You have no items in your shopping cart.
Details
Cacao is the raw base for chocolate manufacture. However, in its own right it is a truly remarkable food. It is packed with antioxidants and other phytonutrients, to make a powerful and delicious contribution to a healthy diet. For too long this amazing nutritional phenomenon has been ignored, hidden behind the fat and sugar of its processed relative, chocolate. However, awareness of its remarkable nutritional profile is growing, and increasing numbers of people are putting this fantastic food at the core of a healthy diet. Rainforest Foods uses only Criollo Cacao, often referred to as the 'Queen of Cacao' for its high quality.
Cacao is extraordinarily rich in antioxidants, even more so than Acai berry. Science has investigated Cacao extensively. One well-regarded study looked at its effects on a people indigenous to Panama, comparing a group given to drinking large quantities of home-prepared Cacao with another exhibiting more modern dietary habits. The results were startling: the Cacao-consuming group exhibited much lower rates of stroke, cardiovascular disease and cancer than the other.
50% of Cacao’s mass is made up of three fats. However, they are all harmless to us. One is Oleic acid, the fat found in olive oil. The others – Stearic and Palmitic acids – are believed not to cause cholesterol buildup. The harmful effects of chocolate are caused by the fat and sugars added during its manufacture. Rainforest Foods Cacao nibs are unprocessed. They are Cacao beans, simply broken into small pieces. Optimum nutrition is retained. Cacao contains several amino acids, including Tryptophan. Cacao is also rich in Magnesium.
Production
Rainforest Foods Cacao is produced by organic growers in Peru. It is harvested by hand as pods. These are broken apart and allowed to ferment. The pulp surrounding the beans that ferments and eventually runs away as liquid. This process has a chemical effect on the beans, reducing their bitterness. The beans are then washed and disinfected, before being dried. Dried beans are peeled and their cores extracted, to be broken into pieces or ‘nibs’. They are then pressed to separate out the fats (referred to as cocoa butter), and milled to powder. The result is then packed ready for distribution.
Organic Certification
Rainforest Foods Cacao is certified by the Soil Association, one of a handful of organic certification bodies in the UK. These are regulated in their turn by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). The role of the Soil Association is to ensure that all foods sold as organic are definably so. It does this by auditing every stage of the supply chain, through growth, export and processing. Soil Association certification – indicated by the Soil Association logo and the EU organic leaf symbol on our packaging – is a guarantee that our customers are purchasing an organic product. All organically-certified products must also carry a certification code on their packaging. For UK companies such as Rainforest Foods this has the format GB-ORG-XX, XX indicating the certifying body. If this is not present, a product is not organic. The Soil Association code on our products is GB-ORG-05.
Benefits of Kakao:
- 100% organic CaCao
- certified Product
- suitable for Vegans
Suggested Use:
We recommend that you use Cacao powder as an ingredient in many foods, sprinkle it on top of porridge, use it as a baking ingredient, or make it into a drink. Store your Cacao in a cool, dark and dry place.
