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The Academy of Chocolate is a UK membership body, founded in 2005, that runs the Academy of Chocolate Awards in London. Panels of chocolate professionals score each entry on attributes such as taste and texture, and the score sets a Gold, Silver or Bronze level. A medal is a judgment of an entry’s flavor and craft, not a laboratory result. The producer of the cocoa Grevista distributes, VNCACAO CO., LTD (Tbros), won two Bronze medals there in 2018.
That producer also received a Silver at the Chocoa Hot Chocolate Awards in Amsterdam in 2019. These medals belong to the producer, not to Grevista, and they describe taste in a competition, not purity or contaminant levels.
Key facts: the awards and the medals at a glance
| What | Fact | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Academy of Chocolate founded | 2005, by five British chocolate professionals | Academy of Chocolate, “Who We Are”, checked September 22, 2026 |
| Awards | Launched 2005 with 12 entries; more than 1,400 submissions from over 50 countries by 2023; Gold, Silver and Bronze levels | Academy of Chocolate, “About the Awards”, checked September 22, 2026 |
| Entry fee (2026 rules) | £60 per entry, paid by the entrant | Academy of Chocolate, “Registration Fees”, checked September 22, 2026 |
| Medals in the two 2018 plain drinking chocolate categories | 20 listed: 0 Gold, 8 Silver, 12 Bronze | Academy of Chocolate, 2018 results (our count), checked September 22, 2026 |
| Medals won by the producer’s cocoa powder | 2 Bronze (2018, Academy); 1 Silver (2019, Chocoa Hot Chocolate Awards) | Academy 2018 results, checked September 22, 2026; Silver certificate dated February 24, 2019 |
What is the Academy of Chocolate?
It is an independent membership body based in London that promotes what it calls real chocolate. It says it was set up in 2005 by five British chocolate professionals, and its stated aims include helping people tell fine chocolate from mass-produced confectionery and supporting transparent, ethical sourcing.
It is not a government agency, a certification scheme or a testing laboratory. A medal is not a certificate of any production practice.
How do the Academy of Chocolate Awards work?
Entrants pay a fee and send samples, and judges score each product individually. The Academy states that a product is not ranked against the others; it is scored, and the score is converted into an award level.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Entry | The producer chooses a category, pays the fee and submits samples with a product description and ingredient list. Under the 2026 rules, drinks entries need at least 2 × 125 g. |
| Judges | People active in, or closely connected to, the chocolate and food industry, approved by the Awards Committee. They are unpaid and may not judge a category they entered. |
| Scoring | Attributes that fit the category, such as aroma, texture, formulation, taste, execution, mouthfeel and aftertaste, each rated from Excellent to Very Poor. |
| Score to medal | Ratings become numbers through a proprietary formula, and the total is converted into Gold, Silver or Bronze. The cut-offs are not published. |
(Source: Academy of Chocolate, “Judging Process” and “Registration Fees”, checked September 22, 2026.)
Are Bronze, Silver and Gold the same as third, second and first place?
No. Because entries are scored rather than ranked, many products can earn the same medal. In the two 2018 plain drinking chocolate categories the results page lists 12 Bronze and 8 Silver medals and no Gold, so a Bronze there means the entry reached the Bronze band, not that it came third.
Is the judging blind?
The Academy’s judging page does not say so, and it says judges can review the product description and ingredients if necessary, so we do not call it blind. Only makers who chose to enter, and paid, can win, so a medal cannot rank a product against everything on the market.
Which Academy categories apply to cocoa powder?
Cocoa powder is entered as a drink. In 2018 the results page had a Drinking Chocolate section split into “Plain, for water emulsion”, “Plain, for milk-based drinks” and a flavoured group; the certificates call the plain categories “Hot Chocolate Plain for Water” and “Hot Chocolate Plain for Milk”. The 2025 results and 2026 rules call the group Chocolate Drinks.
The 2026 rules require natural ingredients, no artificial additives and a full ingredient list, and unless instructions are supplied, samples are prepared at 1 part product to 3 parts full-fat milk at 65 °C (149 °F). We have not verified whether the 2018 preparation was identical. Either way, a plain drink category judges cocoa and liquid with no cake or sugar to hide behind, which is useful information about flavor and nothing more.
