PLAYin CHOC modernizes confectionery in TR through healthier, more sustainable chocolate
The company is on a mission to produce healthier organic chocolate, offer an ethical alternative, reduce and eliminate single-use plastics and educate consumers about our planet’s biodiversity
When my partner, Maya, and I set up PLAYin CHOC® in 2016, it was born from a lack of alternatives for dairy-free chocolate. As a family we all have lactose intolerance, and there wasn’t a chocolate on the market that tasted like milk chocolate, without traces of milk.
Our journey started with Maya making homemade chocolate for the family. We quickly saw a gap in the market for a healthier chocolate combined with a plastic-free toy. We chose not to give our kids the existing options due to the dairy, high sugar and single-use plastic pieces, so vowed our new product would be kinder to consumers and the planet.
PLAYin CHOC’s mission is to produce healthier organic chocolate, offer an ethical alternative, reduce and eliminate single-use plastics and educate consumers about our planet’s biodiversity. Our plastic-free brand uses fully recyclable, FSC Mix® certified and carbon balanced paper packaging, recycled paper board for its toys, and home compostable, marine biodegradable, plant cellulose film to wrap its 100% organic chocolates. Our chocolate is made from only three plants, so it is naturally vegan and allergen-free, as well as containing a third less sugar than other leading chocolate brands.
PLAYin CHOC's signature ToyChoc Box® range is its best seller; each box contains two 10-gram mini bars of allergen-free organic chocolate, a 3D card animal puzzle toy and an educational fun facts card
With 34 awards, including World’s Best Plant Based Chocolate 2022, our signature ToyChoc Box® range is our best seller – and a perfect travel companion and gift for kids. Each box contains two 10-gram mini bars of allergen-free organic chocolate, a 3D card animal toy puzzle and an educational fun facts card. This line is a fit for keeping kids entertained during any journey or as a gift to inspire creative play when returning home. Each box aims to teach children about our planet’s biodiversity.
In travel retail, chocolate is an all-year favorite, so we focus on year-round SKUs that surprise and delight. The appeal of our product range is its educational and playful themes that relate to animals you find all over the world, capturing the imagination of children who love to create, play and learn.
There are 84 collectable surprise toys across our ToyChoc Box® range – Endangered Animals, Woodland Animals, Dinosaurs, Sea Animals, Rabbits and the Christmas collection.
We have found consumer preferences have evolved recently, with a large and growing market for organic, vegan chocolate, better-for-you ingredients and better-for-planet packaging.
Our chocolate is made from gently roasted cacao, grown on small family-owned farm collectives in Peru using the finest criollo beans (certified slave-free, child labour-free and animal labour-free), Madagascan Bourbon vanilla and vitamin rich Indonesian creamed coconut and coconut sugar. These ingredients are certified by the Soil Association and free from the main 14 allergens in UK and EU, making it cabin safe.
However, shelves continue to be dominated by the largest well-known brands and products that typically contain high refined sugar content up to 60%, various allergens, and are wrapped in plastic or hard to recycle materials.
PLAYin CHOC is working to change what type of chocolate and toys are being offered in travel retail for the first time in over 40 years. Our new listing in airport duty free shops is part of a trend toward healthier, more sustainable and better-for-you products, and is currently available at all major UK airports and dozens of more locations across the globe. Additionally, our ToyChoc Box® range is stocked to buy-on-board with British Airways, TUI Airways, PLAY airlines, Czech railways and DFDS ferries – making travel retail a key focus for our business.
