A little bit about Sourcing

We thought this would be a good time to talk about our Origins - the places we purchase our cacao from, and the reasons we purchase the way we do. We’ll probably talk a lot about the way we source, and who we source with, from, and why. It’s a big part of who we are, here at Rapha Cacao, and we love sharing about it.

First off - we’re direct trade. What does that mean? Simply put - that means we have direct purchasing relationships with the producers we buy from. There is a lot to ethical trade, and the waters seem to get muddier the more official certifications are added. It can feel safe to see a label for a product with an USDA Organic certification, or a Fair Trade label, but these certifications have their downfalls. We have ultimately chosen not to work under these labels; to instead build relationship and trust with those we purchase from, and then to purchase transparently. We also work with Uncommon Cacao for some of our offerings - they do great work, and we are happy to partner with them at this time. They publish an annual transparency report (a huge thing for commodities like cacao) and we strongly encourage you to check out their most recent report here!

Building these relationships takes time and effort. Because of this, we don’t have a massive selection of origin offerings. We will add as we get to know people and places and it might be slow. It might seem like our lineup lacks a little of the variety you find with other chocolate makers. We’re in an industry that sees excitement in variety of places and terrior. It’s not out of the ordinary to find 7 different origins in a lineup of chocolate bars, and that’s, honestly, a ton of fun.

But we’re doing things a little differently. We want to really know our origins, and those who grew what we buy. We are working in Mexico and Colombia right now, because we know those places. We have some fun plans for expansion, but for now, we’re here to settle in and celebrate the vast richness in these origins. The idea of “breaking bread” and sharing an experience in community with what we have is what the mayan tradition of cacao is rooted in, and we’re here for those age old traditions that were the building blocks of one of the most ancient and important civilizations.

We are crafting chocolate out of some of the best tasting cacao we’ve tried, and that’s as fun as it gets.