We manufacture and market our premium raw cacao products under the THRIVE label. We guarantee raw integrity, traceability and transparency for all our raw cacao products!
Authentically Raw Cacao
Beginning in July of 2008, Big Tree Farms launched Authentically Raw Wild Bali Cacao with David Wolfe’s Sunfood Nutrition. Big Tree Farms spent over 18 months developing the perfect methods of cold-processing cacao beans so as to ensure BOTH a raw guarantee as well as a safe system of processing. What most people in the Raw community don’t know…CAN hurt them; cacao is processed and traded in the world as a commodity and this is not always a pretty process. Over 95% of the world’s cacao is air-dried on the ground in rural areas where people, dogs, pigs, chickens and all manner of animals and insects can directly and dangerously contaminate raw product. Frederick Schilling, founder of Dagoba Organic Chocolate cautions against eating Raw Cacao Beans and Nibs unless these items are processed directly from the fruit with the intention of raw consumption.
And that is exactly how Big Tree Farms operates its Raw Cacao Program.
Cacao Pods are harvested from the trees and allowed to naturally ripen further in the pod for a period of days. Once ready, the pods are cracked and the sweet, white pulp is washed from the bean. Dried slowly in our own dehydration machines, the resulting beans are living, clean and ready for further processing into nibs, butter, powder or raw chocolate.
Never heated above 40º Celcius and never processed outside our own walls, Big Tree Farms Raw Cacao is safe, traceable and pure natural super-nutrition. This we PROMISE you!
Authentically Raw Cacao Powder
Big Tree Farms Raw Cacao Powder is one of nature’s single best sources of magnesium and contains more antioxidants per gram than red wine, green tea, acai or pomegranates. Our Cacao Powder is formed after expelling the butter from our slow-ground cacao bean paste. The remaining “cake” that is left over once the butter is removed is a precious and concentrated superfood retaining about 25% of its original fat content. The “cake” is cold-milled to a powder and then is either sieved fine for use as a drinking chocolate, or graded and packed as a coarser cacao powder more suitable for breads, pies, cookies and cakes.
We have tried endlessly to create a low fat powder (10/12%), but have found it is impossible to get below the 25% level through cold-pressing. It’s just not possible. We have consulted with equipment engineers world-wide in search of a technology to do it and everyone has provided us with the same answer - nope. In fact, all other equipment manufacturers who have attempted to develop machines to get below the 25% mark couldn’t even get below the 40% mark!!! And we are talking about equipment companies that specialize in presses (nuts & seeds) and they all failed. The conclusion, our custom made equipment is the only equipment in the world that can offer a truly cold-processed cacao powder & butter, ensuring the temperatures DO NOT exceed 118˚F.
Because our cacao powder is cold-pressed and truly raw, it is not like your traditional cacao powder that you’re used to. Raw cacao powder, well, tastes like a raw cacao bean. It is only through the introduction of heat that the cacao bean develops the flavor components that we associate with chocolate. In order for chocolate flavors to develop, the temperature generally needs to reach at least 250˚F (121˚C); and even at this temperature, the chocolate flavor will be somewhat “green”. For raw foodists, you know the difference between the taste of a raw bean or nib and that of a standard high cacao content chocolate bar. Raw beans and nibs don’t taste like typical chocolate! It’s not the easiest flavor to describe, yet they taste like sour nuts with overtones of the terroir of the land they are grown in.
Our proprietary technology to cold-press our raw cacao paste into a truly raw cacao powder, as far as we know, is the only equipment that can produce an authentic, truly raw cacao powder where the temperature does not exceed 118˚F. In fact, it rarely exceeds 115˚F during the process. This is the same process is used for the creation of our truly raw cacao butter, since the processes are one in the same.
What is the end result? In our opinion it’s an exceptionally unique product. It is a powder unlike any other powders being sold as raw. The flavor does not have the chocolatey flavor that can only be created through high temperatures. Instead, it is a green, slightly astringent, slightly sour powder with notes of clove, vanilla and nutmeg. The texture is a little “chunkier” than non-raw powders because of the higher fat content and lack of hard processing we put it through. It’s truly incredible, very unique and one of a kind - exactly what it should be for the raw food community.
Try it mixed with our organic coconut palm nectar and a pinch of our bali sea salt for an insanely delicious cup of hot chocolate!
Bottom line: it’s a truly raw cacao powder that will set the standards for what raw cacao powder truly is! We encourage you to try and it taste the difference for yourself. To order, contact our distributors & resellers.
Authentically Raw Cacao Butter
Big Tree Farms Raw Cacao Butter is the pure golden oil of Theobroma Cacao. A truly sensual oil with a smooth texture and a subtle floral-citrus aroma. Unlike other “raw” butters on the market that come from large processors using high-friction screw grinders or high temperature industrial presses, we produce our butter with small 5 kilogram per batch manual presses of our own design. Slow-ground cacao bean paste is warmed in our dehydrator at 38º Celsius for 2 hours before being pressed to expel the oils.
