Dr. Bronner's sells candy line to Magic Chocolate Inc.
The announcement marks the company's transition out of the chocolate sector.
Courtesy of Dr. Bronner's
Dr. Bronner’s, the family-owned company best known for selling its natural brand of soap, has transferred ownership of its line of chocolate bars to Magic Chocolate Inc. Founded by the Swiss chocolatier Maestrani Schokoladen, and Joe Whinney, the former CEO and a co-founder of Theo Chocolate, Magic Chocolate Inc. will aim to advance the mission of the chocolate line created by Dr. Bronner’s under a new brand, while taking on all business operations and distribution for the products. This announcement marks Dr. Bronner’s transition out of the chocolate business.
“Our goal was to demonstrate that delicious chocolate can be produced ethically and ecologically by sourcing from farmers using regenerative organic practices. We set out in solidarity with these farmers to drive demand for cocoa produced the right way,” says David Bronner, cosmic engagement officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner’s. “Launching a chocolate line has been an activist initiative for us since day one. The reality of the chocolate industry and its cocoa supply chains is dire, with rampant exploitation of farmers and workers and ecologically destructive farming practices. We realized though to truly scale demand for our regenerative organic cocoa farmers, our chocolate line needed a steward that’s fully dedicated to the chocolate business.”
Since launching its Magic Chocolate line in 2021, Dr. Bronner’s has converted over 5,498 acres of conventional cocoa fields in Ghana and Ivory Coast to be Regenerative Organic Certified, supporting an estimated 954 farmers who have improved soil fertility and increased crop yields within their operations. Now, Dr. Bronner’s believes that Magic Chocolate Inc. is best positioned to increase demand for the chocolate line and drive more impact. The new owners will aim to advance the chocolate line through new product innovation and increased market investment while growing the supply and demand for Regenerative Organic Certified ingredients.
“Over the last four years, we learned that as a company whose primary business and brand position is soapmaking, we can’t scale our chocolate line fast enough. We’ve made a lot of positive impact and are immensely proud of our success to-date. Now, the product line will benefit most from having chocolate experts at the helm. While we didn’t originally imagine ourselves as incubators versus long-term stewards, transferring ownership to Magic Chocolate Inc. is the best way to grow and scale the initiative in the long term,” Bronner continues.
Dr. Bronner’s close collaboration with Maestrani Schokoladen and Joe Whinney dates back to 2019, when the company first set out to create its own chocolate products. Maestrani, a 173-year-old Swiss chocolate maker, has been manufacturing Dr. Bronner’s chocolate since its launch. Maestrani made the world’s first organic chocolate products in the late 1980s. Joe Whinney helped build the market for organic chocolate in North America in the 1990s and later founded the first 100% organic and fair trade chocolate company in the U.S., Theo Chocolate. He has been a close advisor to Dr. Bronner’s on their chocolate business from the start. Together, Maestrani and Joe Whinney’s expertise and experience building consumer brands is unparalleled in the chocolate industry.
“It’s an honor to be part of the team leading Magic Chocolate Inc.,” says Joe Whinney, co-founder of Magic Chocolate Inc. “Dr. Bronner’s visionary Regenerative Organic Certified chocolate sourcing has raised the bar for the entire chocolate industry, and we are excited to continue setting a new standard of excellence. We are committed to growing this chocolate line through investment, innovation, and a lot of hard work—all while modeling the highest standard of ethical business practices in sourcing and production.”
In January 2024, Magic Chocolate’s Salted Dark flavor was the first ever chocolate product in the world to achieve Regenerative Organic Certification. All Magic Chocolate products are made with Regenerative Organic Certified cocoa, coconut butter, and coconut sugar.
Under the updated Magic Chocolate brand, Magic Chocolate Inc. will continue sourcing from the same suppliers, including Regenerative Organic Certified cocoa from a women’s cooperative based in Ivory Coast, Kany Scoops, and Regenerative Organic Certified coconut sugar from the Indonesian women-owned social enterprise, Aliet Green. In all aspects of its supply chain, Magic Chocolate Inc. will aim to maintain the integrity of the chocolate’s Regenerative Organic Certified, Fair Trade, Vegan, Non-GMO, and Gluten-Free certifications.
As of May 2025, Magic Chocolate Inc. has started shipping chocolate with updated packaging. The product name has officially changed from Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One Chocolate to Magic Chocolate and Dr. Bronner’s company name will no longer be on the product. For more information, visit magicchocolate.com.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
