Brian and Charlie Trupo have a very important mission. Together with their vegan candy brand, Trupo, the twin brothers are striving to make chocolate bars that rival Hershey’s, Nestlé, and Mars—just without the dairy. Their next big creation? A dairy-free version of caramel nougat. You know the kind—rich, buttery, and gooey, just like classic candy bars such as Milky Way and Mars Bars. And that’s not all, they are also intending to create new Mega Wafer bars (think KitKat Chunky), Caramel Cookie (think Twix), and Peanut Butter Pretzel Caramel, too (think Take 5). According to Brian, each new candy bar will be “a little love letter to our favorite childhood treats.”
To bring these nostalgic, dairy-free chocolates to life, Trupo is turning once again to crowdfunding. Kickstarter has been essential to their journey from the very beginning. In 2020, when the brothers first hatched their plan for Trupo, they launched a Kickstarter campaign that raised $26,000 to fund their first-ever product: a vegan oat milk chocolate rice crunch bar reminiscent of Nestlé Crunch. “We knew we had tapped into something special,” Brian said. It was the height of the pandemic, and people craved comfort—whether that was baking banana bread, binge-watching Tiger King, or learning TikTok dances. For Brian, it was indulging in the chocolate bars he grew up eating—KitKat, Twix, and Milky Way.
“We’ve heard from so many people who say they miss these childhood favorites and haven’t found anything that truly compares. That’s why we made these bars—to bring back that joy, that nostalgia, but in a way that aligns with the values of today.”
Crowdfunding for Trupo allowed Brian to create those bars, not just for him, but for the thousands of people out there who were craving the same thing: compassionate, nostalgic, delicious vegan chocolate. There’s always a need for that, even when the world isn’t gripped by lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. “Food is so deeply tied to memory,” says Brian. “Whether it’s Halloween candy, movie night treats, or that one chocolate bar you always grabbed at the checkout counter as a kid—those flavors stick with you.”
Trupo’s bars are made with nougat, caramel, peanuts, and milk chocolate. | Trupo
Crowdfunding a chocolate revolution
Trupo turned to Kickstarter again in 2021 and raised $150,000—$50,000 of which came in just one day. Now, in 2025, the Trupo twins are hoping for similar success. “It’s about bringing back the joy of childhood favorites in a way that is kinder to people, the planet, and animals,” says Trupo. “That’s been our mission since day one.”
Trupo has just launched a new crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, and it’s already off to a roaring start. Before the new platform even launched, Trupo had raised $10,000 with the help of early backers. By April 4, it’s hoping to land even more funding from its Kickstarter page, which will help it bring all of the new flavors to life.
But for new backers, there is more up for grabs than great chocolate. Anyone who pledges money will also have access to the biggest discounts Trupo will ever offer (which is up to 50 percent off its retail prices). On top of this, backers will get an exclusive first taste of the new bars, access to special variety packs and bundle deals, and even the chance to name the new products.
“We’re not just making vegan chocolate—we’re proving that choosing compassion doesn’t mean sacrificing the flavors you love.”
Proving the demand for compassionate chocolate
Trupo’s Kickstarter is, of course, raising funds to make as much delicious chocolate as possible. But it’s also about helping to shape the future of the plant-based candy industry.
Every time they launch a Kickstarter, the backers flood in, showing exactly what they want: delicious, nostalgic, vegan chocolate made by an ethical brand like Trupo. “Kickstarter allows us to rally our community, take pre-orders, and demonstrate that vegan chocolate is here to stay,” says Brian. “It also helps us fund production the right way—scaling up responsibly without cutting corners on quality or ethics.”
Trupo makes its chocolate bars really creamy with the help of oat milk. | Trupo
Trupo’s chocolate is not only dairy-free but also Rainforest Alliance Certified, which means it uses chocolate sourced from sustainable farms around the world. Instead of single-use plastic, it’s packaged in recyclable wrappers. In addition, every sale benefits animals, and the brand has promised to donate more than 10 percent of its net profits to animal sanctuaries as well as other sustainability- and humanitarian-focused organizations. By 2030, it plans to donate more than $1 million every year.
“Too many companies are pulling their plant-based products, claiming there’s no interest. We know that’s not true,” says Brian. Research supports this claim: Global Market Insights expects the industry to hit $2.5 billion by 2034. Market research platform Persistence has even higher expectations. It valued the industry at $1.4 billion in 2023, and expects it to climb to more than $3 billion by 2030.
Trupo is dairy-free, gluten-free, and Rainforest Alliance Certified. | Trupo
“This Kickstarter is just the beginning of something bigger,” says Brian. “Our dream is to see Trupo candy bars on shelves right next to Hershey’s, Mars, and Nestlé—proving that compassionate chocolate deserves a spot in mainstream stores.”
“We need to show retailers and manufacturers that people do want compassionate, ethical, and delicious options,” he added. “Kickstarter is where it all starts. Let’s make it happen.”
Thank you to Trupo for partnering with VegNews on this story.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
