After 110 days of blind tastings by a panel of over 500 expert judges, Wild Beniano Chocolate bar stood out amongst 14,000+ global entries in the Great Taste Awards 2025. Only 1,508 products were awarded the Great Taste 2 stars, meaning the bar was judged to be “above and beyond delicious!” The company said it was also incredibly proud to be one of only three finalists shortlisted for the Golden Fork Award for Outstanding Bursary Winner, selected from 50 inspiring bursary recipients alongside It’s Marmalade and The CurlyPigs.Wild Beniano Chocolate bar is sourced from a rare heirloom variety of cacao located in the depths of Bolivia’s Amazon. This cacao is not farmed but instead grown in the wild in the “wild cacao forest island” or “Chocolatales” as they are locally known. The company works directly with Bolivia’s indigenous communities who use traditional harvesting methods, where every step is done by hand. This not only contributes to forest regeneration and biodiversity but also ensures the cacao retains its dense and complex flavours. As the judges themselves noted:
“We loved the citrusy freshness and rich cacao depth, it melted beautifully and we felt it stood out in terms of quality of finish and length on the palate.”
“A lovely looking bar with a great snap and rich, dark aroma.”
The beans are selected and sun-dried at Volker Lehmann’s Tranquilidad Wild Cacao Forest Estate, a 300-hectare Heirloom-certified reserve and long-time research hub for wild cacao. 20% of the profits from our Wild Beniano Chocolate are reinvested into the Theobroma foundation, contributing to habitat restoration and protection for endangered species such as the blue-throated macaw, pink river dolphin and jaguar.
The company said it was beyond thrilled to have been recognised by one of the most renowned accolades for taste and quality in the food and drink industry. Adding this prestigious black and gold Great Taste badge of honour to the Wild Beniano Chocolate bar sends a powerful message: chocolate can be both environmentally beneficial and absolutely delicious.
The Wild Beniano Chocolate is available from Kindred Forest– RRP: £9.50 (70g).
