About Sweetened Nibs

Cocoa nibs, the key ingredient in Sweetened Nibs, have twice the antioxidant levels of red wine and three times that of green tea. Cocoa nibs help improve cardiovascular function fighting heart disease.

Coconut sugar, the sweetener in Sweetened Nibs, is a caramel flavored substance similar to brown sugar. It is low on the Glycemic Index (GI) rating a GI of 35. Brown sugar has a GI of 64. Coconut sweetener contains minerals that may help support the cardiovascular, nervous, and muscular systems.

About Cocoa Family

The Cocoa Family supplier is located in Duarte, California with farms and processing plants in the Dominican Republic. For decades Cocoa Family has provided raw cocoa products for the U.S., Europe, and Middle Eastern markets. Their products are organic and kosher providing ingredients to wholesalers and manufacturers of chocolate, confectionary, nutritional supplements, and cosmetic products.

Americans love chocolate to the amount of $19.5 billion in sales in 2011, and this trend should continue throughout the decade. The Beverage Industry’s 2012 New Product Development Survey reflected this craze naming chocolate the No. 2 best selling flavor. Vanilla was No. 1. (Go figure.)

Beam Inc. is a good example of a company jumping on the chocolate drink bandwagon. Last year they launched their John DeKuyper & Sons Crave Chocolate Liqueurs. One such liqueur is Crave Chocolate Mint Liqueur. It blends the tastes of chocolate, vanilla, and mint.

Mix Beverage Company released its Mix 1 Chocolate All Natural Nutritional Shake. The drink is only 90 calories, contains 9 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. This beverage is gluten-free and 99% lactose-free.

There’s even chocolate flavored coconut water manufactured by Zico. Coffee Master has a line of chocolate flavored gourmet coffees like Dark Chocolate Decadance. In 2011 The Republic of Tea introduced Cuppa Chocolate Tea. It comes in four varieties including peppermint chocolate and coconut cocoa. These teas contain rooibos, a South African plant blended with cocoa powder, chocolate, fruit herbs and spices.  Even the New Jersey based Arizona Beverage recently introduced its chocolate Fudge Float soda. An 8-ounce serving is a mere 50 calories.

The reason for chocolate’s popularity in these drinks—from chocolate milk to liqueurs and tea—is simple. Research has shown cocoa’s healthy attributes and consumers have become aware of the antioxidant properties of dark chocolate. People love the flavor and it’s also good for them.

So, if the chocolate urge strikes, the options of indulging the palate extends far beyond the bitter goblet of chocolate drink Montezuma drank 600 years ago. Today the chocolate choices seem infinite.

By Michael Thal

Today, the cocoa bean goes through a sophisticated process unthought-of by our pre-Columbian forebears. After beans are fermented and sundried they are sorted and cleaned. The dried beans are eventually cracked separating the shell from the nib. These nibs are used in the preparation of chocolate, and as the Olmecs, Aztecs, and Chimimekens intuited, they have healthy nutritional benefits.

Antioxidant Properties

Cocoa nibs have twice the antioxidant levels found in red wine and three times that of green tea. Antioxidants inhibit the oxidation process in the body. By reducing free radicals in our systems, antioxidants help us fight the aging process. The antioxidant benefit received from cocoa nibs includes reduced blood pressure, improved circulation, and better digestion. It also elevates the formation of endothelial cells in our circulatory system. These cells form the inner layer of blood cells needed for the development of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones. In so doing, cocoa nibs help improve cardiovascular function that fights heart disease.

Emotional Boost

If you ever feel down in the dumps, cocoa nibs are known to improve mood. Cocoa contains phenylethylamine, the same chemical the body releases when we fall in love.

Cocoa nibs also increase body endorphins. These chemicals are natural opiates that reduce body pain. For example, if you have ever run a few miles these opiates are released to reduce a runner’s pain giving him a “runner’s high”. Cocoa nibs provide these opiates without the sweat.

Other emotional chemicals found in cocoa nibs include anandamide and tryptophan. Anandamide triggers a slight high while tryptophan, an amino acid, increases the brain’s ability to produce serotonin. This is a neurotransmitter that reduces stress, lowers anxiety, and battles depression.

Cocoa Nibs and the Daily Diet

Cocoa nibs can become an easy addition to our diets. First, they can be ground with coffee beans providing a delicious added flavor to the morning brew. Sprinkling a handful of nibs on ice cream is a yummy way to enhance anyone’s favorite flavor. Cocoa nibs can also be blended with herbal tea, added into a smoothie, and even sprinkled onto the morning breakfast cereal or yogurt. Many hikers add it to their trail mix.

The ancient peoples of pre-Columbian Mexico had a strong sense of what they were doing when they harvested the cocoa bean for drink, its medicinal qualities, and even as a form of currency. Today, we are well aware of the chemical qualities in cocoa nibs that enhance our health and improve our diets.

