Cacao Powder

Cacao prices have surged in recent years, reaching an all-time high in 2024. The primary cause is a global cacao shortage caused by droughts and floods in West Africa, which produces about 80% of the world's cacao. The limited resources of the smallholder farmers there, combined with an increased demand for cacao, a volatile commodities market and supply chain disruptions have only worsened the situation. To maintain the quality of our cacao products while continuing to support fair trade practices and sustainable agriculture, we finally made the decision to raise the prices on our Cacao Powder and Cacao Nibs. We greatly appreciate your understanding and ongoing support!

Our unsweetened cacao powder is minimally processed cocoa solids. Once cocoa beans are naturally fermented, gently roasted, ground and cold-pressed, high-quality cacao powder is the result!

“Cacao” typically refers to minimally processed, non-alkalized powder from the cacao bean, while “cocoa” is high heat processed, often alkalized, and may contain additional ingredients like sweeteners or dairy products. Due to its minimal processing, cacao powder retains more of the cacao bean’s inherent nutrients—particularly antioxidants—and is thus considered a superfood, whereas cocoa powder is not. In their purest forms, both natural cacao powder and unsweetened cocoal powder taste similar, like unsweetened chocolate.

The nutritional differences are where you'll notice the biggest benefit in substituting unsweetened cacao powder for cocoa powder. Minimally processed cacao powder is an abundant source of minerals—like iron, magnesium and potassium—fiber, and unique antioxidants called flavanols, which support cardiovascular and brain health. After cacao is heated at high temperatures and alkalized, many of these beneficial nutrients degrade and are no longer present in significant amounts in the end product (cocoa powder)—quite an unfortunate loss in nutrition! This difference in nutritional value is one of the main reasons more and more people are swapping in cacao products for cocoa products in their everyday uses and recipes.

Technically no (and neither is most other “raw” cacao, but that’s a story for another day!). First, our cacao is naturally fermented to increase its nutritional potency, and then it’s briefly roasted to develop its delicious flavor and ensure food safety. All of our nutritional testing is done on our finished Cacao Powder, and we are confident that it’s one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet!

Yes, caffeine is naturally occurring in cacao (happily, so is calming magnesium and relaxing theobromine). You can expect 20mg of caffeine per tablespoon in our Cacao Powder. Caffeine content varies between the rest of our cacao products; our Cacao Nibs contain 4mg of caffeine per teaspoon while our Cacao Butter is naturally caffeine free.

Yes, all of our products are tested by third party, independent labs for heavy metals, microbials, and nutritional values. Trace amounts of cadmium and lead are inherent to virtually all minimally processed cacao and we are confident in the quality and safety of our product. Please visit our Help Center for more information.

Some of our superfoods fall under CA’s Prop 65 labeling requirements. This is due to trace amounts of heavy metals that are naturally occurring in the organic soils in which our superfoods grow. Please note that Prop 65 is a right-to-know law, and not a determination of a product’s safety. For more information, please see our Help Center articles about Prop 65 here.