SUPERFOOD INGREDIENTS cacao product formats

Our wholesale Cacao products are available in the following formats:

Powder Products:  Cacao Powder, Cacao Pulp Powders

Beans: Whole Cacao Beans, Caacao Nibs, Sweetened Cacao Nibs, Lavado Cacao Beans

Butter / Liquor: Cacao Butter, Cacao Liquor or Paste

Liquid: Cacao Pulp

Some further detail on each product format and their possible applications in the Food, Beverage, Nutraceutical and Cosmeceutical sectors is provided below.

Organic Cacao Powder

Our Organic Raw Cacao Powder comes from the Peruvian Criollo Cacao Bean, that is known for its intensely rich flavour that is recognised in the chocolate industry for producing high quality chocolate. The beans are not roasted so this powder is perfect for raw applications, as well as in baking, for smoothie mixes, protein supplements and of course for chocolate.

Freeze Dried Cacao Pulp Powder / Spray Dried Cacao Pulp Powder / Cacao Pulp

We have various option of powders made from the sweet white pulp that surrounds the cacao beans. Often this pulp is used in the fermentation process for the beans, but it can also be extracted during a depulping process, and this can either be sold frozen (our Cacao Pulp), or it can be further processed to form powders, such as our Freeze Dried or Spray Dried Cacao Pulp Powders. The Cacao Pulp has come under high demand as it provides the chocolate industry a perfect way to sweeten chocolate without having to add a sugar. The cacao pulp can also be used in other applications such as raw treats, diary products, beverages and baking.

Whole Raw Organic Cacao Beans and Organic Raw Cacao Nibs

Superfood Ingredient’s Whole Organic Cacao Beans and Nibs are made from the unroasted Criollo cacao bean from Peru, and either kept whole, or chopped into nibs. We also offer an sweetened option of the nibs that have been sweetened with organic yacon syrup or organic lucuma. These are great for use as a snack, a trial mix, in baking and raw treats or as a topping for a desert, chia bowl or smoothie bowl. They can also be ground down further for making chocolate.

Whole Raw Organic Lavado Cacao Beans

After harvesting usually the cacao beans are removed from the pod along with the sweet white cacao pulp that surrounds the beans, and allowed to go through a process of fermentation before the beans are dried. This produces the characteristic chocolate flavour that is so desired. However, during this fermentation process some of the polyphenols are lost, and so this option of Lavado Cacao Beans (lavado meaning washed), skips the fermentation process, so that the beans are washed as soon as they are removed from the pod to remove the pulp, and then are dried. The resulting beans have been shown in studies to have some interesting health benefits related to the retained polyphenols.

Organic Raw Cacao Butter and Liquor

Our Organic Raw Cacao Butter and our Organic Raw Cacao Liquor or Paste, comes in a kibbled or ground format making it easy to use. Again made from the Peruvian Criollo Bean, the butter and liquor are noted for their intense and rich flavour. Ideal for manufacturing chocolates, as well as in making raw treats in which a lower setting temperature is desired. The cacao butter is also ideal for use in cosmetic applications.

SUPERFOOD INGREDIENTS cacao harvesting and production

Healthy Indulgence

It is no surprise that Cacao products have met with such wide reaching success. Given the plethora of studies analysing the health benefits provided by the flavanoids contained naturally within the cacao bean, combined with its rich and full flavour, this is really an ingredient for healthy indulgence at its best.

Add to this its organic production on small family held farms in the Andes region of Peru and its minimal processing using age old techniques, our range of Cacao products are a truly tremendous compliment to a growing range of superfoods that have been capturing the interest of manufacturers the world around. Interest comes not only from the confectionary sector, as Cacao products find their way into a range of health foods, health supplements, sports nutrition and specialty baked goods and gourmet sources.

Originating from the foothills of the Andes, the Cacao bean has a long and important history in pre-Columbian America, regarded not only as a luxury commodity, but also for a time as a form of currency. It seems that it has long been regarded as being worth its weight in gold! 

The Diversity of the Cacao Pod

From the cacao pod we can extract a variety of products, each providing a nutritious and flavoursome ingredient for use in a wide range of applications. From the perfumed sweet white pulp that surrounds the cacao beans, available in frozen pulp or powder formats, to the diverse range of products derived from the bean itself after going through a process of drying and fermentation, such as Superfood Ingredients’ Raw and Organic Cacao Beans, Cacao Nibs, Cacao Powder and Cacao Butter. Unfermented Lavado Cacao Beans and Nibs are also available. Each ingredient is processed without chemicals and with an aim to maintain the rich flavours and nutrition of the Theobroma cacao - the food of the Gods!