What are the Chocoa Hot Chocolate Awards?
They are a hot chocolate competition held at Chocoa, the Amsterdam chocolate trade fair and festival, run by Chocoa and not by the Academy of Chocolate. Chocoa’s festival page lists the Hot Chocolate Awards among its activities, and the festival’s own site invites visitors to join a public jury that tastes and rates the hot chocolates.
We could not find a public results list, judging rules or entrant list for 2019, and we do not know whether 2019 used a public jury. The record we hold is the certificate: presented to “VN Cacao Vietnam Brother”, for “Hot Chocolate”, awarded Silver at the Hot Chocolate Awards, 24-2-2019, Amsterdam. It names a producer and a category but no product, so we do not tie it to a specific product.
Which awards has the producer of Grevista’s cocoa won?
Three, all in hot chocolate categories and all awarded to the producer, VNCACAO CO., LTD, which sells under the Tbros label. Grevista distributes that producer’s cocoa in the United States; we are not the manufacturer and did not win these medals.
| Year | Competition | Category | Medal | How to verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Academy of Chocolate Awards (London) | Hot Chocolate – Plain, for Water (results page: Drinking Chocolate, “Plain, for water emulsion”) | Bronze | Official 2018 results |
| 2018 | Academy of Chocolate Awards (London) | Hot Chocolate – Plain, for Milk (results page: Drinking Chocolate, “Plain, for milk-based drinks”) | Bronze | Official 2018 results |
| 2019 | Hot Chocolate Awards at Chocoa (Amsterdam) | Hot Chocolate | Silver | Certificate only; no public results list found (checked September 22, 2026) |
(Source: Academy of Chocolate 2018 results, checked September 22, 2026; certificates on Lab Results & Awards.)
How can you verify the Academy medals yourself?
- Open the Academy of Chocolate’s 2018 awards page in a regular web browser.
- Scroll to the Drinking Chocolate section.
- Under Plain, for water emulsion and again under Plain, for milk-based drinks, look in the Bronze group for “VNCACAO CO, LTD — Tbros Cocoa powder”.
- Compare with the two certificates on Lab Results & Awards: winner, category, medal and year should match.
We checked this listing on September 22, 2026. The same entrant also appears in bar and packaging categories on that page; those medals are for chocolate bars and wrappers, not for the cocoa powder.
How can you check the Chocoa Silver?
Not from a public list, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. Read the certificate (competition, date, recipient, category) and, if you need more, ask Chocoa, whose contact address is on chocoa.nl, whether it holds 2019 results.
Why do the names differ between documents?
The Academy lists the entrant as “VNCACAO CO, LTD” with the product “Tbros Cocoa powder”; the Bronze certificates read “Vncacao Co, Tbros Cocoa powder”; the Silver certificate is handwritten “VN Cacao Vietnam Brother”. We treat these as the same producer, as our Lab Results & Awards page does. The documents do not show whether the 2018 entry came from the same production run as the cocoa on sale today, and we do not claim it did.
What does an award tell you, and what does it not?
| An award can tell you | An award cannot tell you |
|---|---|
| Judges scored the entry well on aroma, texture, taste and execution, in that category and year | Whether it contains cadmium, lead, arsenic, mercury or aflatoxins; judges taste, they do not test |
| The producer submitted the product to an outside panel and the result is public (Academy) | That the cocoa is pure, or whether anything is added beyond what the entry listed |
| The cocoa held up as a plain drink with milk or with water | How today’s lot compares with the 2018 entry, or anything about farming and sourcing |
(Source: Academy of Chocolate, “Judging Process”, checked September 22, 2026; Grevista editorial reading, September 22, 2026.)
Who should not rely on a medal alone?
Anyone whose main question is what is in the cocoa rather than how it tastes. If you want proof of contaminant levels, a medal is the wrong document; read a laboratory report instead. If you only want a good cup of plain hot chocolate, a medal in a plain drink category is a reasonable but limited signal, and your own taste test counts for more.
How is a competition award different from a lab report?