By Michael Thal

In the business of cocoa bean supply, every company is looking for raw materials, which are not only good but also cheap, and in the business of chocolates and cocoa-based products, the Cocoa Family is in the forefront.  This is because they have used integrated business systems eliminating intermediaries from their business, selling cocoa beans directly to the manufacturing companies, ensuring that the large chunk of profit which intermediaries were given instead goes into the profit books of the companies.

This helps everyone, including the farmers, workers, cultivating company and processing company. This is the business model, which is unique in itself, and it is the Cocoa Family, who has implemented this model. They have their own processing units in the Dominican Republic where they have their farmlands for cultivating cocoa. Having cocoa farms and its processing units nearby, ensures that the processing companies get the raw materials, which are ready to be added to the final production of a variety of items including chocolates, cosmetics, skin care products and so on, almost immediately. This is because every cocoa ingredient has been checked thoroughly and has passed stringent quality parameters before being sent to the manufacturing companies.

After the cocoa beans are ready, they are processed by roasting them in industrial ovens and then fermented to give them that special aroma, for which it is highly known.  Then according to the usage, cocoa beans are grounded and milled to make cocoa nibs or further grounded to make cocoa paste or butter and cocoa powder. The best part about this integrated system from the cocoa family is that since, there are no intermediaries; processing companies can put forward their requests as to what kind of cocoa beans or flavors they are seeking. Better communication always leads to better business and that is why, to further enhance their reputation as a customer friendly company, they set up an office in California so that buyers can interact and meet the company people and discuss their issues and requirements, whenever they want, throughout the year.

Cocoa, the prime ingredient in dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidant molecules. These are mainly flavonoids, plant based antioxidant particles. These molecules, when ingested stimulate the passage of blood throughout the brain. Your doctor calls this brain perfusion stimulation. I call it a good excuse to eat another chocolate bar.

When chocolate enters your body, it will help you form new blood vessels. Your doctor calls this angiogenesis. It will help develop nerve tissue in your nervous system—known as neurogenesis. It will also lift your mood. That’s why when you’re down in the dumps a chocolate bar helps to rapidly improve your outlook on life.

Digested chocolate has a marvelous affect on the human body. It provokes changes in your neuron morphology. Neurons are the basic blocks of our nervous system. Chocolate helps the brain restructure neuron growth stimulating learning and memory.

The flavonoids in cocoa are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants inhibit the oxidation of molecules. What does this mean? Without antioxidants, oxidation takes place. For example, look at a rusty nail. That nail is oxidized iron, and it’s not a pretty sight. In your body, oxidation takes place too, releasing free radicals into cells causing cell deterioration and death. For an example of this, just look at a picture of someone when they were twenty years old. Now look at a picture of that person at 60. See the difference? That’s cell deterioration. Flavonoids in dark chocolate releases antioxidants which inhibits this breakdown of cells and slows the aging process. They also affect cancer cells inhibiting tumor growth.

Flavonoids do a lot more, too. They lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and decrease the chance of having a stroke. They have a positive affect on our vascular system—vessels and tissues carrying blood throughout our bodies—and improve on blood flow in our brains.

So go ahead and gobble more chocolate. It’s good for you.

By Michael Thal

Cocoa Family, a cocoa grower and processor, will be exhibiting at PMCA this year. The cocoa processor will showcase cocoa butter, powder, liquor/paste and nibs at the show. The products are Organic and kosher certified.

Cocoa Family offers ingredients to chocolate makers, food processors and distributors that are looking for great quality products with transparency. The Company implemented vertical integration which provides one of the freshest ingredients in the market at the best quality and price.  As a wholesale supplier, the Cocoa Family has consistently managed to provide the highest grade of beans and other cocoa products. The Cocoa Family works directly with processors in order to ensure that the requirements of their clients are accommodated down to the last specification.

PMCA’s annual Production Conference will be held at the Lancaster County Convention Center, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The conference includes a one-day supplier exhibition, educational seminars, networking opportunities and the PMCA Annual Golf Tournament.

Show Details: Monday April 15^th, 2013 in Lancaster County Convention Center – Lancaster, PA. Booth #135

See floorplan here: http://www.pmca.com/floorplan2013.11.pdf

Cocoa has been around since early man. The ancient Aztec and Mayan civilizations used the cocoa bean to cure emaciation, angina, anemia, and bowel complaints. Today, we have seen from extensive scientific research that cocoa powders have health benefits dependent on the alkalization of the powder. When the cocoa bean is alkalized, also known as Dutch processing, the bitter compounds in the cocoa bean are removed changing the pH level of the bean from its natural state of 5 to 5.6 up to the 7 to 8 range, dependent on the level of alkalization. (This is a process of heating the cocoa powder with water. Contingent on the product you want depends on the temperature of the process and the amount of water added.) It is therefore obvious that non-alkalized cocoa is a lot healthier than alkalized cocoa.

