What is it?
It’s surprising to note that this chocolate bar is the result of only two plants – the coconut palm tree and cacao. Keeping the ingredients simple and close to their natural state is key to the unique quality of our chocolate.
We’ve always believed that Coconut and Cacao is the perfect marriage – the creaminess of the coconut compliments the rich flavours of cacao beautifully. We’ve played with the subtle balance of this pair to create a new flavour, lighter in cacao content compared to our popular Coconut Mylk Chocolate, one which we could only describe as ‘creamy’!
Raw Cacao Nibs
Antioxidants
Research has demonstrated that the antioxidants in cacao are highly stable and easily available to human metabolism. In the adjacent table you can see that our Raw Cacao has set the world record for antioxidants when compared to the other top 10 antioxidant foods such as Goji Berries, Acai Berries, and blueberries. The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture to measure the ability of antioxidants to absorb free radicals, which normally cause cell and tissue damage. The higher the ORAC score, the higher the level of antioxidants present in the food.
ORAC Scores for top 10 Antioxidant foods per 100g
|
1) |
Loving Earth Raw Cacao Powder* |
98,000 |
2) |
Raw Cacao Nibs** |
62,100 |
3) |
Roasted Cocoa Powder |
26,000 |
4) |
Loving Earth Raw Dark Chocolate* |
27,900 |
5) |
Goji Berries** |
25,300 |
6) |
Acai Berries** |
18,500 |
7) |
Dark Chocolate |
13,120 |
8) |
Prunes |
5,770 |
9) |
Raisins |
2,830 |
10) |
Blueberries |
2,400 |
Source: US department of Agriculture |
* Tested by Southern Cross University |
** Tested by Brunswick Laboratories, MA, USA |
Magnesium for the Heart and Brain
Raw Cacao is a good source of Magnesium. Magnesium is the most important mineral for a healthy functioning heart. It also plays a key role in producing energy for the neurons in the brain from glucose. So when there is an abundance of magnesium the brain works with clarity and focus.
Evaporated Coconut Nectar
Our Evaporated Coconut Nectar is unfiltered and preservative free. It has a low on the Glycemic Index (GI) of 35. By comparison, most honeys are GI 55 and cane sugars are GI 68.
The Glycemic Index provides a ranking for carbohydrates according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a low GI (less than 40), produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, avoiding the sugar “highs” and “lows” that we experience when consuming foods with high GIs.
Evaporated Coconut Nectar also has a nutritional and mineral content that is richer than all other commercially available sweeteners. When compared to brown sugar, Evaporated Coconut Nectar has twice the iron, four times the magnesium and over 10 times the amount of zinc.
Coconut
The coconut we use at Loving Earth is certified organic and sulphite free. A rich source of lauric acid (antifungal, antimicrobial), coconut is also a rich source of dietary fibre.
Almost half of the Coconut’s fatty acid profile consists of lauric acid. Apart from being associated with anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties, studies have found lauric acid increases good cholesterol in the body.
Growing & Processing
Cacao
Satipo is a region that sits at the edge of the Amazon basin at the base of the Andes mountain range. In this area we work with 4 small producer groups that are grouped under the umbrella association of cacao producers of Satipo that consists of 164 families in total.
There are three main varieties of the cacao plant; the Forastero, Criollo and Trinitario. The cacao beans that we have sourced from Satipo are of the Criollo variety, which are the rarest of the three types of beans and are highly regarded for their delicate and complex flavours.
Processing
Cacao pods are harvested from the trees and cracked open. The beans are then taken out and fermented. The level of fermentation affects the flavour; we do a low fermentation at approximately 45 °C. At this lower temperature, the structure of the nutrients is preserved.
The main thing that Loving Earth does differently to other chocolate makers is that we don't roast the raw cacao beans before we process them. The standard procedure in the chocolate industry is to roast raw cacao to create cocoa, which has a lower nutritional content. This method also removes some of the antioxidants contained within. At Loving Earth, we wash our raw cacao beans with a citric-based organic disinfectant to remove the microbiological matter, whilst preserving the nutrient and antioxidant properties.
Afterwards, the beans are dried in large commercial dehydrators at controlled temperatures, before being winnowed into nibs, whereby the skin is removed. The nibs are ground and pressed to create the Raw Cacao Powder and Raw Cacao Butter.
This process also yields three other by-products - Raw Cacao Nibs, Raw Cacao Beans and Raw Cacao Liquor.
This highly efficient process allows us to extract the five basic materials we need to create our Loving Earth chocolate, all from a single origin in Peru. By sourcing our cacao products from this one community, we are supporting Satipo’s agricultural industry as well as the development of their indigenous community.
Our Raw Cacao Butter is then combined with Creamy Raw Cashews, Coconut and Evaporated Coconut Nectar to create our delicious Creamy Coconut Mylk Chocolate
Ingredients: Organic Raw Cacao Nibs, Organic Evaporated Coconut Nectar, Organic Coconut (23%)
Nutrition Information
Serving Size 20g
| Per Serve | Per 100g |
---|
Energy | 523kj | 2610kj |
Protein | 0.9g | 4.6g |
Fat-total | 10g | 50g |
- saturated | 6.7g | 33.6g |
Carbohydrate-total | 8.6g | 42.8g |
- sugars | 6.3g | 31.6g |
Sodium | 5mg | 24mg |
How to use
Two to three squares of our Creamy Coconut Mylk Chocolate makes for a luxurious and decadent experience. You can also melt and add as a topping to ice cream and desserts or use in baking too.
Creamy Coconut Mylk Chocolate melts at a lower temperature than our other chocolate due to its healthy coconut fat content, which has a lower melting point than Cacao Butter. Therefore, it's best to store it in the fridge to get that crunchy snap. If it melts it's still fine. In fact, some people love it that way.