What is Super-Cacao?

100% Natural High-Flavanol Cacao Powder

Aduna Super-Cacao is a 100% natural high-flavanol cacao powder. It is a unique blend of two premium West African cacao powders, including an exceptionally high-flavanol cacao, which delivers its 'super' status.

The high-flavanol powder in Aduna Super-Cacao is made from specially selected cacao beans that have been chosen because they have the highest naturally-occurring flavanol content. These beans are then roasted very gently using an innovative processing technique, which ensures the powder retains at least 2x more flavanols than regular cacao. Learn more about the health & beauty benefits of Aduna Super-Cacao here.

We blend the high-flavanol powder with luxuriously rich cacao sourced from a small producer in Ghana. Super-Cacao is rich in plant protein, fibre and a source of magnesium and potassium. Every purchase contributes to creating sustainable livelihoods for small-scale farmers.

The social impact of our Super-Cacao, combined with its incredible heart health benefits, is why we call it The Happy Heart Bean.

How is cacao powder made?

Aduna Super-Cacao Opened Pod

Cacao trees grow in tropical climates all over the world. Two thirds of the world's cocoa supply comes from West Africa, where up to 90% of cacao is produced on small, family-owned farms.

Cacao trees bear large, melon-sized fruits called cacao pods. These ripen at different times throughout the season meaning they need to be harvested continually.

When the pods are ripe, they are cut from the trees by hand using a large knife, taking care not to damage any buds or flowers near the fruit.

The pods are then collected and split open by hand to reveal rows of cocoa beans covered in a white pulp. The pulp is gently removed and then the beans are fermented, dried and cleaned before processing.

The processing of cacao-beans into powder involves 4 core stages:

Winnowing: separating the cacao beans from the shells
Roasting: gently roasting the beans to remove bacteria and bring out flavour (this is when the high flavanol beans in our Super-Cacao are roasted using the innovative process to retain the high flavanol content)
Grinding: to turn the beans into cocoa liquor
Milling: The cocoa butter is removed from the liquor. leaving pure cocoa which is then milled into a fine powder

Cacao Powder vs. Cocoa Powder

In consumer products, the difference between cocoa powder and cacao powder is that cacao powder is usually roasted at a lower temperature and cocoa powder is often alkalised to give it a more mass-market flavour - and milk-powder and sugar are often added. Read more

Can Cacao Powder be Raw?

Technically speaking, there is no such thing as 'raw' cacao powder as all cacao beans need to be roasted at a temperature sufficient to remove bacteria and bring out the chocolate flavour. As Aduna Super-Cacao is roasted very lightly and over a longer period of time, it is as natural as it can be.