Sweet Emica Penklis – Loco Love

By Jane Rocca

Byron Bay chocolate bar company Loco Love has found the sweet spot in Australian manufacturing — taking gluten, dairy and refined sugars out of their premium bars for pure indulgence that focuses on the considered over a confectionery hit.

Founded by naturopath turned entrepreneur and CEO Emica Penklis in 2012, the now Byron Bay-based business owner had her own Willy Wonka moment while living in Sydney. It was while working as a naturopath that she began experimenting with chocolate at home after hours, later leasing a commercial kitchen to craft chocolate bars for those with food intolerances and health benefits. Through Penklis’ own trial and error process, she found a way to create a chocolate product with the perks of inner health balance – all while capturing a nod to her naturopathic curiosity.

With more than $12.8 million in annual turnover in 2025 — their highest ever in the company’s history, Loco Love now has plans to expand in 2026. They already employ more than 100 staff at their Byron Bay headquarters.

Loco Love sells more than 120,000 products each week, a dream come true for Penklis who never anticipated its national success. The range includes afternoon tea bars with a hint of Earl Grey and caramel white dairy-free chocolate, almond caramel crunch and wild rose ganache. Theirs is a world where quality chocolate bars are suitable for all to enjoy regardless of allergies and intolerances.

Penklis was in her late twenties when she had the epiphany to start the brand. She brings a holistic approach to chocolate – her naturopathic background inspiring her to look at the health benefits of quality cocoa. The team infuses their chocolate with native ingredients too, adding Kakadu plum to the range more recently.

“All the cocoa is very different in taste depending on where it’s grown and sourced from,” says Penklis. “When I first started making the chocolate, I was ordering raw material that tasted different to the last batch every time it arrived. It’s region dependent and we have made the product consistent as we’re constantly innovating,” she says.

The focus is on a chocolate product that won’t spike your natural sugar levels by swapping synthetics for coconut blossom and brown rice syrup. Celebrity fans of the brand include Alanis Morissette and Sporty Spice, but it’s Penklis’ passion for mysticism and meditation that also drives the business narrative.

She says while brand fans are great in helping spread the word, the essence to their success is what goes on behind the scenes. “I have always written down what my intentions are for the business ever since we started. We are here to spread love and serve the community,” she says. “These intentions infiltrate through the company and it’s an energy we have been focusing on,” she says.

Penklis, a mother of two sold a sizeable portion of her company to the private equity firm Light Warrior – co-founded by Swisse Vitamins boss Radek Sali in 2025. “I started with nothing and in the last year the business has really grown a lot. We have been lucky in building it up to where it is. The financial growth has been the most this year because we brought on the right people and can focus on product development,” she says. “To be able to do that in Australia is a wonderful thing because it keeps manufacturing and jobs in the country too.”