Entrepreneur of the Year
The Entrepreneur of the Year award recognizes SME leaders, and startup founders who show strong leadership and clear vision in their business.
Applicants should present their background, key achievements, challenges they have overcome, and their future plans.
Eligible applicants must have founded their business in Thailand and operate a registered entity in Thailand. Businesses that have successfully expanded internationally are also eligible; however, applicants must be independent companies and not subsidiaries, affiliates, or entities controlled by a larger corporate group.
Entrepreneur of the Year - Winner 2026
We are pleased to celebrate Kad Kokoa, winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the FTCC Business Awards 2026.
The award was proudly received by Panithi Junhasavasdikul, CEO & Co-Founder of Kad Kokoa, recognizing the company’s entrepreneurial journey, vision, and contribution to Thailand’s growing chocolate industry.
Congratulations once again to the Kad Kokoa team!
We are pleased to celebrate Kad Kokoa, winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the FTCC Business Awards 2026.
The award was proudly received by Panithi Junhasavasdikul, CEO & Co-Founder of Kad Kokoa, recognizing the company’s entrepreneurial journey, vision, and contribution to Thailand’s growing chocolate industry.
Congratulations once again to the Kad Kokoa team!
About Kad Kokoa
We are Kad Kokoa, and we’re revolutionizing the Thai chocolate industry. As a pioneering bean-to-bar chocolate maker, we champion locally sourced Thai cacao, creating a luxurious and sustainable chocolate culture. By supporting Thai farmers, we lower import costs, reduce our carbon footprint, and promote environmental responsibility.
We’re not just making incredible chocolate; we’re elevating the status of Thai cacao on the world stage, proving that locally-produced delicacies can rival the fi nest imports. We don’t just talk about sustainability, we live it.
Our partnership with Chulalongkorn University to establish the Thailand Cacao Research Center ensures that we’re providing education and resources for long-term, sustainable cacao growing practices. This commitment empowers farmers and secures the future of high-quality Thai cacao
Contact Us:
- Website: kadkokoa.co
- Tel.: 0836843921
- Address: 1076 Soi Suanplu, South Sathorn, Thung Mahamek, Bangkok, Thailand 10120
- Find us on Instagram
- Monday — Friday, 9am — 5pm
Kad Kokoa's Story
Kad Kokoa is Thailand's first vertically integrated bean-to-bar chocolate company, sourcing cacao from a network spanning 34 provinces. Its product range spans retail chocolate bars and drinking chocolate to B2B ingredients — including single-origin cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and couverture — supplied to other manufacturers. Co-founded by Paniti and Nuttaya Junhasavasdikul, the company has built its own post-harvest infrastructure from the ground up, operates boutiques and a chocolate bar in Bangkok, and partners with Chulalongkorn University in founding the first Thai cacao research and development called ISTC.
The Story Behind the Award
Thailand has the same soil, monsoon, and heat as its cacao-belt neighbors — what it lacked was a market for the beans. Kad Kokoa set out to build that market bean by bean: standing up four Post-Harvest Center hubs from zero, developing Thailand's first single-origin cocoa butter and cocoa powder, and building the team and systems needed to run a vertically integrated chocolate company at scale. That transformation, from an unproven crop to a brand competing on the world stage, is the story behind this award.
Making an Impact
A sourcing network spanning 34 provinces, supported by 4 Post-Harvest Center hubs built from zero and processing 130 tonnes of fresh cacao pods per month; 43% revenue growth year-over-year in 2026; and the launch of Thailand's first single-origin cocoa butter and cocoa powder.
From the Winner
“This award belongs to the team as much as it belongs to me. Thailand always had the soil and the cacao — what it needed was someone willing to build the market, bean by bean. I'm proud that we've built a business, and a team, strong enough that I can step back and still watch it grow.”
— Paniti Junhasavasdikul, CEO & Co-Founder, Kad Kokoa