A competition gives a judged opinion on how a product tastes. A laboratory report gives a measured number for a named substance in a named sample, with a method and a detection limit. They answer different questions.
| Question | Competition award | Laboratory report |
|---|---|---|
| Who evaluates? | Panel of industry judges | Accredited laboratory (for example ISO/IEC 17025) |
| What is assessed? | Aroma, texture, taste, execution | Specific analytes, such as cadmium, in mg/kg |
| Output | Gold, Silver or Bronze band | Number, unit, detection limit, method |
| Which sample? | The entry submitted that year | The sample the client sent, on a stated date |
For this cocoa, the lab document is a TSL Science report (reference TSL1220400349-1, issued April 7, 2022) on one sample submitted by the producer: cadmium measured 0.081 mg/kg, and arsenic, lead and mercury were not detected at a detection limit of 0.003 mg/kg. “Not detected” means below the method’s limit, not that none is present. It is not a certificate of analysis for the lot on sale. The full documents are on Lab Results & Awards; how to read the numbers is in our guide to heavy metals in cocoa powder.
What should you check on any “award-winning” cocoa claim?
- Competition, year and category, and whether the organizer publishes results.
- Medal level, not just the word “award”.
- Whose name is on it: the brand, a producer or a distributor.
- Which product was entered, and the date, since a medal describes that entry only.
- A separate lab report if contaminant levels matter to you.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Bronze medal at the Academy of Chocolate mean?
The entry’s judged score reached the Bronze level in its category. The Academy scores products rather than ranking them, so Bronze is not third place, and the score cut-offs are not published.
Did Grevista win the Academy of Chocolate awards?
No. The two 2018 Bronze medals went to the producer, VNCACAO CO., LTD, for its Tbros cocoa powder. Grevista distributes that producer’s cocoa in the United States.
Do the medals prove the cocoa powder has no contaminants?
No. Judges taste the drinks; they do not test them for cadmium, lead, arsenic or mercury. Contaminant results come from a laboratory report, and the one we publish is dated 2022 and covers one sample.
Are the awards for the cocoa powder I can buy today?
They are for the producer’s cocoa entered in 2018 and 2019. The documents do not show that a lot on sale now is the same production run, so treat the medals as history, not a guarantee about the current lot.
Can I verify the 2019 Chocoa Silver online?
Not from a public results list that we could find on September 22, 2026. The certificate is published on our Lab Results & Awards page.
Are the Chocoa Hot Chocolate Awards run by the Academy of Chocolate?
No. They are a separate competition run by Chocoa in Amsterdam.
What should you read next?
- Lab Results & Awards: read this for the certificates and full laboratory reports in one place.
- The best cocoa powder for hot chocolate: read this if plain drink categories made you want to judge cocoa in a cup yourself.
- Five simple ways to choose good quality cocoa powder: read this for checks that go beyond any medal.
- Grevista Pure Trinitario Cocoa Powder in three sizes: read this to see the product these records relate to.
Commercial relationship: Grevista distributes the producer’s cocoa in the United States and earns revenue from sales on Amazon. See our Affiliate & Commercial Disclosure.
Related reading
- The complete cocoa powder guide: every topic, from processing to recipes.
- Hot chocolate recipe with cocoa powder: the plain drink these categories judge, made at home.
- About Grevista: who we are and who makes the cocoa.
Sources
- Academy of Chocolate. Awards 2018 results (Drinking Chocolate section), checked September 22, 2026.
- Academy of Chocolate. About the Awards, checked September 22, 2026.
- Academy of Chocolate. Judging Process, checked September 22, 2026.
- Academy of Chocolate. Award Categories (Chocolate Drinks, 2026 rules), checked September 22, 2026.
- Academy of Chocolate. Registration Fees (£60 per entry, 2026 rules), checked September 22, 2026.
- Academy of Chocolate. Who We Are, checked September 22, 2026.
- Academy of Chocolate. Awards 2025 results (Chocolate Drinks category), checked September 22, 2026.
- Chocoa, Amsterdam. Chocolate Festival, checked September 22, 2026.
- Chocolade Festival Amsterdam. Festival home page (Hot Chocolate Awards, public jury), checked September 22, 2026.
- TSL Science Co., Ltd. Test report TSL1220400349-1, issued April 7, 2022, reproduced on Lab Results & Awards.
Written by the Grevista Editorial Team. Last updated September 22, 2026. How we check facts: Editorial Policy.