Key Facts:
- Melbourne couple Michael and Maria Kathopoulis have launched KULT Chocolate, a brand they first conceived whilst living in Venezuela, where they met in 2014 and developed a love of Venezuelan chocolate.
- The flagship product, KINK, is a Melbourne-made milk chocolate designed for date nights and adult gifting, with the playful brand tagline Be a bad influence. On each other.
- KINK combines creamy milk chocolate with functional ingredients including KSM-66® Ashwagandha, Tongkat Ali, Horny Goat Weed, NAD+ and Vitamin B3, and features a subtle warming finish.
- The KULT range also includes THINK (a clarity chocolate) and SHRINK (a cravings chocolate), with the launch campaign pairing THINK for daytime and KINK for after hours.
- Each 96g bag of KINK contains eight individually sealed inner packs of two pieces and retails for $49.99, available through the KULT Chocolate website ahead of the Christmas gifting season.
Melbourne Couple Launch KINK, a Date Night Chocolate for "After Hours"
Twelve years after meeting in Caracas, Michael and Maria Kathopoulis launch Melbourne-made KULT Chocolate, with date-night gifting at its heart.
Melbourne, VIC - 14 October 2026 - Melbourne couple Michael and Maria Kathopoulis have launched KULT Chocolate, the business they first imagined together in Venezuela. Leading the range is KINK, a Melbourne-made milk chocolate created for date nights, weekends away and gifts with ulterior motives.
Launching ahead of the Christmas gifting season, KINK is designed for adults looking for something a little more playful to unwrap. The brand's invitation is simple: "Be a bad influence. On each other."
Behind the cheeky packaging is a story that began long before the product. Michael and Maria met on a night out in Caracas in 2014. As they fell in love and discovered Venezuelan chocolate, they began imagining a chocolate business of their own.
"We fell for each other in Caracas, and we fell for Venezuelan chocolate not long after. We said we'd start a chocolate business one day, and then life happened. Twelve years and a family later, we finally made it," says KULT Chocolate co-founder Maria Kathopoulis.
KULT's launch introduces three products with distinct personalities: THINK, the clarity chocolate; SHRINK, the cravings chocolate; and KINK, the date-night chocolate. The launch campaign's Day Night pairing brings together THINK for the 9 to 5 and KINK for after hours, with KINK taking centre stage.
Made in Melbourne, KINK combines creamy milk chocolate with KSM-66® Ashwagandha, Tongkat Ali, Horny Goat Weed, NAD+ and Vitamin B3. Its flavour has a subtle warming finish.
Each 96g retail bag contains eight individually sealed inner packs, with two chocolate pieces in each. KINK retails for $49.99 including GST and is available through the KULT website.
For Christmas editors, KINK offers a couples' gifting option with a distinctly adult sense of humour. Media samples are available for consideration in gift guides, product features and best-of lists, with reader giveaway enquiries also welcome.
Co-founder Maria Kathopoulis is
