Premium craft, bean-to-bar chocolate brand Firetree is launching its best-selling, award-winning, single-estate Firetree Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal 100% Cocoa Bar (70g, RRP £4.25) into Tesco stores this month. It will be the first time that Tesco has stocked a 100 percent chocolate bar.
The unique and complex flavours of Firetree’s Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal 100% Cocoa are developed through long, slow whole bean roasting. This process removes bitterness to reveal a deeply layered flavour profile, allowing the cocoa bean’s natural taste notes of rich cocoa, sticky date, mellow black tea and red fruit to shine through.
The launch comes as the chocolate category continues to mirror the premiumisation seen across coffee, olive oil, craft beer and even breakfast cereals such as granola, where quality ingredients, provenance, taste and health credentials have driven sustained growth.
Firetree’s Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal 100% Cocoa Bar arriving in the UK’s largest grocery retailer brings premium and ethical indulgence within reach of mainstream shoppers. Crafted in the UK from cocoa sourced from small farm holdings through carefully selected cooperatives and agri-centres on remote volcanic islands around the world, Firetree offers a distinctive alternative to mass-market chocolate.
Linked to this premiumisation trend is the rapid rise in demand for higher-percentage cocoa chocolate. A recent Firetree survey found that one in four consumers is actively choosing chocolate with a higher cocoa content than a year ago. This represented the most significant year-on-year change in chocolate purchasing behaviour and reflects wider category growth in chocolate containing more than 80 percent cocoa.
Although 100 pe rcent cocoa products typically account for just three to five percent of premium chocolate sales, demand continues to increase. The shift is being driven largely by consumers seeking to reduce sugar intake for general health or specific dietary reasons, alongside growing interest in weight management and healthier forms of indulgence.
David Zulman, Managing Director of Firetree Chocolate, said: “We are delighted to be extending the 100 per cent, single-estate cocoa experience to a new tribe of chocolate lovers in Tesco. Over the past year we have seen growing interest in 100 percent cocoa, a small but fast-growing segment of the market. When you source exceptional beans and whole roast them low and slow, the result is a 100 percent cocoa that is rich and layered, punchy but never bitter.
“Our 100 per cent products are consistently among our bestsellers through our own online shop, especially with consumers seeking no-added-sugar options. It is a space we are proud to lead and one we believe will continue to grow as health-conscious indulgence becomes the norm.”
Firetree is also set to launch three new Tanzanian-origin chocolate bars in October, including the brand’s first 90 per cent cocoa bar, made from beans sourced from the Kilombero Valley in the heart of Tanzania.
The UK chocolate market is forecast to reach £16.2bn by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.4 per cent from 2025, while the premium chocolate segment alone is expected to generate £2.8bn by 2029. This growth is being driven by increasing demand for ethically sourced products, gifting formats and high-cocoa chocolate, trends that Firetree is well positioned to support.
Designed for discerning chocolate lovers, Firetree’s products contain no additives or flavourings, and many are naturally dairy-free, vegan, and certified Kosher and Halal, making them suitable for a broad range of dietary preferences.
Firetree Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal 100% Cocoa Bar (70g, RRP £4.25) is available in Tesco stores nationwide.