February 2008
Historians aren't exactly sure how chocolate became known as a symbol of love and Valentines, but people certainly have a long standing love affair with chocolate. Cocoa has been treasured, especially as a beverage since 400 AD. Its familiar name chocolate comes from the Maya and Aztec name xocatyl meaning bitter water. Native to tropical and Central America the cocoa tree bears gold and red football shaped pods. Each pod bears dozens of white beans, which are fermented, dried, and roasted before being made into various types of chocolate. Cocoa has been so valued throughout history that it was given the Latin name Theobrama meaning food of the gods. In Mexico cocoa beans were used as a standard currency as late as 1887. Today most cocoa on the market is grown in Africa and Brazil, but the finest is considered to come from Central America and the Caribbean.
Antioxidant Rich Whole Food
“For decades we overtly avoided selling chocolate anything,” said Eden president Michael Potter. “Then one day, Wendy in our marketing department convinced me it was a health food, talking about its antioxidant power and chocolate's nutritious benefits. What a flip-flop. And that's what led us to produce Chocolate EDENSOY.” Because most of us grew up with ‘chocolate’ made of refined sugar, butterfat, artificial ingredients and very little (if any) real cocoa, chocolate as a health food seems too good to be true. Yet it is. Studies confirm that real chocolate is loaded with beneficial flavonoid antioxidants. As a whole food it makes intuitive sense that cocoa would be good for us. Researchers have found dark cocoa powder, a most pure and natural form of cocoa (and the kind used in Chocolate EDENSOY), to have by far the most antioxidant benefit.
Healthy Indulgence
Like all EDENSOY, Chocolate EDENSOY is made with only whole, USA family farm organically grown soybeans. They are the cream of the crop and rigorously tested to be GEO free. Chocolate EDENSOY's gentle sweetness comes from traditionally malted organic grain and organic maple syrup. It is low sodium, and a good source of Heart Healthy soy protein. The cocoa in Chocolate EDENSOY is not just any cocoa. It is the finest, organically grown on family plots in the Dominican Republic. We employ fair trade practices to ensure farmers are paid a fair wage (sadly most of the world's cocoa is produced under devastating working conditions. Eden and other socially conscious companies are working to turn this around.) After harvest the organic cocoa is finely milled in Holland into the pure dark cocoa powder that helps make Chocolate EDENSOY so smooth, rich, and delicious.
