All chocolate where no animal products were used, or 'plant based' chocolates, are vegan. So actually all dark chocolate is vegan, because usually milk chocolate is made of cow milk.
A vegan lifestyle means that you do not eat or use animal products, even if something is partly derived from animals. This goes further than not eating meat: vegan people also do not use eggs, milk, don´t wear leather clothing, but also do not eat honey, for example.
Yet we also have many vegan milk chocolates, vegan bonbons and even vegan white chocolate. Alternatively for these chocolates no cow milk has been used, but plant based milk, like coconut milk, oat milk or rice milk.
What does vegan chocolate taste like?
Vegan milk chocolate is just as creamy and just as tasty, if not better ;) than milk chocolate made from cow's milk.
Coconut milk gives chocolate something playful and sweet, oat milk gives chocolate a slightly deeper taste, there are also chocolate makers that make a mix of different plant-based milk products, which gives the chocolate all kinds of different flavor layers. So you can add extra flavor to a chocolate bar by using different types of milk.
Monoculture vs Biodiversity
Almost all chocolate is made from cacao that comes from a monoculture. Our vegan chocolate is not only 'animal-friendly' because no animal products are used, but also because our cacao comes from a biodiverse environment.
Monoculture plantations are not only bad for the cacao tree (it is a shade tree that needs the shadow of biggertrees), but often entire football fields of old growth forest have been cut down to make a monoculture cacao plantation. So where there used to be a wealth of different tree and plant species where insects and animals could live, a 'green desert' has now arisen with only cacao trees.
That is why we choose to only work with chocolate where the cacao comes from a biodiverse environment, for example a protected national park, or an agroforestry project. Read more about our way of working here.
Are you looking for a vegan chocolate gift? Check out the special vegan page on our website, or contact us if you have any questions. You are of course also welcome in our store in the old center of Amsterdam (Google Maps), to look around at our whole chocolate collection. We are happy to answer your questions and of course you can always taste something!