At Cocoaro Craft Chocolate, we value every ingredient that goes into each bar. We started where, likely, many of you have with seeking out better chocolate: looking to make a change to improve the long and deceptive history of slavery and exploitation in cacao production and have a chocolate that is better for people and the planet and is also more delicious. Of course, though, our food system isn’t just broken in cacao production, so we seek to source all our ingredients in a way that is traceable, transparent and better for our planet.
Cacao Beans
Tanzania – Kokoa Kamili
Our Tanzanian beans come from Kokoa Kamili via Meridian Cacao. Kokoa Kamili is a co-operative that works with over 3,000 farmers in the Kilombero Valley of Tanzania. Kokoa Kamili buys wet beans well above local market rates, provides seedlings and offers agronomy support and education to farmers.
Ecuador – Camino Verde
Our Ecuadorian beans come from Camino Verde via Meridian Cacao. Camino Verde is a private fermentary in Duran, Ecudaor. Vincente Norero, its owner/operator began as an estate cacao farmer himself. Now, his farming and harvesting program guarantees better prices for the farmers, who in turn grow better, healthier cacao plants.
Peru – Pangoa & Tsiriari
Our Peruvian beans come directly from Peru via Cacao Life. The Pangoa Coop that works with farmers in the Pangoa and Ene River Valley regions. The Cooperative is promoting the growth of the indigenous criollo variety over other varieties that are often grown for productivity over flavour or heritage. The Tsiriari beans are produced by a small all-woman Cooperativa de Mujeres Emprededora Warmi Tsinani grow cacao alongside coffee, corn, ginger, tapioca root and banana. They operate in the Tsiriari area of the VRAE region of the mid-southern jungle of Peru.
Haiti – PISA
Our Haitian beans are centrally fermented and distributed by Produits des Iles, SA in Haiti. PISA is an agro-industrial enterprise that focuses on development within Haiti while bringing in diversity and innovation. They dedicated to modernizing and improving the local products through meaningful partnerships with agricultural producers producing more affordable foods to the local population as well as higher quality foods for export.
Sugar
Brazil
The sugar we use is an unrefined cane sugar produced as part of the Green Cane Project in Brazil. The project uses innovative approaches to produce a more environmental and worker friendly cane sugar. From better soil fertilization to harvesting that does not burn the fields (a widespread practice that harms both workers and the planet), to contributing the local projects beyond cane, “growing in the market, generating more foreign trade, distributing this wealth to society and contributing to the preservation of the environment is Native´s commitment”.
Inclusions
Strawberries & Raspberries
Our strawberries and raspberries are freeze-dried produced by Origo Foods in Coquitlam, BC. They used berries from local farms in the Fraser Valley.
Shiso
While shiso is growing as a local product, the quantities locally available are limited and import costs from Japan would be prohibitive to produce the flavour we like, so our shiso comes most locally and is grown by our chocolate maker!
Forstbauer Farm
The Forstbauer Family Farm is a biodynamic farm in Chilliwack, BC. We have used various seasonal ingredients from them including the rhubarb and fresh blueberries
Blueberries
Our freeze-dried blueberries are grown and dried by Falconglen Organic Farm in Langley, BC.
Oats
We use gluten-free organic oats produced by One Degree Organics and grown in Alberta. One Degree Organics are committed to total food transparency allowing consumers to trace all of their food to the farms.
Genmaicha
Our genmaicha is produced by Osada Natsumi with green tea from Harunocho Isagawa, Japan with rice from Kagoshima and Miyazaki, Japan. Scan to read more about the ingredients. On top of being a talented tea grower, Osada San has one of the most educated noses we have ever encountered. He is a multiple award winner at Japan’s National Tea Tasting Competition. He is also ranked as an ‘8th Dan’ Tea Taster.