PURE COCOA BUTTER

To make my dark and milk chocolates I take the extra step of pressing my own single origin cocoa butter for each variety of Superfood Cocoa chocolate. The result is nowhere else to be found, premium craft chocolate that always stays true to bean!

If single origin butter is so awesome then why don’t more people use it?  The answer is simple – it’s time consuming and expensive to make.  First there’s the cost of the beans, which we’re paying the same premium for as the rest of our fine flavor beans.  Because we press our own butter we use 50% more beans per batch than we would otherwise.

Then there’s the process – the beans need to be roasted, winnowed and then pressed.  All of this takes A LOT of time.  Each week we spend roasting, then winnowing, the pressing the beans into liquor.  The press only holds 2lbs of beans, takes almost forty minutes, and yields about 300g of cocoa butter.   This means we usually do about five presses per week to get enough butter for each batch of chocolate.

Although the process is difficult, the difference in flavor makes it worthwhile.  People often comment on how flavorful and smooth our chocolate is, and the fresh pressed single origin butter is a big part of that.

Other bean to bar chocolates are made with standard maybe even organic butter which is made from many different types of beans, so the flavor profile wouldn’t be anything like that of our chocolate.   If the butter is deodorized it has no flavor and will have the undesirable effect of diluting the flavors in our chocolate.  Industrial cocoa butter can also sit on the shelf for some time, and the longer it sits the greater the chance it can begin to absorb off-flavors.

And, of course, one fringe benefit is that this process also yields about 700g of freshly pressed, intensely flavorful, non-alkalized 100% cacao powder which we use to make our single origin hot cocoa.

To make white chocolate I use cacao butter that has not been refined or deodorised and retains it’s wonderful chocolatey aroma. Cocoa butter is extracted from the cocoa beans grown by small holders who rely on it as their main source of income year-round. Most of the harvesting takes place between April and September and is called “la cosecha grande”, which literally means “the big harvest” in Spanish. Peruvian cacao is grown sustainably amongst trees or shrubs, using the Agroforestry land management system. This method has much less environmental impact than the fertiliser-heavy plantations that are common in West Africa and which cause so much deforestation.

All our cocoa butter is 100% raw and pure. Nothing added, nothing taken away. No additives or preservatives. No nasties. 

LACTOSE FREE MILK OR PURE COCONUT MILK

For those who love the dairy chocolate taste we choose lactose free milk. Why is lactose free milk our choice? Its really simple. It is easy to digest: With the addition of the lactase enzyme, lactose free milk is much easier to digest meaning less digestive tract discomfort such as indigestion, gas, stomach pains, bloating and so on. 

For our vegan customers or the with allergies to dairy, we use pure coconut milk powder ensuring that our milk doesn’t contain any added stabilisers, fillers, sodium caseinate (dairy) or sugars…

Especially imported from the ancient coconut estates of Sri Lanka, where it’s long been depended on by locals as a nutrient-rich treasure trove.

We only use adult humans to pick and refine our coconuts. Never human children or monkeys. We’re not joking. In some regions of the world pig-tailed macaques are made to collect hundreds of coconuts a day; they are shackled and worked so hard they faint. We will have no part in slavery, human or animal. We only work with Sri Lankan virgin coconut estates because they use organic compost fertilisers, not chemicals.

NATURAL SUGAR SUBSTITUTES

We are happy to make chocolate batch just for you sweetened with organic coconut sugar or Zusto natural plant based sugar replacement. Please be sure to email us about your special request.

We love pure coconut palm sugar because…..

It’s produced in the Indonesia, and is made from the sap of the coconut palm tree. Our pure coconut sugar is produced by farmers that avoid using all forms of man-made pesticides, fertilisers and growth regulators. Coconut trees use minimal amounts of water and fuel, contain no artificial ingredients and are not chemically altered in any way. Growing trees improve the soil structure and can turn marginalised lands into lush jungle. 

It is made by tapping the deliciously sweet liquid sap of coconut flower buds. To ensure the best quality sap farmers tap the flowers just after sunrise and before sunset.

The sap is then heated and constantly stirred by hand so that moisture is evaporated to produce coconut nectar which is a natural substitute for liquid sweeteners like processed syrups and honey found on many supermarket shelves.

Further heating and stirring of the sap produces crystals or granules of coconut sugar that are both vegan friendly and gluten-free.

It has a low fructose content and contains traces of many minerals and antioxidants compared to other sugars. Coconut sugar is unrefined and known for its low GI at 35 compared with regular table sugar at 65-70, meaning you don’t get those sugar ‘high’s’ and ‘crashes’ you get with the refined sugar. 

The reason is that the fresh natural coconut sap from which the coconut sugar is made is packed full of a nutrient rich array of amino acids, minerals, vitamins and has a nearly neutral pH (so not too acidic). Whilst the heating process when making coconut sugar will reduce the amounts, trace elements will remain in the finished product and add benefits to a healthy balanced diet. Coconut trees use minimal amounts of water and fuel, contain no artificial ingredients and are not chemically altered in any way. Growing trees improve the soil structure and can turn marginalised lands into lush jungle. 

We love Zusto sugar because….

Zùsto is a sugar substitute with a heavy fibre content and only natural, FDA-approved ingredients. It provides sweetness identical to sugar, while being superior to sugar in terms of structure and texture. It delivers the identical taste, sensation, sweetness and structure as traditional sugars, without containing the negative health effects of added sugars. The fibres in Zùsto are proven to have prebiotic effects on the intestinal flora of the human body. The key benefits of Zùsto are:

• Low glycemic index of 22 – suitable for diabetics.
• 98 kcal per 100g – 75% fewer calories.
• Trusted by professionals.
• As seen in Natural Health and the Sunday Express.
• Vegan and gluten free.
• Increased absorption of calcium & magnesium (↓ Osteoporosis)
• Relief of constipation & diverticulitis
• Reduction in blood cholesterol
• Slowdown of glucose in absorption in blood
• Stimulation of intestinal flore
• Increase in stool frequency and mass
• Improved lipid metabolism.