Cacao
CACAO is an Australian privately held artisan chocolate and macaron producer based in Melbourne, manufacturing premium handcrafted confectionery using Belgian couverture and Australian ingredients for direct-to-consumer online sales nationwide and B2B wholesale supply to luxury hotels and food service.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersCheltenham, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Cacao firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cacao
- Legal name
- Cacao
- Website
- https://cacao.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CACAO is an Australian privately held artisan chocolate and macaron producer based in Melbourne, manufacturing premium handcrafted confectionery using Belgian couverture and Australian ingredients for direct-to-consumer online sales nationwide and B2B wholesale supply to luxury hotels and food service.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cacao industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisan Chocolates
- NAICS
- Confectionery Manufacturing from Purchased Chocolate (311352)
- SIC
- Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Chocolate & Chocolate Confectionery (CRADABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Chocolate & Confectionery Shops (THAFAGAD), Chocolate & Candy Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAM)
Keywords
Where Cacao is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cheltenham
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cacao business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales through their Shopify-powered website, selling chocolates, macarons, bars, hampers and other confectionery products to individual consumers nationwide in Australia.
- Wholesale B2B: B2B wholesale supply to hotels, restaurants, catering companies, and corporate clients. Includes contract manufacturing, white label production, and corporate gifting programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Chocolate boxes from $7.50 (2-piece) to $93.90 (25-piece custom selector) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Macaron boxes from $7.20 (2-piece) to $149.00 (40-piece tower) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Chocolate bars from $8.90 (50g) to $48.50 (4-bar gift set) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Petit Bites from $5.50 to $49.00 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hampers from $10.00 (gift box) to $299.00 (whisky hamper) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Cacao product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cacao handcrafts artisan chocolate bonbons, French-style macarons, chocolate bars, petit bites, macadamias, and curated gift hampers in Melbourne, Australia, using premium Belgian couverture chocolate and traditional techniques. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through the company's own online storefront and supplied wholesale to hospitality venues and corporate clients across Australia.
Product overview
Cacao is an Australian artisan chocolate and macaron company operating as a single-brand manufacturer and retailer. Their product portfolio centres on five core offerings: handcrafted chocolate bonbon boxes (2-25 pieces), premium handmade macarons (2-40 pieces), chocolate bars (50g and 85g formats including Luxe soft-centred varieties), petit bites (chocolate-coated snack bites in 100-200g sizes), and Australian macadamia praline products. These are complemented by curated gift hampers combining multiple product categories with premium alcohol pairings, customisable selector tools for build-your-own boxes, hot chocolate mix, gift cards, and a B2B wholesale program. All products are handmade in Melbourne using Belgian chocolate and natural ingredients, with distribution through direct-to-consumer e-commerce and wholesale channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Chocolate Box Collection
Companies that use Cacao
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cacao technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Cacao partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.
- Marriott MelbournecoreFive-star luxury hotel and resort chain. CACAO supplies wholesale chocolate products for their hospitality operations.
- Crown HotelscoreAustralian premium hotel operator. CACAO supplies wholesale chocolate products for their properties.
- Park Hyatt MelbournecoreLuxury boutique hotel brand under Hyatt. CACAO supplies wholesale chocolate products.
- InterContinental HotelscoreGlobal luxury hotel brand. CACAO supplies wholesale chocolate products for their Australian properties.
- Sheraton Hotel MelbournecorePremium Marriott International brand. CACAO supplies wholesale chocolate products.
- The Westin MelbournecorePremium wellness-focused hotel brand under Marriott. CACAO supplies wholesale chocolate products.
- Delaware North CompaniescoreGlobal hospitality and entertainment company. CACAO supplies chocolate products and provides catering services.
- French-Australian ChamberminorBusiness chamber facilitating Franco-Australian trade relations. CACAO supplies wholesale chocolate products for their events.
- Alliance FranchiseminorFranchise organisation. CACAO supplies wholesale chocolate products.
- ZoukiminorFood service supplier. CACAO supplies chocolate products.
- San ChurrominorAustralian chocolate café chain. CACAO supplies chocolate products.
