The cacao bean has been prized since ancient times for its delicious flavour and remarkable health benefits. Made from gently roasted cocoa beans, cacao powder is the purest, most natural form of chocolate.

Let's sink our teeth into this  interesting and yummy topic: 

The cacao tree, Theobroma Cacao, is the origin of everything. However, each type of tree, each microclimate where it grows, each terrain where it is grown, each fermentation, drying, and handling process, all result in a different cacao bean. Origin is fundamental, just like a wine.

The cacao tree grows in tropical regions between 400 and 1,250 meters above sea level, with an annual maximum temperature of 30-32°C and an average minimum temperature of 18-21°C. It is surrounded by other plants that provide the essential shade, with a 50% light index and a humidity of around 70%. In other words, it grows in the humid forests of the tropics.

It offers flowers and fruits of varying degrees of ripeness, a spectacle of colour, and is generally harvested twice a year.

The flowers are unique in that they grow from the trunk, not the branches. They are small, with shades between white and pink, similar to orchids, and each one can produce a cocoa fruit

Cacao in Culture

Cacao has been a part of Mexican culture for hundreds of years.  During pre-Hispanic times, it was used as currency, as a remedy for various illnesses, and as a main ingredient in the preparation of ceremonial beverages. Today, a variety of products can be made from this bean.

Cacao has over 4,000 years of history. Recent research tells us that the Amazonian region, specifically Ecuador and Peru,  is where we might expect to find some of the first use of cacao. But the Olmecs, from southeast Mexico were the first to cultivate it,  the Mayans and Aztecs valued it greatly. The Mayans turned the consumption of cacao into an art form; they prepared a drink called "xocolatl," made with cacao, water, and spices, the most sought after cacao beans  by the Mayans and then the Aztec people was the Criollo cacao beans from the province of Soconuso, Chiapas. 

The Aztecs in particular revered the drink - they gave it to victorious warriors after battle, would use it during religious rituals, and even used cacao beans as currency.

When the Spanish colonised Mexico and Central America they saw the importance cacao had for the Mesoamerican cultures and took it to Europe where it was combined with milk and sugar or honey to create the earliest version of what eventually become chocolate. 

Chocolate was ‘the’ drink of the European aristocracies - no upper-class home was complete without chocolate making and drinking paraphernalia.

Up until this point, chocolate had only ever been consumed as a drink. But things started to change in 1828. Coenraad van Houten from Amsterdam  invented the ‘cocoa press’, which could separate the fat from a cacao bean, leaving behind a fine powder.

This powder was much more tasty to enjoy as a drink, and people started adding milk to it instead of water, making it more like the hot chocolate we’d drink today. This method also meant chocolate could be mass-produced, which made it cheaper and so the wider public could buy and enjoy it. Some called this the democratisation of chocolate.

In 1847 British chocolatier J.S. Fry and Sons had the idea of recombining the fat and liquor, and adding sugar, set this in moulds, and the chocolate bar was born.

The chocolate made through this method resembled a mild dark chocolate. The next big episode in the chocolate saga came when Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter put powdered milk in the mix, creating the world’s first milk chocolate bar.

Varieties

Criollo cacao varieties, native to Mexico, Central and South America, are prized for their mild flavour but are difficult to cultivate. Forastero cacao, from the Amazon basin, is more robust and accounts for the majority of global production. Trinitario cacao is an 18th-century hybrid, born in Trinidad, that combines the hardiness of the forastero with the flavour of the criollo. These three cacao varieties have shaped the evolution of the chocolate we enjoy today.

The cacao use for our cacao powder is the criollo.  This is the tree that produces the highest quality fruit, but among the cacao varieties, it is characterised by being the least productive and represents a small proportion of the world's production. It is identified by its round, slightly flat seeds. Unfermented, these seeds have a slightly violet and white colour.
Of the cacao varieties, it has fruity aromas with hints of nuts and is slightly bitter, yet refined. It is highly prized for the highest quality chocolates. This variety is used to make some of the finest chocolates and any gourmet dessert.

Sustainability

Cacao, a shade-tolerant plant, can be grown under the forest canopy without drastic clearing. And, when grown sustainably, it can leave a low carbon footprint.

Consumers looking for ethically and sustainably grown chocolate should read labels and ask questions. A good start is to look for the Fair Trade label, the Rainforest Alliance label, and organic certifications. These independent audits can be an important part of the process, although they may only be partially effective.

Cacao Benefits 

It is exceptionally rich in flavanols - a plant-based antioxidant which studies have shown support a wide range of health benefits from reducing tiredness and fatigue to improving heart health, cognitive function and regulating blood pressure.