Never touched by damaging heat, never contaminated by clarifying chemicals or solvents and never force filtered, Big Tree Farms Authentically Raw Cacao Butter retains all the raw butter love and is an incredible source of Vitamin E … so rub it all over!
Our cold pressed raw cacao butter, once again, sets the standards for what a raw cacao butter truly is.
Balinese Cacao Beans - what’s the scoop
Bali Cacao is one of the last remaining under-commercialized, under-manipulated origins of cacao on earth. Historically, cacao found its way onto the verdant slopes of Bali via the Isle of Java. Java was the site of some of the very first planting of cacao outside of its native origin in southern Mexico and over the centuries cacao fruits, seeds and trees were traded or carried into Bali. In Bali, cacao found both the perfect ecosystem; diverse, shady, damp and cool, as well as the perfect guardian; the Balinese practice natural food forest agriculture and the cacao was allowed to thrive wild and free without breeding for production capacity or other traits. Typical cacao in Bali grows under a canopy of coconuts, mango, mangosteens and durian and grows alongside coffee, bananas and papaya with vines of vanilla climbing up the trunk…A truly beautiful natural system and a truly unique and powerful wild mix of cacao genetics.
More history…. in the day of the Maya and into the days of the Aztecs, the coastal region of Soconusco, Mexico was the growing region of the prized cacao gardens of these Meso-American cultures. When the Spanish arrived, they learned of this prized crop and quickly took control.
Today, the lore of these genetics still ring true; in particular, Theobroma Pentagones. At the time of the Spanish Conquest, this strain was considered the most prized of all cacaos in the Aztec kingdom. This almost extinct strain of cacao, hinges on a few controlled botanical gardens in the tropics. Perhaps one day, she will flourish again and the world will understand why the Aztecs cherished this variety.
Surprisingly, the first country to receive cacao outside of the Americas was the Philippines. The Spanish explorers took beans/seedlings of these cherished cacaos of Soconusco along with them on their journey westward across the great Pacific. Cacao flourished in the Philippines and eventually made it’s way south into Indonesia, in particular to the island of Java. Here, the Dutch took these prized genetics and planted vast plantations of highly prized cacao. The most valued plantations were located on the eastern part of Java, because of it’s fertile lands and perfect conditions for cacao cultivation. Today, the Java Criollo is still regarded as one of the most sought after and rare cacaos in the world.
The same cacao genetics that made it’s way to Java, made it’s way to the small island next door - Bali. But Bali was anything but an island of plantations. Bali, as it is to this day, was a mystical island of small family farms with a deep history of multi-cropping; the tradition of growing multiple crops on a piece of land. In Bali, these lands are referred to as “food forests’. Quite literally, you can walk into the rich, fertile back yards of Bali and feed yourself with a wondrous meal of cacao, clove, durian, mangosteen, vanilla, rice, banana, coconut and a myriad of other exotic and nutritious foods.
For over a century, these cacao genetics have changed very little. Bali, being a remote island that doesn’t produce much cacao, has pretty much been forgotten in the greater world of cacao and has been ignored in regards to introducing other varieties, clones or hybrids. (Now, as a quick disclaimer, the owners of Big Tree Farms, being very experienced in the world of cacao and organic agriculture in general, do not feel new varieties or hybrids of cacao are, in any way, lower quality than “heirloom” strains. Cacao, as humans or any other species, in order to survive must change and adapt. We respect cacao unconditionally and prefer to honor this sacred fruit, regardless of it’s origin. Who are we to insult Mother Nature?).
The Bali cacao that BTF offers is of incredible quality and flavor. The flavor profile tends to be very gentle and mild with notes of the exotic fruits and spices that also inhabit the food farms; clove, nutmeg, banana and vanilla. It is truly a fantastic cacao for all purposes.
Big Tree Farms also works with cacao farmers on the island of Lombok and are now starting to work with farmers on the island of Sumatra. We hope to offer these origins to our raw cacao customers in the very near future and when we do, we will offer more details on the history of each origin.
Sustainably-Sourced Authentically Raw Cacao
Big Tree Farms is a socially equitable manager of sustainable supply chains with a focus on non-perishable smallholder farm produce including fine flavor cacao (raw & organic), organic raw cashews, organic and wildcrafted spices, organic evaporated palm nectars and sea salts. Big Tree Farms develops sustainable supply chains using key partnerships with both International Development programs (USAID, AMARTA, SwissContact, VECO, HIVOS) and local non-profits. Product offerings from Big Tree Farms are 100% vertically integrated from farm-gate to end user and the family-like relationships that bind Big Tree Farms to our producers create a guarantee of quality, consistency and artisan tradition that is the hallmark of our company vision.
