Imagine this: you’re unwrapping a glossy chocolate bar, the foil crinkling under your fingers. You take a bite, and the rich, velvety cocoa melts on your tongue. It’s indulgence, pure and simple—except, with UP-UP Chocolate, it’s not just indulgence. It’s a revolution.
Welcome to the world of UP-UP, where chocolate is more than a sweet escape. It’s a declaration of fairness, a stand against exploitation, and a testament to what happens when taste meets ethics. In an industry steeped in secrecy and injustice, UP-UP dares to ask: What if we could turn chocolate upside down and make it better for everyone involved?
The Bitter Truth Behind Sweet Treats
Chocolate has long been synonymous with joy, but the industry’s backstory is far from cheerful.
Poverty, child labor, and environmental degradation have plagued the cocoa supply chain for decades.
Most brands rely on faceless metrics and opaque practices, leaving consumers unaware of the harm hidden behind their favorite treat.
But UP-UP isn’t here to sugarcoat the truth. It’s here to rewrite it.
Turning Chocolate Upside Down
At its core, UP-UP is a HUMAN FIRST chocolate brand, which means prioritizing people over profit and opportunity over exploitation. That ethos is woven into every step of its process, from bean to bar.
The People-Centric Supply Chain
Unlike traditional traceability, UP-UP works with slavefreetrade.org to ensure its cocoa supply chain is 100% CHILD LABOUR-FREE. How? By surveying every individual involved in production, from farmworkers to factory employees, and assessing conditions against international human rights standards.
Single Estate Origin
All UP-UP cocoa comes from a single farm in Colombia’s Necoclí region. By processing the chocolate at its source, UP-UP keeps wealth in the local community, creating legal jobs and ensuring farmers earn a living wage. It’s not just chocolate—it’s economic empowerment.
Palm Oil-Free Goodness
UP-UP’s commitment to sustainability extends to its ingredients. By using only cocoa-derived products, it eliminates palm oil, a major driver of deforestation. The result? Chocolate that’s better for the planet and your palate.
More Than a Bar
UP-UP’s chocolate is a sensory delight, crafted with as much attention to flavor as to fairness. Whether you’re a die-hard milk chocolate fan or a dark chocolate connoisseur, there’s a bar designed to make your taste buds dance.
Here's some of our favourites of UP-UP's creations:
UP-UP Salted Caramel Milk: Sweet and Salty Serenity
If balance is an art, UP-UP Salted Caramel Milk is a masterpiece. This 35% cacao milk chocolate knows how to walk the line between decadence and delicacy.
The caramel notes are unapologetically bold, the sea salt is flirtatiously subtle, and the smooth milky mouthfeel ties it all together like a velvet ribbon.
One bite, and you’re transported to the Colombian coast—where the chocolate is rich, and your conscience is richer.
UP-UP Milk Sweet Orange: Citrus Meets Cocoa in a Tango
This isn’t just chocolate; it’s a citrus symphony with a cocoa crescendo. UP-UP Milk Sweet Orange takes the familiar comfort of milk chocolate and gives it a bright, zesty kick with orange essential oil. Think sunlit mornings in Necoclí, where the cocoa is as vibrant as the fruit. It’s playful, provocative, and perfect for anyone who likes their chocolate with a twist of tangy sophistication.
UP-UP Original Milk: Classic, But Make It Legendary
UP-UP’s Original Milk is like your favorite sweater—familiar, comforting, and impossibly chic. With a golden caramel aroma and a creamy toffee aftertaste, it feels like a warm hug for your taste buds.
This isn’t just milk chocolate; it’s the gold standard, crafted with cocoa beans so fine they might as well wear a crown. Nostalgia, meet indulgence.
UP-UP Dark Wild Mint: The Cool Rebel of Chocolate
For those who prefer their chocolate with an edge, UP-UP Dark Wild Mint is here to steal the show. This 50% cacao creation blends bitter-sweet cacao notes with a refreshing minty breeze that lingers like a good plot twist. The nutty undertones and dried fruit hints add complexity, making this bar the brooding poet of the lineup. Cool, captivating, and absolutely unforgettable.
In a world where consumer choices have the power to drive change, UP-UP is proof that ethical practices and premium quality can go hand in hand. When you savour a bar of UP-UP Chocolate, you’re not just treating yourself. You’re contributing to a future where every cocoa farmer, factory worker, and community involved in chocolate production thrives, because great taste and great ethics belong together.
On terra australis, UP-UP Chocolate is exclusively distributed by Product Distribution.
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Words by AW.
Photos courtesy of UP-UP Chocolate.