As well as being high in flavanols, cacao powder is also a natural source of:

• fibre, supporting a healthy gut
• protein, required to maintain and grow muscle mass
• potassium, important for muscular, neurological function and the maintenance of normal blood pressure
• magnesium, essential for energy metabolism and healthy psychological function, bones and teeth as well as electrolyte balance
• natural compounds known to reduce anxiety and lift our moods
• antioxidants, supporting radiant, younger looking skin

Its value as a superfood remains to this day, as it provides nutrients such as fiber, protein, carbohydrates, and minerals, promoting cell and tissue renewal.

Let's look at this in more detail: 

Heart benefits 

Cacao flavanols have been scientifically proven  to help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, supporting healthy blood flow. Cacao flavanols contribute to:

• Cardiovascular health
• Elasticity of arteries
• Healthy blood circulation

Reduction of tiredness and fatigue

Healthy gut

Muscle growth 

Cacao contains around 22% of natural protein, perfect for those looking to up their protein intake and for vegans and vegetarians who may not be getting enough protein in their diet. It is also a source of potassium and magnesium with a single serving providing 15% and 26% respectively. Potassium helps support normal muscle function and magnesium helps with electrolyte balance to support muscle recovery.

Happy pill  

As well as stopping you from feeling stressed, cacao also actively makes you feel happier! Cacao Powder contains a powerful mix of beneficial natural compounds, including: serotonin, endorphins, phenylethylamine (a compound humans have been shown to produce when in love), tryptophan and anandamide, all of which have been shown to enhance mood and create feelings of euphoria.

Anti-ageing 

Not only can it improve thinking skills but the high antioxidant content found in cacao powder can also counteract or slow down cognitive decline during ageing. Furthermore, studies have shown that a diet rich in flavonoids can help reduce the risk of dementia.

It’s not just our insides that can benefit from the anti-aging powers of cacao - polyphenol antioxidants found in cacao protect our cells from premature oxidation or destruction and can keep us looking and feeling younger too.

In addition to its brain health benefits, cacao powder is a naturally rich source of skin-loving antioxidants.

Cacao or Cocoa?

The cacao bean is the source of both cacao and cocoa powders and is what any type of chocolate is originally made from. However, studies that boast of chocolate’s  health benefits are not referring to the average store-bought chocolate bar. The "chocolate" that they’re referring to is in fact cacao. Cacao is made by cold-pressing cacao beans that have been gently heated at low temperatures to remove bacteria and bring out the chocolatey flavour. This process keeps the living enzymes in the cacao and removes the fat (cacao butter). So, in a nutshell, cacao refers to the purest and most natural form of chocolate that is unprocessed and additive free.

Although it may look the same as cacao, cocoa is made by roasting cacao beans at high temperatures and is usually processed using an alkalised solution that makes it less acidic and richer in taste. Roasting at high temperatures changes the molecular structure of the cacao bean, reducing the enzyme content and lowering the overall nutritional value. Many cocoa powders also contain additives like sugar.

Our cacao

Our cacao powder is:

We work closely with our partners at Criollo to deliver a cacao powder that is:

Sustainable, improving the environment

Organic, improving our health

Responsibly grown, improving the lives of others

To produce our cacao powder we use the criollo variety coming  from different regions in Chiapas, Mexico and from small farms which gives each cacao we use a unique flavour profile. 

Sources: 

1. Universidad Anahuac de Mexico : https://www.anahuac.mx/mexico/noticias/Que-es-el-cacao-y-de-donde-proviene

2. Mexico Desconocido: https://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/chocolate-historia-y-leyenda.html

3. Festival del chocolate Tabasco : https://www.festivaldelchocolate.mx/en/historia-del-chocolate

4. The neuroprotective effects of cocoa flavanol and its influence on cognitive erformance. Astrid Nehlig. March 2013.

5. Chocolate consumption and cardiometabolic disorders: systematic review and analysis.

6. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190802145458.htm

7. MacLeod, M. Cacao. In The Cambridge World History of Food; Kiple, K. F., Ornelas, K. C., Eds.; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2000

8. Motamayor, J. C.; Risterucci, A. M.; Lopez, P. A.; Ortiz, C. F.; Moreno, A.; Lanaud, C. Cacao Domestication I: The Origin of the Cacao Cultivated by the Mayas. Heredity 2002.

9. Gobierno de Mexico: https://www.gob.mx/agricultura/articulos/la-ruta-del-cacao-origen-y-cultivo-a-lo-largo-de-los-anos-354078