Big Tree Farms Sustainable Procurement Balinese Cacao Beans
Big Tree Farms, in partnership with USAID’s AMARTA program has created the worlds first 100% vertically-integrated small farmer cacao supply chain. No other company on the market can guarantee the same level of social, ecological or processing quality and transparency from smallholder farm-gate to shelf. For 3 years, Big Tree Farms has been directly training over 2,000 small farmers in over 80 village farmer groups with the on-farm skills they need to grow and prosper with organic cacao.
The Community Central Processing Facility
In October 2007, Big Tree Farms opened the first central cacao processing facility in Indonesia. Unlike other commercial models of central fermentation and processing, Big Tree Farms facility operates as a community resource. No profits are generated from the collection and central processing of wet cacao beans; rather the purpose of the facility is to allow for a consistently high quality product. Whether we are cold-processing organic beans for Raw Cacao Butter, or fermenting beans by the ton load, Big Tree Farms is able to guarantee the traceability and transparency of all our cacao products.
Cacao as a SUPERFOOD for SUPER HEALTH
Cacao is in the genus Theobroma, literally meaning “Food of the Gods” and species Cacao. The Cacao bean is the seed of the fruit. Biologically, Cacao is a nut. It has been used for eating and drinking since ancient times. The Cacao tree, originally found in South America, is now cultivated the world over.
Raw Cacao contains many beneficial ingredients that can help bring optimal health into your life. Because of its chemical makeup, cacao gives you a sense of physical as well as emotional well being and leaves you feeling really great.
It is the most chemically complex superfood containing over 300 chemically identifiable compounds and 1200 constituents of flavor itself. Its high antioxidant content, many times better than Green Tea, Red Wine and Blueberries is unique. The antioxidants in Cacao are highly stable and easily available to human metabolism. It is also very rich in minerals, a natural source of magnesium, chromium, iron, calcium, potassium, sulphur, copper and zinc.
Over 80% of the US population is deficient in Magnesium. In nature, the primary source of Magnesium is found in Cacao. Raw chocolate is known to diminish appetite and aid in weight loss, increases sensuality and beauty; it may increase your alertness and focus, and contains nutrients to make you happy.
Cacao seeds contain about 55% fat, consisting of cacao oil, cacao butter, theobromine (.9% to 2.35%), small quantities of theine (.05 to .37%), starch, ash and protein matter (6% to 17%). Theobromine stimulates the central nervous system, relaxes muscles and dilates blood vessels. Theobromine has about 1/4th of the stimulating power of caffeine. It is also a mild diuretic. Theobromine and theophylline, like caffeine, all found in this plant are used in modern medicine as antiasthmatic.
Imagine a wonder food- not a drug or medicine, available freely on our Earth with amazing beneficial properties that work wonders on our body without any harmful side effects - one such Superfood is the Raw Cacao.
Cacao is, without doubt, one of the most useful, versatile and potent plants known to humankind. It has more antioxidants than just about anything else. It has been revered and used for centuries. It benefits your heart and soul. With a superfood and a complete food like Raw Organic Cacao, you just cannot go wrong!
What is ORAC?
The USDA developed a scale called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). It’s a high-tech way of measuring the ability of antioxidants to absorb cell damaging, wrinkle causing and tissue destructive free radicals.
Here’s an example to illustrate a common confusion: one web site lists both dark cocoa powder and Acai powder (Acai is an exotic fruit from Brazil) at the top of the ORAC Scale. They say natural cocoa powder tops the list with a score of 26,000. The Açai berry rates second highest, making it the powerhouse of the fruit world with a score of 18,500. But what the company conveniently hides is that the cocoa powder and Acai ORAC ratings are for 100 grams! Could you eat 100 grams of straight chocolate powder? Eugh! If you calculate the ORAC units per gram you quickly see that dark cocoa powder is at 260 and Acai is 185.
Not bad, but that’s nothing compared to the whopping 955 ORAC Units found in each gram of raw unsprayed cacao powder! The raw version of cacao powder contains 367% more antioxidants than the very best cooked version. We knew the antioxidant rating would be good for this chocolate, but even we were shocked with the results.
Compare Against Other Top-Antioxidant Foods:
To get that same amount of ORAC units from other foods, you’d have to buy:
80 - 6 oz baskets of Organic Blueberries
94 - 6oz baskets of Organic Red Raspberries
Over 5 lbs of frozen Acai
35.5 bottles of Himalayan Goji Juice
You’d even need over 5 bottles of Eniva’s VIBE Juice (listed in the Physicians Desk Reference as having the #1 highest ORAC value for a supplemental juice product).
This information goes to show how you need pay close attention to the true overall ORAC values of a product - or you won’t be getting the value you deserve.
The Products We Offer
We currently offer an array of raw cacao products in industrial quantities to small retail packs. We offer raw cacao beans, raw cacao nibs, raw cacao powder (25% fat) and raw cacao butter. All products are certified organic and kosher. Because we control 100% of the post harvest handling to the packing of the final product, you can be assured that this product is everything we say it is.
Interested? Contact us for more details….