FAIRTRADE, DELICIOUS, ORGANIC CACAO BEANS
food of the gods
Cacao or Kakaw as pronounced in the Mayan language was consumed by the Mesoamerican peoples as early as 5,300 years ago.
The Mexica people considered it the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the God of Wisdom, while the Maya had their own God, Ek Chuaj who was the patron of Cacao. Ek Chuaj was also the God of Merchants and cacao beans were used as a currency throughout the region.
The Aztec Empire collected a tribute of 980 cacaoxiquipilli “bean loads” per annum, and each of these special loads had exactly 8000 beans. 80-100 beans could buy you a new cloth mantle.
Cacao was a real money tree! Brought to Europe by the Dominicans, it is one flavour that has conquered the world.
GROWING
cacao tree
It takes 3 to 5 years for a cacao tree to start producing its oblong sacred fruit. They have one pollinator: the midge. This is a gnat-like minuscule fly that is small enough to reach the base of the flower.
The natural environment of the Cacao Tree is the rainforest climate, mainly because its pollinator likes it there. In plantations, pests can destroy entire plantations, and that’s why many organisations are promoting organic methods of growing cacao. And that’s why we source our organic certified cacao beans from Dominican Republic. The producers are fair-traded Co-op Farms.
PAYING HOMAGE TO THE CACAO BEAN
organic dominican republic cacao
The cacao tree has 3 key varieties criollo, forastero and trinitario. Our organic cacao beans belong to the criollo-trinitario hybrid variety. As the cacao seeds are recalcitrant, which means they cannot be freeze-dried, it is important that biodiversity in the cacao species is maintained. Organic growing methods are employed by patient farmers.
theobromine
Theobromine means the Food of the Gods in Ancient Greek. Theos = God and Brosis = feast/ feeding. Theobromine brings blood to the brain, and it is a natural stimulant that perks up the whole system without the jittery effects of coffee. Good for the heart too as it can help to lower blood pressure.
As the husk is part of the same package as the bean they have a similar nutritional profile. High levels of Vitamin E, K1, Thiamine and Niacin help with your general wellbeing. Cacao is one of the foods high in Tryptophan, an essential amino acid that the body uses to produce melatonin and serotonin. Melatonin helps regulate the sleep – awake cycle, while serotonin is responsible for our mood and appetite.
FLAVOUR PROFILE
honey & dark cherry
It’s a fine art to get the beans roasted to perfection and we believe we have mastered it, in order to bring out the honey and dark cherry flavour profiles of these delicious bean.