Awards:
2019 - Cacao of Excellence
The only Ecuadorian cacao to earn this award.
International Chocolate Awards - Microbatch - Europe - Silver 2020
Great Taste 2020 Gold Star * 
Taste of the West 2020 SILVER
 
 
The 70+0 represents a true-to-origin, yet accessible Ecuadorian Dark.  Notes of blackberry and cookie spice in particular rise to the top of this bar, and break through the fabulous rich rounded chocolatey base.  Dangerously delicious!
 
When we mention 70%, the '%' is a combination of the cacao bean and the added cacao butter.  This is 70+0 because we add zero butter.  If one added 15% cacao butter, you'd have a bar of 55+15.  What 70% tells you with certainty, 30% sugar.  That much is sure!
 
 
After years of assessing cacao from Ecuador, we continued searching, found and approached Mr. Freddy Salazar for a sample.  We were blown away with our initial tests and ordered a bulk shipment from Freddy’s cloud forests of Costa Esmeraldas – on the NW coast of Ecuador, 130 miles west of Quito.  
 
Shortly after our shipment arrived in 2019 this cacao was recognized as World Top 50 by the Cacao of Excellence program.  We are proud to be the first team in Europe to be working with his cacao, we've blended with an ultra fine Peruvian cacao to further explore what 70% can mean! 
 
Freddy’s estate is just 6 years old – situated on an ex-cattle ranch.  Very steep, lush, layered slopes complicate the daily work but the year round climate stays quite stable with a short wet season and misty, drizzly summers in the aptly named Cloud Forests.  Minimal temperature fluctuation means consistency is  more achievable.  Management of the cacao orchards creates over 40 full-time jobs in the local community of rural Esmeraldas.