In grocery shops, supermarkets, health food shops and also on the Internet, we nowadays come across products that are advertised as 'organic', 'bio' or 'ecological'. These terms are numerous, but their meanings vary greatly. And although it is difficult to make generalisations, at least some of the goods sold under such 'green', fashionable names are not much different from the rest. How to choose and what to choose? What to look out for? These and other questions about our consumer lives are becoming increasingly important for our health, as well as for our wallets. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this problem - except perhaps that it is worth checking, whenever possible, whether what we are buying is really better than the (much cheaper) product on the shelf next to us.

So, specifically for cacao lovers, we decided to look at sources for products such as organic cacao, organic cacao and organic cacao. While we don't have a way to check the actual quality of these products, information on how these 'green' products actually differ from others should be widely available. Perhaps it is actually worth paying a little more and reaching for an organic product? Is organic cacao worth buying? What exactly is organic cacao? We answer these and other questions below. Wondering if you are doing the right thing by drinking organic cacao?
Well: let's find out!

Organic cacao - does it exist?

Today, organic cacao is available in most online and stationary shops. Packaged in green and grey eco-friendly materials, with a large "bio" label visible from a distance, it will certainly encourage many of us more than the classic products. But what does it actually mean that a particular cacao is 'bio'? To answer this question, we need to look at the issue of organic certification.
In the European Union today, there is a system called 'