The Possibilities of Cacao
Beginning with a Question
It began in 2016 with a simple question.
“Where does chocolate come from, and how is it made?”
As we began making chocolate, we found ourselves asking more questions about cacao itself.
What about cacao butter? Cacao powder? And the husks?
What else could we do with cacao?
For us, exploring the possibilities of cacao means trying things out, one question at a time.
Each Answer Leads to Another Question
When we first started making chocolate, we were working with just cacao beans and sugar.
Later, we began using cacao butter, which allowed us to make white and milk chocolate too. That brought another question: what could we do with cacao powder?
We experimented with hot chocolate and protein blends, and eventually moved into ice cream. None of this was planned from the start. Each time we tried something new, another question seemed to follow.
Thinking Twice Before Discarding
When cacao beans are roasted and their outer shells removed, the husks are left behind.
In the early days, we used them to fertilise the fields or scattered them among the bamboo grass to decompose naturally. But we began to wonder whether something that had once been part of the cacao bean should really be considered waste.
We did some research and started by tasting the husks ourselves. We tried brewing them as tea and grinding them to see whether they could be used in other products. Some experiments didn't work out.
Since then, we've found ways to use cacao husks in tea and cacao salt. We're also exploring how they might be used as a finer powder. Little by little, we're discovering more possibilities.
Not Everything Works Out
Not everything we try turns out as we'd hoped.
We liked the flavour of the hot chocolate we made with cacao powder, but producing it regularly would have been too labour-intensive.
When we tried grinding cacao husks and adding them to a protein blend, the husks sank to the bottom. The result wasn't quite what we had in mind.
So we began looking for ways to grind the husks more finely. Our first attempt with specialist equipment didn't work out because of the fat remaining in the husks. But it has led us to explore other methods and equipment.
Sometimes, when something doesn't work out, it gives us a reason to try a different approach.
Still Exploring
Some of our ideas have taken shape. Others are still being tested.
We're continuing to explore new ways to use cacao, little by little.
We won't know whether something will work until we try it.
So we keep asking ourselves, “What else could we do?”
