An ode to chocolate spread: okja makes sustainability delicious

It seems rather poetic that a pregnancy craving transporting me straight back to my childhood should be one that satisfies my confused tastebuds the most. 

But rather than question my newfound delicious snack, I simply dig my spoon deeper into a jar of okja chocolate spread. 

I stopped binge-eating chocolate spread straight from the jar years ago, after reading terrible articles about unsustainably sourced palm oil and cacao. 

The last thing I wanted was for my cravings to destroy rainforests. 

Luckily, I was asked to try a new brand that came out with a splash last year that seemed to tick all the boxes of a budding environmentalist. 

Okja’s chocolate spread is vegan, and the cocoa used is Rainforest Alliance certified. 

And at first, it seemed too good to be true. 

Was my favourite sneaky snack really making a comeback, at a time when I was expecting my first child? And was this a (rare) treat I could pass on to her? 

For quality control purposes, I tried okja chocolate spread on pancakes, white, brown and whole wheat bread, and am happy to report the spread performed beautifully, no matter the vessel. 

I admit, one spoon led to another, and the jar was finished before I could try it on a freshly baked croissant.

But, I told myself this was the motivation I needed to buy a fresh jar from an establishment that made a range of yummy goods with sustainability in mind. 

Plus, one can never go wrong with more croissants. 

The price and ingredient list of okja chocolate spread compared to other, more mainstream chocolate spreads is also reasonable. 

Less worry for the conscience and the pocket. 

Finally, images of orangutans and trees being forcefully uprooted by cruel human practices no longer have to taint one of the most delicious snacks in the modern pantry.

Or, as the okja “family” puts it: “It’s not enough to be sustainable. It’s not enough to be ethical. It’s not enough to be nutritious. The future of animal-free is delicious. 

“No ingredients you don’t recognise, no additives you can’t pronounce or gums you need to Google. No added sugar or flavours.”