Legacy Cacao goes through many transformations before it ends up in your beautiful hand-made bag. We consider the process a powerful metamorphosis, like a caterpillar whirling out of its cocoon. Just as the mother butterfly lays the egg that will become the caterpillar, the grandmother trees begin the evolution of Legacy. These trees have an ancient lineage, rooted in the soil connected to mother earth, where every one of our story’s begin.

Unless you have tried raw cacao by cracking a pod open and tasting the white pulp that surrounds the seed, all cacao you have ever consumed in the form of chocolate has been fermented.

There are many structural and chemical changes that occur during the fermentation process and this is what transforms cacao into a more complex, living, nutrient dense food.

Each stage of Legacy’s process from plant to bag is completely unique. This is a rare Criollo strain of ceremonial cacao, protected by the Maya peoples for millennia. What also allows the true essence of this cacao to enter our bodies is the careful and deliberate full fermentation and low temperature roasting process that follows the harvest. This allows Legacy Cacao to remain in an active natural state and it is then combined with a rare strain of potent vanilla, a small amount of panela and intentional Mayan spices. A superfood for the body and mind.

Ceremonial cacao is much more nutritionally dense and its wild fermentation process diversifies your gut microbiome. Our ceremonial cacao is also made from the whole bean, including the naturally occurring cocoa butter. It’s like comparing ground peanut shells (store-bought cocoa powder) to scrumptious peanut butter (Legacy Cacao).

All plant food begins in a raw state, however raw cacao is not a chocolate product. True raw cacao is a fatty, bitter seed surrounded by fruit pulp. What is being sold as “raw” cacao is fermented cacao and then typically roasted at a much lower temperature than many commercial-grade chocolate products that roast at high heat. This allows it to stay in an active natural state, but it technically is never truly sold as a raw food. Legacy Cacao undergoes a similar process of natural heap fermentation, sun drying, low-heat roasting, and stone grinding (rather than using high-heat machinery). 

There is a wide array of scientific literature that suggests that one of the many reasons cacao is so beneficial to human health is that it contains high levels of antioxidants. There is another emerging school of thought that is studying the possibility that rather than cacao simply being packed full of antioxidants, the active compounds in cacao actually create a response in the human body that enhances our natural antioxidant production of glutathione (1), dubbed the “mother of all antioxidants.” by Dr. Mark Hyman (2). 

In either case, cacao in its natural form has more flavonoids that contribute to antioxidative power than other super fruit powders including acai, blueberry, pomegranate, and cranberry. (3) This same study compared nutrient qualities of dark chocolate to those in hot cocoa mix and found the cocoa mix had significantly lower antioxidative properties. Another worthy conclusion drawn is that not all brands of “super foods” have the same antioxidant or chemical composition. Precisely why the deep intentionality of Legacy Cacao’s process is so imperative to our final product and ensures you are truly receiving the benefits.

Flavonoids are polyphenol phytonutrients found in most edible plants and present visibly as the plant’s pigmentation. That’s why you may have heard the phrase, “eat the rainbow!”

Flavonoids are considered antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-mucigenic, and anti-carcinogenic, as well as have the capacity to modulate key cellular enzyme functions. (4) 

Flavanols are a subgroup of flavonoids; this subgroup includes epicatechin, catechin, and procyanidins which natural cacao—a.k.a. low-temperature roasted cacao like Legacy Cacao—is packed full of. Catechins may be one of the most powerful flavonoids for protecting the body against free radicals. Although free radicals are still not fully understood, studies suggest that they cause cell death and inflammatory responses. (4) Hence why we need to consume antioxidants to inhibit damage that can be caused by free radicals! 

These three flavanols also have cardioprotective properties. Meaning current literature suggests that cacao may be good for your heart—and in more way than one.

Although many of the scientific literature is quite dense, there are now studies that have created conclusions simple enough for us all to understand. The following article reviews numerous studies that link higher cacao consumption to quite notable cardiovascular health benefits. Many subject groups have been studied; men without diabetes or cardiovascular disease, people with diabetes, non-diabetics that had suffered heart attacks, men and women with no prior cardiovascular issues, middle-aged and elderly women, and more.

What all the experiments have in common is an outcome that shows cacao has positive effects on heart health.

One example from this study is that of people who had suffered a prior heart attack, patients who reported eating chocolate twice weekly were 66% less likely to suffer a cardiac death compared to those who never ate chocolate! (5)

In order to receive the numerous benefits of cacao, the product must contain an effective quantity of active compounds.

As the current science in this field explains, flavonoid content varies by the proportion of cocoa liquor present in different types of chocolate, but even within categories there may be significant variation due to differences in cacao bean processing. (5) In one study of commercially available cacao powders, the flavanol content of heavily alkalized cacao was 78.5% lower than that of natural cacao.(7)

And Legacy is not only natural cacao, but it is also infused with the sacred intentional energy of a small group of Maya peoples and Western medicine women who have devoted their lives to protecting this particular Criollo strain of cacao.

We truly believe it is the best cacao on the planet.

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