We’re not growing new plants to make our product, we’re simply trying to make the most out of each and every cocoa pod that’s already being harvested for its beans. As it stands, only about 10% of the cocoa pod weight is finally used in the production of chocolate (not the 30% commonly quoted).

By separating the pulp and using the fresh juice (that would usually be discarded), we rachet this up by another 3-4%. Not great but typically 70-75% of the weight is the husk alone, then there is the placenta and moisture lost in the bean fermentation process.

Can you guess how many cocoa pods it takes to get enough juice for 1 bottle of WowCacao?*

Deforestation is a huge topic for cocoa people. It’s also been an issue in Ecuador for a long time – particularly in the Northern Amazon region. That’s why we source our cocoa from an area that was more savannah than forest.

This land has not been deforested in the owners’ lifetimes. Due to the semi-arid conditions, for generations it was used as rough pasture with some livestock and with limited planting of crops such as yuca (cassava), banana, and sweet potato along with some fruit trees such as papaya. When the government opened a series of canals to facilitate irrigation it became a hotspot for growing bananas (Ecuador is the world’s top exporter of bananas) as well as a cocoa producing zone. 

All farms in our supply chain are regularly inspected as part of the exporter’s sustainability programme. They were all previously UTZ or Rainforest Alliance certified (which means they’re held accountable for their sustainable practices) but they’re now covered by an in-house sustainability standard that’s much more appropriate for Latin America.

What’s more, the farms who help us make WowCacao are 100% polygon mapped which is integral to deforestation as it allows complete transparency and traceability by clearly identifying the farms’ location and boundaries. Finally, we’ll always verify everything with third party audits as well as sending our own team from the UK to conduct comprehensive checks. Plus, Paulo is always on-hand to help of course! :)

*it takes 9 cacao pods to produce the juice in each WOW Cacao bottle btw

We are bringing the frozen juice to the UK and then diluting it to produce WOWCACAO, a hydrating drink with a unique tangy flavour suitable for the whole family. The product has a clean label with only potassium added to boost the electrolyte total and ascorbic acid included to stabilize the naturally high Vitamin C content.