Dairy-Free Kit-Kat & Twix: Trupo Treats Unveils Vegan Milk Alternatives To Iconic Chocolate Bars

Colorado-based Trupo Treats unveiled a range of vegan milk chocolate alternatives of childhood favourite bar including Kit-Kat’s, Twix, Nestle Crunch and Hershey’s with the focus to not only help people transition to plant-based sweets with familiar tastes but with a mission to end to animal cruelty through the consumption of these products.

Founded by 22-year-old twin brothers Brian and and Charlie Trupo, Trupo Treats will start production in June, and its products are available to preorder with plans to ship in late June or early July.

Finding the amount of bitter dark chocolate in vegan chocolates overwhelming, the Trupo brothers decided to replicate their favourite tastes of chocolates like Nestle, Mars, and Hershey’s, but with a vegan twist and at the same time, do something that improved animal welfare.

With this thought, Trupo Treats was born and launching on Kickstarter in July 2020, the duo raised US$27,000 in just a month with plans to increase product purchases across the U.S.

The brand has four vegan milk chocolate bars on offer: Mylk Chocolate Wafer Bar that features layers of light, crunchy and snappy wafers; Mylk Chocolate Caramel Cookie with a shortbread cookie topped with caramel and encased by vegan milk chocolate; Mylk Chocolate Rice Crunch Bar made out of gluten-free rice; and a Mylk Chocolate Bar, a vegan take on the classic milk chocolate.

In a press release seen by Green Queen, Brian said that the duo’s main aim behind these bars is to encourage tasty-plant based eating and protect animals. “We started this company with a mission to provide milk chocolate products that people miss when they go vegan while also doing good for the environment and animals.”

We started this company with a mission to provide milk chocolate products that people miss when they go vegan while also doing good for the environment and animals

Brian Trupo, co-founder, Trupo Treats

The company claims to donate 10-25% of the profits of each bar they sell to over 75 nonprofit animal sanctuaries and rescues like the Colorado-based Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary and the Virginia-based Little Buckets Farm Sanctuary making a total donation of US$5,500 since its inception.

In addition, the brand aims to protect the environment and encourage sustainable working conditions, and keeping with their motto “For the people, animals, and planet,”, the products are developed through fair trade (direct-trade) practices with the brand ensuring that farmers are paid the wages they deserve and are working in humane conditions and the raw material arrives from a Food Empowerment Project (F.E.P.) supplier – Mother Jungle Herbs, that sources cacao from a collective of 70 Peruvian families.

The organic and non-GMOs bars are allergy-friendly, free from gluten, dairy, soy, palm oil, eggs, shellfish, and peanuts. Furthermore, the company is ditching plastic and switching to eco-friendly packaging like recyclable or compostable wrappers for its products.

Trupo Treats has even joined forces with Vegables, a vegan lunchable to expand their product offerings across the country.

Given the increasing demand for vegan and plant-based chocolates from conscious consumers, huge conventional chocolate giants are looking for ways to jump on this trend, for instance, U.S. chocolate behemoth Hershey will soon debut plant-based sugar chocolates that will have lower calories than the regular ones with a negligible glycemic index effect; and Swiss company Nestlé has plans to unveil its own vegan versions of its KitKat chocolate.

Even the great-great-great-grandson of Cadbury founder, James Cadbury unveiled its 100% vegan chocolate line through his own brand Love Cocoa and in an interview, said why he chose to do so. “We’ve seen a wave of innovative products that mimic the taste and structure of meat and dairy products in recent years. The launch of HiP and our new oat milk chocolate bars will stretch the confectionery category, driving increased excitement and engagement.”

Read: The Truth Behind Your Fairtrade Chocolate Bar By Fairafric Founder Hendrik Reimers

All four new Trupo Treats mylk chocolate bars are available for pre-order exclusively on its website.

Lead image courtesy of Trupo Treats.