The pH level of a milk chocolate Hershey Kiss, which is made from alkalized cocoa, is 6.5, but the pH of Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Power, non-alkalized cocoa is 5. The pH level of natural non-alkalized powders like Hershey’s contain a high level of flavonoids and antioxidants like polyphenols. Research has shown that as pH increases during the alkalization process, the healthy ingredients decrease.

Studies have continuously shown the health benefits in non-alkalized cocoa products. For example, a February 2012 study out of the University of East Anglia showed that the polyphenols in cocoa have potential cardiovascular, skin, and even brain health benefits. Another study out of the University of Reading in England reported that cocoa has a positive impact on the bacteria in our large intestine and on the complex microorganisms living in our digestive tracts.

There’s more. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is a measurement of a blood vessel’s healthy ability to relax. A report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that cocoa consumption increases FMD and reduces diastolic blood pressure (the pressure in blood vessels between heartbeats). Scientists have known for years that eating flavonoid rich fruits reduces the risk of illness like cancer, stroke and coronary heart disease. Cocoa is a fruit that is rich in flavonoids.

Throughout history people have found over 100 medicinal uses for cocoa to treat fatigue, fever, heart pain, shortness of breath, kidney and bowel complaints. With modern scientific investigation we are finding out why the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations were right.

This price hike is actually at its minimum since cocoa manufacturers have to compensate for losses on their end. In 2012, the price for cocoa has increased from GBP 1, 609.33 per tonne to GBP 1,637, according to the International Cocoa Organization. The high percentage of increase is normally attributed not only to the current weather conditions but also to gaining back the losses that the cocoa producers had in the previous year and any foreseen loss in the coming season.

Although investing in cocoa is very viable, it is also highly volatile especially now that weather conditions are becoming extremely unpredictable. Another thing that can affect the production of cocoa beans and the distribution of cocoa ingredients such as cocoa powder, cocoa nibs and cocoa butter are climate shifts, which are caused mainly by the changes in the season.

A lot of investors see cocoa as a hedge against inflation but it is important to investigate the future of the cocoa market. However, with the unpredictability of the main factor that affects the condition of the cocoa market, it is important to be aware of the future of cocoa production and distribution. Currently, cocoa manufacturers are becoming more optimistic as the 2012-2013 weather cycles appear to be better than the previous years. If better weather conditions continue until the end of 2013, the market can expect a balance of the supplies and demands since they have to fill-out the global deficit that the market encountered last year.

The cocoa trade across Europe mainly involves cocoa ingredients such as cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, cocoa powder and cocoa nibs. When the Spanish colonized Africa, they found that the region is also ideal to cultivate cacao and thus, the trees are transported to the countries of Sao Tome and Principe. The cacao trees thrived and prompted the Spanish colonizers to conclude that all of Africa was a great place to grow cacao. Today, Africa is considered the largest producer of cocoa beans all over the world. The geographic location of Africa being an ideal place to cultivate cacao trees is mainly attributed to its tropical weather. The weather conditions of a region affect the cocoa production in immensely. Since Africa, South and Central America only experience two kinds of seasons all year long, cocoa producers are not really affected with the annual changes in the weather compared to those who experience four seasons a year.

The Effect of Weather on Cocoa Production

It is essential for cacao growers to understand how weather affects the production process in order for them to make an efficient decision with regards to the manufacturing of cocoa beans. The cocoa producers need to take in account the different temperature conditions that the region experiences as well as the intensity, duration and occurrence and see which seasonal pattern it belongs.

Weather changes can affect cocoa production in a negative way. According to statistics, weather conditions can reduce the production of cocoa beans by 2.4%. A significant example of this would be in regions of Africa and Asia wherein the weather can be hot or rainy. Under these conditions, cocoa production is still controlled, but with the global climate change, where there is a high potential of El Nino and La Nina, cocoa bean production will most likely be lower.

Cocoa producers can refer to forecast changes with the use of meteorological tools and methods especially during the seasonal intervals. During the December to February interval, Ecuador, Peru, Uganda and eastern Africa are affected by the dry spell. In the June-August interval, the biggest cocoa-producing regions of Bahia, Rondonia and Para have lower cocoa production. During the wet season, these countries and other regions where cacao is cultivated are greatly affected as well. One good example of this would be the event in 2006-2007 wherein West Africa was hit by a severe dry and dusty trade wind, which resulted in a drop of 10% in their production of 3.4 million tones. The same is true with Ghana were production lowered to 17% since the cacao trees were not able to thrive after the dry spell that lasted until February 2007.