Ten years ago, longtime chocolatier and entrepreneur Courtenay Vuchnich and her partner, Simon Lester, established one of the world’s most certified dark chocolate brands and later set their sights on the milk chocolate industry. They saw that no one had really cracked the code on making a flavorful, ultra-delicious plant-based milk chocolate bar option that hit the spot in the same way traditional milk chocolate did.

“Our a-ha moment came after looking at the popularity of plant-based milks and understanding that many consumers open their refrigerators today to a variety of plant milks,” says Vuchnich. “Embracing the plant milk flavor as a star ingredient enabled us to bring out the full sensory experience of milk chocolate, with a hint of the individual plant milk flavors which people already know and love. ”

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Ultimately, this led to the creation of LOVO, a line of Swiss milk chocolate bars that are dairy-free and made with a variety of plant milks. They teamed up with experts in branding, Moxie Sozo, to design a world around LOVO. They paid homage to chocolate’s Swiss roots in the packaging, using colors inspired by Switzerland, with names like Snow Cap, Cobblestone, Alp Sky, and Meadow.

“Our goal was to use color cues to appeal to mainstream shoppers and have LOVO hopefully become a part of their chocolate repertoire,” says Vuchnich. “You don’t need to completely give up milk chocolate—or be vegan, or dairy free—but now you have a new option on your shortlist. Delicious flavor was the most important part of the equation, meanwhile there’s an expression we kept thinking about along the way: the shelf never lies. Meaning: what’s going to attract a customer to reach for our bar in the grocery store? How will our bar stand out the best? We’re passionate about giving people moments of joy through each bite of chocolate.”

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We chatted with Vuchnich, who shared the inspiration behind the brand, their unique flavors, future plans, and more.

When was LOVO founded and what’s the meaning behind the name?

We launched LOVO on March 6, 2023 after a six-year journey, working to perfect a vegan milk chocolate bar recipe that could hold up to—and even surpass—traditional milk chocolate’s irresistible appeal, while reimagining it for today’s customer. LOVO bars are 100% plant-based, dairy-free, non-GMO, and gluten-free. 

We know that people have a strong, lifelong love of their milk chocolate. We feel the same—we LOVE LOVO— and wanted to bring that love into the name.

Tell us more about your chocolates and what makes them special.

We poured so much heart into every detail as we built LOVO. Made in Switzerland, the home of milk chocolate, we created the first-and-only line of milk chocolate bars featuring a variety of plant milks. We offer four decadent flavors including Almondmilk, Coconutmilk, Hazelnutmilk, and Oatmilk chocolate. Each bar is Rainforest Alliance and myclimate certified and every wrapper is fully recyclable.

Do you have a hero flavor? What’s your favorite?

Chocolate is such a personal experience and we’ve heard people passionately debate over which flavor is their favorite! My personal favorite is the Coconut bar and Simon’s is the Hazelnut bar.

Where are your products sold?

We’re available direct-to-consumer on our website and on Amazon. We’re launching in brick-and-mortar retailers across the U.S. currently. Please visit our store locator to find a location near you.

What's next for the brand?

We’re also experimenting with new flavors…stay tuned!

For more information and to purchase LOVO, visit the website and follow on Instagram: @lovochocolate

[Images courtesy of LOVO]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk