The NZ Vegan Chocolate Awards

Celebrating the many different vegan chocolates available in New Zealand

Vegan Chocolate Awards

Welcome to NZ’s Vegan Chocolate Awards - 2024

The Vegan Society of Aotearoa New Zealand is proud to present our Vegan Chocolate Awards 2024!

With so many new and outstanding vegan chocolate offerings available, vegans certainly don’t have to miss out on their chocolate hit! We thought it was about time we discovered some of NZ’s best and have found some dedicated judges to help us choose!

Since the Vegan Society held its first Annual Vegan Chocolate Awards in 2022 we have seen a rise of delicious and innovative vegan chocolate available in New Zealand!

The plant based chocolate scene has evolved from plain, dark chocolate to anything you can imagine! Our award categories this year include milk choc (plant milk), flavoured, truffle-filled, caramel, bark, dipped fruits and drinking chocolate, along with smooth and decadent dark chocolate made by connoisseurs of cacoa beans.

For dates and information on this year’s awards and to enter your chocolate, click on Register Now.

Our awards are open to overseas and New Zealand companies (as long as product is commercially available in New Zealand).

Categories

  • Dark Chocolate bars
  • Milk Chocolate bars (plant milk only)
  • Chocolate Bars; flavoured/ inclusions
  • Filled chocolate Bon Bons and Truffles
  • Caramels
  • Bean to Bar; dark milk/ subs/ flavoured
  • Drinking Chocolate
  • Bark/Brittle Chocolate
  • Dipped Fruit
  • Supreme

*The Vegan trademark accepts chocolate that is processed on a factory line shared with dairy chocolate, in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices. All chocolate entered in our awards must be commercially available.

Have a look at just some of the chocolate range currently available in New Zealand.

Meet the judges 2024

Helping you know the best vegan chocolate in Aotearoa.
Flores Niu chocolate awards judge
Jasbir Kaur
aaron Pucci
Gianpaolo-Grazioli

Floris Niu is a fourth generation Samoan Cacao farmer, processor and Chocolate-maker. She’s the founder of Ms Sunshine Organic Farms which operates Cacao Agritourism experiences on Upolu island. She is co-creator of the “Koko Beans” brand of vegan chocolate snacks and the recent “Pacific Cacao and Chocolate 2022” show.

Floris is also an international cacao consultant working on various projects to support cacao communities in Samoa and the Solomon Islands. Floris loves to create new and exciting ways to consume pure cacao in savoury and sweet recipes, and shares her knowledge with women growers in the Pacific. Her passion is working to increase consumer awareness and education specifically on Pacific Island Cacao beans, promoting ethical and traditional (organic) farming practices.

Multi-award-winning executive chef & trainer, TV personality, creative head and chef of the new series “Ignite the Chef in You” and President of the NZ Chef Association Auckland, Chef Jazz is an external verifier for City and Guilds, UK. She has been judging in New Zealand’s Regional and National culinary salon competitions for the past nine years and is deputy chief judge for the Hospitality Championships. She has worked in top hotels and restaurants in five countries – USA, UK, India, New Zealand and Spain.

Aaron Pucci has clocked up 25 years in the food and beverage manufacturing industry. His trusted palate has earned him numerous seats on judging panels for awards in New Zealand and Australia over 15 years. As a dedicated chocolate consumer Aaron is always on the lookout for new brands and products ~ especially those that are breaking new ground. Aaron’s ‘food for thought’ is a desire for more manufacturers to take up the challenge of sustainable food operations and reducing their carbon footprint
 

Tracy Berno is a Professor in Food Studies at AUT. She has worked in food for over 30 years in roles ranging from academic to presenting cooking classes and demonstrations to catering. Tracy has a particular interest in the foods of the South Pacific and sustainably produced food products (including chocolate). She is an experienced panel judge and has judged for many competitions and food awards starting in the early 2000s. Tracy was recently named as one of the 50 most influential and inspiring women in food and drink in New Zealand.

With a rich background in Europe and the UK’s finest patisseries and chocolatiers, Thomas is on a mission to redefine the essence of chocolate. His journey from prestigious Michelin-starred kitchens to launching Ao Cacao reflects his passion for ethically and sustainably grown cacao, combined with unique Pacific and Aotearoa flavours for an unparalleled bean-to-bar experience.

Rooted in his Whakapapa – Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, Te Whakatōhea, Jewish, and English – Thomas is pioneering a new era for indigenous chocolatiers, emphasising people-first values and indigenous excellence. Through Ao Cacao, he champions equity in the chocolate industry, working closely with Pacific cacao farmers to ensure luxury meets sustainability. Last year, he was the only indigenous chocolatier at Salon du Chocolat in Paris, a prestigious exhibition for chocolate makers in France.

