Melty: Two Dresdeners develop sex chocolate for couples

The founders use their herbal remedies to reduce stress hormones – and thus increase the desire for sex. In the USA, a startup with a similar product has gone viral.

It’s no secret that delicious food can be as intoxicating as an orgasm during sex. Social media has long since coined its own terms for this, such as “food porn” or “foodgasm.” You’ll regularly find videos of creamy pasta, burgers with dripping cheese, and chocolate cake with a liquid center. Chocolate in particular has a special place in terms of pleasure and sexual desire. Indigenous peoples such as the Maya and Aztecs believed that cocoa beans had erotic effects hundreds of years ago. They drink chocolate mixed with water and seasoned with hot pepper – a healing potion that they sometimes use for reproduction. Scientific studies are still looking at so-called “natural aphrodisiacs.”

The founders Moritz Reich and Matthias Jacob want to build on this and revive ancient love customs – with a chocolate that stimulates the libido. Melty is the name of their startup, which they founded in Dresden in October 2023. For two weeks now, the two have been selling their sex chocolate for couples in their online shop – at a hefty price. The startup charges around 30 euros for a box with three small dark chocolate bars of 20 grams each, which correspond to three applications.

Reich explains this with high-quality ingredients. “The price of chocolate is still the cheapest for us,” says the founder. According to the Federal Statistical Office, this has become significantly more expensive. Imports of cocoa beans and cocoa bean pieces rose by more than 70 percent in January 2024 compared to the same month last year. But the founders do not rely on cocoa beans alone for their recipe. Instead, they enrich their dark chocolate with nutritional supplements.

Plant-based superfood is said to relax the body

On the one hand, these are the herbal active ingredients Maca and Giseng. On the other hand, the startup adds the natural amino acids L-Agenin, which the body produces itself. “We based the recipe on three elements: stress reduction, a balanced hormone balance that is tailored to sex, and good blood circulation,” says Reich. Co-founder Jacob adds that Maca and Giseng have been said to have an aphrodisiac effect for years by contributing to relaxation. “On the other hand, L-Agenin stimulates the nitric oxide content in the body, dilates the blood vessels and thus promotes blood circulation, thereby stimulating the libido,” explains the founder.

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The active ingredients refer to the start-up of manufacturers from Germany and France. Together with the cocoa beans, which they buy from farmers in Venezuela through a producer, a “renowned German chocolate manufacturer”, i.e. the founders, ultimately combines the ingredients to make Melty chocolate. They spent a long time tinkering with the taste. Ultimately, this is the only way couples can get in the mood. Jacob says: “Basically, libido-boosting products have so far been available in capsule form.” The advantage of this is that you don’t have the taste directly on your tongue.” However, romance tends to fall by the wayside when swallowing tablets together. Reich emphasizes that the chocolate, which couples share in the middle and enjoy together on the couch, is instead intended to create a sensual experience – with enjoyment.

Melty tastes sour-bitter

The right mixture of the individual ingredients had to be found. The founders therefore sought help from food chemists. “The dark chocolate gives the taste, but you can also tell that there are other herbal ingredients in it – that was important to us,” says Jacob, describing the aroma. “It shouldn’t taste like normal chocolate from the supermarket.” Melty should leave a slightly bitter, sour note on the tongue. “In any case, so that it is easily digestible,” said Jacob. According to the founders, it is not possible to determine exactly whether and when the effect sets in after consuming Melty. “Depending on age and weight, it can happen sooner or faster,” said Jacob. The recommended amount for an adult is 10 grams, i.e. half a bar. The active ingredient concentration is based on this. According to their own information, there are a total of 10.05 grams of maca, giseng and L-agenin per 100 grams. However, excessive resistance would not be harmful, says Reich.

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So far, the chocolate has been tested mainly by friends and family – and the founders themselves, who are both in a partnership. Now that the business has officially started, Reich and Jacob are happy with the Google searches and orders. However, they do not want to give any specific numbers. “We are now starting to promote the products and work with influencers,” says Jacob.

With whisks and sunglasses: founders have already made exits

For the two friends, Melty is a new entrepreneurial beginning. Jacob used to design and sell sustainable sunglasses made of wood and bioplastic. He founded his startup Take a Shot in 2012 from his shared room while studying business administration. Ten years later, he exited to serial founder Peter Hart, who bought up various e-commerce brands. Reich has also already sold his first company, Heynna, an Amazon shop for kitchen and grill accessories. He set up the shop at the age of 19 while training as a mechatronics engineer. Today, the company belongs to the Stryze Group.

The idea for Melty came to the two of them more by chance. In addition to Heynna, Reich ran the agency Namox, which he founded, until 2022. The agency helps shop operators on Amazon to gain more visibility on the platform and increase sales. His customers also include manufacturers of nutritional supplements that specialize in libido products. “In the customer reviews on Amazon, you often read that pills are not so well received as a remedy,” says Reich. “The manufacturers then asked us whether there was a way to do it better.”

Reich was inspired by the Munich-based company Bears with Benefits. With vitamin gummy bears, the company was one of the first to create a different “medium” to sell food in a more subtle way. “We considered many different directions, for example whether to make wine. Ultimately, we came up with the chocolate idea.” The entrepreneur was in constant contact with his friend Jacob. Both were keen to start a new project after their exits – there was enough start-up capital available.

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Sexual wellness market is booming

Reich and Jacob think the timing of their founding was good. On the one hand, health awareness is high and nutritional supplements are booming. In contrast, topics surrounding intimacy and sex are being de-stigmatized. The founders speak of an “Eis.de” moment. According to them, the online erotic retailer from Bielefeld paved the way for sex toys and sexual wellness items, which they associate with their chocolate. In 2013, a good six years later, the startup Amorelie followed, which ultimately made it into drugstores with vibrators, lubricants and an erotic Advent calendar from online-only. “Before that, there was only Beate Uhse, which was all rather dingy and not so modern,” says Reich. The market research institute Straits Research estimates that the global market for sexual wellness will have reached a volume of around 47 billion US dollars in 2023 (the equivalent of around 43 billion euros). The industry is expected to grow at an annual rate of 7.9 percent until 2032.

Landing Melty on one of the well-known online sex toy retailers would be a great success for the entrepreneurs. Amazon, on the other hand, sees Reich as less relevant. The reason: too few customers have been looking for sex chocolate so far. “A story has to be built around the product first,” says the 29-year-old.

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Is Melty already available in the USA?

Externally, the Dresden-based company’s product is very reminiscent of one that is already on the market – in the USA. The startup Tabs Chocolate has also developed a libido chocolate that – like Melty – has a square shape with a diagonal notch to break through. The US brand is currently getting a lot of attention from influencers on Instagram and Tiktok, and videos with millions of views are going viral. The founders are aware of the similarity to Tabs Chocolate. “But many German customers will not know the product,” says Reich. “The market is big – and so far there is little on offer.” We see this as more of a confirmation of our idea. It works in America, but they use active ingredients that are banned in Germany, among other things.” Reich is referring to the banned doping agent DHEA it contains, as well as the fairy flower (Epimedium), which, according to the consumer advice center, is not allowed in the EU due to a lack of safety evidence.

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Melty could use the hype of the US start-up to its advantage – and get some ideas. For Valentine’s Day, Tabs released a white erotic chocolate with raspberry pieces. The Dresden-based company is also already thinking about new products. “We will stick with dark chocolate to begin with,” says Jacob. “But since the majority of German milk chocolate is consumed, we will develop other varieties in the future.”