- Markets - Around The World
- Posts
- 'Lab-Grown' Chocolate
'Lab-Grown' Chocolate
& Wealthy Art's Decline
Lab-Grown Chocolate: A Sweet Solution to Growing Prices
Scientists develop lab-grown alternative as cocoa faces climate threats. California Cultured and other companies are using cellular agriculture to grow cocoa cells in controlled environments, producing chocolate in just one week versus the traditional six to eight months.
The innovation comes as cocoa prices have surged fourfold due to climate impacts. Lab-grown chocolate is created by extracting cells from cocoa beans, cultivating them in nutrient-rich solutions, then fermenting, drying, and roasting them—similar to traditional chocolate-making.
Companies aim to launch commercial products between 2025-2026. This sustainable alternative could address environmental concerns, ethical issues like child labor, and supply shortages affecting West Africa, which produces 80% of the world's cocoa.
Instagram Challenges TikTok with New ‘Edits’ App
Instagram launches standalone video creation app to rival TikTok. The new Edits app offers advanced features including background replacement, automatic captioning, and AI tools that can transform images into videos, directly competing with ByteDance's popular CapCut app.
The timing is strategic as TikTok faces regulatory uncertainty in the US. With President Trump extending ByteDance's divestment deadline to mid-June, Instagram's move positions Meta to capture market share in the creator economy if TikTok faces restrictions.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri frames the launch as part of their commitment to creators. "We think it's our job to create the most compelling creative tools for those of you who make videos for not just Instagram but for platforms out there," Mosseri explained in a January Reel announcing the app
Affordable Art Rises as High-End Cools
The global art market recorded $57.5 billion in sales in 2024, showing a 12% decline year-on-year according to the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report. High-end sales have cooled dramatically, with works over $10 million falling by 45% in value and shrinking from 33% of the market's total value in 2022 to just 18% in 2024.
Meanwhile, the affordable art segment shows remarkable resilience, with smaller dealers reporting annual sales growth of 17% and fine art auction sales under $5,000 increasing steadily. Online platforms like Avant Arte are thriving with an average first acquisition price of just €640 ($670), while online sales now account for approximately 25% of the total global art market.
Credits: Chartr
This shift reflects a democratization in collecting, with new buyers entering through affordable pieces and often scaling up "from $1,000 to $50,000 in just a few years." The trend suggests a fundamental restructuring of the art market, moving away from ultra-wealthy collectors toward a broader, more diverse base of art enthusiasts.