Pana Organic tells us the importance of their organic certification

by WellBeing Team August 2, 2022

From a humble kitchen in Melbourne to a nationwide success, Pana Organic is a force to be reckoned with. Founder and CEO Pana Barbounis tells us more about why being certified organic is such a critical part of his brand.

Tell our readers the Pana Organic story.

From the first time I tried raw chocolate in the early 2000s, I knew it was something special. I was already passionate about healthy living and good food, so I began researching organic vegan chocolate. After a couple of years of trial and error, with trips to Europe to study artisan chocolate in Belgium and raw chocolate in the UK, I launched Pana Chocolate from a kitchen in Melbourne. It started as a side hustle but gained momentum very quickly, and soon we were available across Australia and even overseas.

Since those early days, we’ve grown significantly. Now we’re Pana Organic and our range includes mylk, caramel and white chocolate alongside our original dark variety, as well as irresistible frozen desserts, spreads, drink blends, baking and seasonal gifting ranges. And it’s not just our range that’s grown. Our incredible team behind the scenes is passionate about creating delicious organic vegan food that’s full of nourishing goodness for both you and the earth.

Despite such rapid growth, one thing has never wavered — our approach to quality. Our unique flavours are inspired by Mother Nature and we source only the finest-quality, organic ingredients. We live by our mantra, “Love your insides. Love the earth”, ensuring our customers are eating nourishing foods that benefit their health without hurting the planet.

If a reader was new to Pana Organic, which product in your range should they start with and why?

Such a tough choice! Our Golden Comb Mylk chocolate has fast become a fan favourite since launching last year. In the warmer months, our dreamy frozen desserts are hard to resist and, in winter, nothing beats a mug of our hot chocolate with almond mylk.

Organic certification is important to Pana Organic; tell our readers more about your organic offerings.

Our mantra of “Love your insides. Love the earth” guides everything we do at Pana Organic. We believe that choosing organic is not only better for you, but also better for the planet. We are proudly certified organic and our production standards allow ACO to trace back all of our products to their origin. The certification involves a continuous and stringent review process. It keeps us on our toes, but at the end of the day we stand by our brand name — whatever Pana Organic product you devour, you can be confident that it’s organic.

What is one of the highlights of your organic journey to date?

Being the first organic chocolate, frozen dessert and spread to be stocked in Coles in 2017 were definitely hightlights! Every one of our wins are huge, because they create more opportunity to share our delicious organic, plant-based range with more people.