Commercial chocolate is the Cacao bean roasted, crushed, the shell blown off, and then ground into a paste known as Cocoa Liquor in the chocolate industry. This is then separated into Cacao powder and butter and remixed into the recipe of the chocolate company.
Each recipe will determine how much cacao powder and butter is put in, it will then be ground until super smooth with added sugar.
Every 70% chocolate will have a different amount of cacao powder to butter for example, but the remaining 30% will always be sugar.
The mix of the amount of Cacao powder and Cacao butter is called cacao mass or cacao solids on the packaging. Usually soy lecithin is added to replace the need for some of the cacao butter, as it makes the chocolate more fluid.
Some chocolate makers are what are called Melters as in they buy in chocolate and remelt to form bars, chocolates and chocolate treats.
Some chocolate makers, buy 100% Cacao paste and further grind adding sugar to make the chocolate smooth to their own recipe. I call this whole bean chocolate, but not bean to bar as the chocolate maker does not buy cacao beans but whole bean cacao paste.
A new kind of chocolate is called Bean to Bar. This is where the whole bean is used in the chocolate and not separated into Cacao butter and Cacao powder.
Bean to Bar chocolate makers buy Cacao beans and make the chocolate onsite from the cacao bean. They roast, crack and winnow the beans into nibs and from there grind the nibs into cacao paste and further into chocolate. Sometimes the bean and sugar are the only two ingredients in their chocolate, and sometimes they add more cacao butter, depending on the style of chocolate they are inspired to create.
The Cacao Ambassador's Cacao Chocolate is none of the above as it is made from the cacao nibs bought from Cathliro in the Solomon Islands. The reason for this is to provide more income on the ground in the growing communities. The Cacao Ambassador works directly with Cathliro to create a sustainable trade between Cathliro farmers, and you the consumer, from the cacao bean to value added products such as cacao nibs. This ensures as much income as possible remains in the Solomon Islands and a true price is paid for the Cacao beans.
What is also imperative in Cacao Chocolate is that every step and every point of profit made is clear and transparent and that farmers are truly part of that profit and are cared for in the creation of the chocolate. The beans are gently roasted, hand cracked and winnowed and then shipped to The Cacao Ambassador here in NZ. Sometimes we use machine made nibs from Ecuador as well to enhance the chocolate flavour. These are sourced by Pure Cocoa in Ecuador.
The Cacao Ambassador always adds additional cacao butter to our unique recipes to create a smooth mouth feel that is decadent whilst also healthy.
Through the process of the gentle care of the bean from the farmer, to Cathliro, to the hand making of the nibs, and the short shipping time to NZ, this chocolate is packed with all of the health benefits possible, again another key factor and imperative consideration of Cacao Chocolate.
The mission of the Cacao Ambassador is to inspire and show the way for the newest kind of chocolate possible today, which is 'Homemade’, that is chocolate made by you from the Cacao Bean at home.
This is our deepest most inspired wish, for this will be the best chocolate possible, connecting you directly to the farmer, and bringing the incredible, wonderful, beautiful experience of making chocolate into your life.
It will also be the healthiest chocolate possible where you can also decide on what % to make. This also creates a whole new market for the Cacao farmers, especially the farmers of the Pacific, our neighbours when more and more NZ’s learn how to use the Amazing Cacao Bean at home. We call it a daily food, for a Joyful life!