VARIETY Botanical Chocolate®

YES, our cacao is vegan and the sugar is too!

YES

According to the Nutrition Facts, the serving size is one bar.  That being said, be your own real-time guide on this topic, we encourage you to ask your body this question. Perhaps you only require one square, or one “YES” or a bar a day. Our bodies are dynamic feedback systems, calling for different amounts on different days. Let us know how you enjoy your YES Cacao Botanical Chocolate Bars.

A Botanical is a whole plant or part of a plant part prized for its medicinal or therapeutic properties, flavor or scent. Our Botanical spectrum includes Ayurvedic herbs, Taoist herbs, South American superfoods, Essential oils, Teas, Flowers, Minerals and Medicinal mushrooms.

• While many sources will assign superfood status to any nutrient dense food- let it be known not all foods are created equal.  Superfood qualification is not relegated to its inherent “nutrition facts”, it must also take into account where and how it was grown.
• YES Cacao’s superfood definition is: Bioavailable food grown in mineral rich soil, in biodiverse ecosystems, fed by clean water and gathered by harvesters who hold reverence for the plant and its natural environment. 

For thousands of years sugarcane was considered a medicinal plant. What? Sugar? Medicinal? YES. Sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum) is in the grass family of plants, and is very proficient in mineral absorption from the soil. When sugar is commodified and grown in large plantations, the nutrition of the soil is depleted quickly and the sugar cane becomes "hollow", only containing artificial fertilizer "minerals".  We source our CleanCane® in Ecuador, with producers that champion regenerative farming. This allows the highly mineralized volcanic soil to allocate nutritional density into each sugarcane stalk. Once the sugar is harvested, the cane stalks are hand pressed into juice that is then sundried until crystalized to preserve enzyme activity, the sugar is then put through a cooling process to crystalize. This is called a "first crystallization" sugar.  This is all done within twenty-four hours of the harvest. With an abundance of organic minerals and available enzymes, this sugarcane honors its historical medicinal nutrition profile. 

Hmmm good question, chocolate actually has a very small amount of caffeine per serving. The more predominant compound is Theobromine. Where as caffeine stimulates the mind, Theobromine stimulates the heart and circulatory system; which is why it is an ideal delivery system.  

YES Cacao sources beans from a team of over 450 wild harvesters throughout Ecuador, in a truly unique system that benefits the soil, the cacao trees, the ecosystem, the workers... all the way to you, goodness through and through. This wild variety is call Arriba Criollo, regionally specific to the Ecuadorian Andes, and known for its exceptional flavor. Our preference for wild cacao stems from our trust in the knowledge of nature. The true aim of organic and biodynamic methods are to emulate the wisdom of the wild.  Wild cacao means there are no farms and no plantations.  All our beans are sourced from seed propagated trees, thriving in diverse ecosystems, fed by rain and spring water. Supporting this cacao preserves and protects the heirloom varieties we wish to share with our next seven generations and beyond.

Stay tuned to learn more about becoming  A WILD CACAO ADVOCATE

Cacao is best kept in a cool dark place, preferably between 55-77 degrees fahrenheit. Keep in mind as the bar approaches body temperature the flavors will open. Thats why it is commonly recommended to let chocolate melt in your mouth.