Our judges 2023

Flores Niu chocolate awards judge
Luke Owen Smith
aaron Pucci
Jasbir Kaur
Chris-Kinnell-judge
Volker-Marecek sausage judge

Floris Niu is a fourth generation Samoan Cacao farmer, processor and Chocolate-maker. She’s the founder of Ms Sunshine Organic Farms which operates Cacao Agritourism experiences on Upolu island. She is co-creator of the “Koko Beans” brand of vegan chocolate snacks and the recent “Pacific Cacao and Chocolate 2022” show.

Floris is also an international cacao consultant working on various projects to support cacao communities in Samoa and the Solomon Islands. Floris loves to create new and exciting ways to consume pure cacao in savoury and sweet recipes, and shares her knowledge with women growers in the Pacific. Her passion is working to increase consumer awareness and education specifically on Pacific Island Cacao beans, promoting ethical and traditional (organic) farming practices.

New Zealand’s leading craft chocolate expert, a regular judge at the NZ Chocolate Awards, and founder of The Chocolate Bar, NZ’s premiere craft chocolate retailer. Luke has been promoting high quality and ethical chocolate for years, and has written about it for Cuisine, Dish Magazine and Kia Ora. Luke was the co-founder of New Zealand’s first craft chocolate festival, Chocstock, and he has organised many events and talks over the past seven years, to support the blossoming bean-to-bar chocolate movement.

Aaron Pucci has clocked up 25 years in the food and beverage manufacturing industry. His trusted palate has earned him numerous seats on judging panels for awards in New Zealand and Australia over 15 years. As a dedicated chocolate consumer Aaron is always on the lookout for new brands and products ~ especially those that are breaking new ground. Aaron’s ‘food for thought’ is a desire for more manufacturers to take up the challenge of sustainable food operations and reducing their carbon footprint
 

Multi-award-winning executive chef & trainer, TV personality, creative head and chef of the new series “Ignite the Chef in You” and President of the NZ Chef Association Auckland, Chef Jazz is an external verifier for City and Guilds, UK. She has been judging in New Zealand’s Regional and National culinary salon competitions for the past nine years and is deputy chief judge for the Hospitality Championships. She has worked in top hotels and restaurants in five countries – USA, UK, India, New Zealand and Spain.

Chris Kinnell is an Auckland based entrepreneur, restaurateur and foodie. Chris founded the award winning and internationally acclaimed 100% plant based restaurant The Butcher’s Son in Herne Bay.

Volker has worked around the globe in Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom, Australia, Estonia and now New Zealand. He has been Cordis Auckland’s Executive Chef since 2009 and has helped the hotel navigate many changes, as well as planning for an increase in demand with an additional 244 rooms in our Pinnacle Tower and banqueting rooms accommodating up to 1,300 guests. In this role Volker manages a brigade of over 60 chefs and retention and colleague satisfaction is higher than the industry average in this team.

 

Developing the award winning concept of Eight Restaurant, Cordis Auckland’s High Tea is recognised as one of the best in New Zealand and Volker designs, creates and delivers the menu for this, with a new offering each quarter.

Read about us in the Media

2023

Scoop

With a surging interest in plant-based foods, the time for Vegan Chocolate Awards has come to fruition. Plant milk chocolates are becoming ever more popular and the range and quality is increasing every year. Not just bars either, the rise in bon bons, truffles, inclusions and flavoured chocolate suitable for vegans, those allergic to dairy and everyone else is being celebrated in these awards…read more >>

2022

Fleming Farming

The Vegan Society Aotearoa held the first ever Vegan Chocolate Awards on 29th April at The Butcher’s Son in Auckland. With over 100 different chocolate entries the illustrious judges had a tasty, yet difficult task ahead of them. Chocolate makers from all over the world entered the Awards with the hope of becoming a winner in one of 7 categories and Foundry, with their “Kilombero Valley Tanzania”, winner of the Bean to Bar category, was the overall Supreme winner in this inaugural year…read more >>

FMCG Business

Who makes the best vegan chocolates? …read more >>

Food Ticker

Chocolate makers from all over the world entered the Vegan Society Aotearoa’s first Vegan Chocolate Awards with the hope of becoming a winner in one of seven categories…read more >>

Good Magazine

With over 100 different chocolate entries the illustrious judges had a tasty, yet difficult task ahead of them…read more >>

Voxy

The 2022 Awards are the first from the Vegan Society of Aotearoa New Zealand and recognise the incredible growth and variety available to vegan chocolate fans. In deciding winners, judges tasted as many as 36 different bars in each category…read more >>

Stuff

The secret to making vegan chocolate is only using two ingredients…read more >>