- SoHi DistilleryflagshipSmall batch boutique distiller located in Bowral, NSW. Collaboration to create Highbrow CACAO chocolate liqueur featuring 58% dark chocolate, shaved Callebaut chocolate, freshly whipped nougat, rum and raisin flavours with triple-distilled potato vodka.
- Archie Rose Distillery CoflagshipSydney's iconic distillery. Collaboration to create Archie Rose Gin Chocolate Collection featuring four handcrafted bonbons inspired by distinctive botanical gins including yuzu, finger lime, and lemon scented gum.
- Backyard HoneyminorLocal Melbourne beekeeper supplying Yellow Box honey from urban multi-floral backyards and gardens. Honey is hand-harvested and used in CACAO's honeycomb products.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cacao competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Adora Artisan Chocolate: Small-batch Australian artisan chocolate maker with bean-to-bar capability. Comparable to CACAO in product format and Australian premium positioning, but more focused on chocolate bars than bonbons and macarons.
Direct peers
- Hotel Chocolat: UK-based premium chocolate maker with vertical integration from cacao to retail, strong D2C e-commerce, and luxury hospitality supply. Highly comparable to CACAO in product format (bonbons, slabs, hampers), premium positioning, and direct-to-consumer model.
- Pierre Marcolini: Belgian artisan chocolatier known for bean-to-bar production and high-end bonbons. Closely aligned with CACAO on handcraft technique, premium positioning, and macaron/chocolate crossover offerings.
- San Churro: Australian chocolate cafe franchise. Listed as one of CACAO's wholesale customers and a direct adjacent competitor in the Australian premium chocolate experience category, with comparable macaron and chocolate-coated treat offerings.
- Vosges Haut-Chocolat: US-based premium chocolate brand with exotic ingredient pairings and gift-focused assortment boxes. Comparable to CACAO in the artisan, storytelling-led, premium-priced bonbon and bar segment.
- Haigh's Chocolates: Australia's most iconic premium chocolate maker, founded 1915, with retail stores, online sales, and wholesale to hotels. Closest direct competitor to CACAO in the Australian premium handcrafted chocolate segment, with similar D2C + B2B model and national reach.
- Koko Black: Australian premium chocolate and patisserie brand with cafes, retail, and online sales. Direct competitor offering bonbons, bars, and gift hampers at premium price points, very comparable product mix to CACAO's chocolate and macaron collections.
Broad incumbents
- Godiva Chocolatier: Global luxury chocolate brand with truffles, pralines, and gifting products. Overlaps with CACAO in the premium chocolate gift box and luxury hospitality amenity categories, but at far larger global scale.
- Lindt & Sprüngli: Global premium chocolate incumbent with strong Australian retail presence. Competes with CACAO across premium chocolate bars, gift boxes, and hampers, but at much larger scale and broader product portfolio.
- Ferrero Rocher: Global premium confectionery incumbent dominant in the hotel amenity and gift hamper category. Competes with CACAO for the same luxury hospitality and corporate gifting budgets but at vastly larger scale.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cacao social profiles
Digital presenceCacao financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cacao leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cacao funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cacao M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cacao
What does Cacao do?
Cacao handcrafts artisan chocolate bonbons, French-style macarons, chocolate bars, petit bites, macadamias, and curated gift hampers in Melbourne, Australia, using premium Belgian couverture chocolate and traditional techniques. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through the company's own online storefront and supplied wholesale to hospitality venues and corporate clients across Australia.
Is Cacao a public or private company?
Cacao is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cacao founded?
Cacao was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cacao based?
Cacao is headquartered in Cheltenham, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Cacao make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale B2B.
Who are Cacao's main competitors?
Adora Artisan Chocolate is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Hotel Chocolat, Pierre Marcolini, San Churro, Vosges Haut-Chocolat, Haigh's Chocolates and Koko Black. Broad incumbents are Godiva Chocolatier, Lindt & Sprüngli and Ferrero Rocher.
Does Cacao have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cacao.
What industry is Cacao in?
Cacao's product category is Artisan Chocolates. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADABAA, Chocolate & Chocolate Confectionery, with a secondary code of THAFAGAD, Chocolate & Confectionery Shops. Its NAICS code is 311352 and its SIC code is 2060.