up to 3 years, cocoa can be harvested every week, anywhere in the world. Every cell line has unique characteristics, similar to distinct cocoa origins. Just like a Gahanna and Madagascar single origin is distinctly different, so is every cell line. In the future, we will have innovative origins alongside the California origin already cultivated at our lab in Sacramento. A link to the full CNBC interview is in the comments below