The word cacao comes from the Aztec language Nahuatl’s word “cacahuatl,” and the cacao bean was very important to indigenous Mesoamericans. Cultivation of the cacao bean was extensive in early Mesoamerica and Aztec lore cites the god Quetzalcoatl as the initial discoverer. As described by ancient texts, it was used for ceremonial, medicinal, and culinary purposes. Cacao was even ground by the Aztecs and mixed with tobacco for smoking.
Cacao beans not only provided a ritual beverage to the early Mesoamericans, they also acted as a currency system. So powerful was the buying power of the cacao bean, some unscrupulous people even took to counterfeiting it.
The first time cacao was introduced to the Spanish as a beverage was at Hernando Cortez’s meeting with the Aztec king Montezuma at Tenochtitlan in 1519. Within a century, cacao had spread throughout Western Europe and demand for chocolate was so widespread that the Spanish and French began to establish cacao bean plantations throughout the Caribbean.
We use only the purest, organic cacao beans in our vegan chocolate. Cacao is an excellent source of antioxidants, including polyphenols. No refined white sugar is ever used in our vegan chocolate; it is not the highly processed, artificially flavored, stuffed with chemicals, debatably “chocolate” substance you might be used to. When you use organic, pesticide-free cacao beans farmed by people with respect for the plant and the land, you get chocolate so good that no milk or milk byproducts are necessary to concoct a truly magical cocoa experience.
Just like the Aztecs, we respect the cacao bean and regal culinary qualities it possesses.
So do yourself a favor; experience the cacao bean like it’s meant to be experienced. See what had the Aztecs and the early European explorers so entranced. Give our vegan and raw chocolate a taste. We guarantee you’ll be satisfied!