At our markets, we frequently get asked what makes our products so different from other chocolate. What makes our products special?
There are several reasons why we are so different to other chocolates, which include
The way we make them
We use a stone grinder to grind our organic cacao nibs and other nutritious ingredients together for hours. The stone grinder, also called a Melanger, is a traditional way to grind the cacoa nibs finely. On a granite bottom and two round granite stones that roll on top of each other, the cacoa nibs are finely ground to under 20 microns. This gives a better taste experience as the particle size of the cacao is smaller than the size of your taste buds. Therefore, it melts better in your mouth. As far as we are aware we are the only company in the North East of England to make our products using this method.
Our ingredients
We make our products from scratch from individual raw and organic ingredients. That way, we have absolute control over what goes into our delicious cacao mix. We choose to use unroasted cacao nibs as they have more health benefits than roasted cocoa (we have explained this in a separate blog). Our sweetener is the most nutritious sweetener available – Palmyra Blossom Nectar, a nectar from a particular palm tree grown sustainably in Sri Lanka, is low GI and fructose. It is also high in B vitamins and minerals, good for your nervous system and brain function.
Other nutritious ingredients include cashew nuts, lucuma powder, hemp powder and nut butters. All flavourings are natural. No other brands contain the combination of ingredients that we use for our cacao bars. Each ingredient provides nutritional value, so no empty calories! In our previous blogs, you can learn more about why we use our chosen ingredients.
Our flavours
Our brand is unique in the flavours we choose and the stories associated with each one. All our flavours are inspired by travel we have done or would like to do. We hope we have captured the essence of the places we have been inspired by in our bars. We hope that by eating them and giving you a health boost, they also invoke happy memories of your travel experiences. Be sure to let us know on Facebook or Instagram if they do by tagging us. We’d love to hear your stories.
Our ethics
More consumers care about how their food is produced and want to support small-scale farmers who produce ethically and sustainably grown cacao. Recently, issues of poor working conditions and child slavery for many working in cacao plantations used by the biggest chocolate producers have been exposed. It is obviously better for the farmers and better for the environment.
All of Meraki Cacao’s ingredients are organic, and our cacao is sustainably and organically grown. Our Peruvian cacao is grown sustainably amongst trees or shrubs using the Agroforestry land management system. This method has much less environmental impact than the fertiliser-heavy plantations that are common in West Africa and cause so much deforestation.
We try to be as sustainable and eco-friendly in our approach to ingredients and product development as possible. Our packaging is recyclable, and our labels are printed on recycled paper using vegetable-based ink. We also subscribe to Ecologi, which helps us to offset our carbon footprint by supporting reforestation projects across the world.
Recent Comments