The limited-release box of choc thins is made by applying traditional fermentation techniques to plant-based ingredients. The company’s alt-choc will be available beginning May 18 exclusively online. Each box sells for £10 GB (about $12.50 U.S.)

The alt-chocolate is vegan, caffeine-free, gluten-free, lower in sugar than comparable products, and releases around 80% fewer CO₂ emissions, according to a lifecycle assessment. In addition to being made without cacao butter, it is palm oil-free.  

The company’s first product, developed with an in-house chocolatier, has notes of sticky toffee pudding, dates, cherries and a rich, buttery finish. In blind taste tests alongside cacao-based dark chocolate, consumers described the products as “very similar.”  

British barley—used for centuries in whisky and beer—and carob form the base of WNWN’s cacao-free chocolate. These and other plant-based ingredients are fermented and roasted using a proprietary process to build a flavor profile that mirrors the complexity and makeup of chocolate and the melt-in-the-mouth properties of cacao butter, without using cacao.