| Sarah Lesslie
Benefits of Raw Chocolate
Benefits of Raw Chocolate
When most people think of chocolate they think of a sweet junk food, but raw chocolate is as different from that popular conception of chocolate as night is from day. By returning to the roots of cacao as a superfood, Chocolita offers a raw chocolate that is both delicious and beneficial.
How is raw chocolate made?
Raw chocolate is minimally-processed during production to help preserve vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. At Chocolita, heirloom Arriba Nacional Cacao beans are stone-ground in granite grinders while being kept at low temperatures to give you a nutrient-dense raw chocolate. Cold-pressed cacao butter is combined with the ground beans, along with the low-glycemic sweeteners and unique ingredients Chocolita is known for.
What is heirloom cacao?
Heirloom cacao refers to the earliest strains of cacao that are indigenous to the Americas and existed prior to industrialized agriculture. They are the foundation for the best-tasting chocolates in the world, including Chocolita’s.
Indigenous cacao trees are also integral in many agroforestry initiatives. They’re native to lowland tropical regions with high biodiversity, and cacao trees are valuable in sustainable farming. They coexist well with other fruit trees, and as a typically shade-grown crop, they provide habitat for many other species.
Arriba Nacional Cacao, the heirloom cacao used at Chocolita, is a protected indigenous strain. Ecuador no longer allows it to be blended with other cacao genotypes to help preserve the few pockets of it that are left.
Heirloom cacao + raw processing = the best possible chocolate
Chocolita’s raw chocolate is a much different chocolate than we’re used to seeing on grocery store shelves. By starting with the best possible foundation in its heirloom cacao and using raw processing techniques to preserve as much of the nutritional value as possible, Chocolita is able to provide a unique chocolate: flavorful, delicious, and healthy.
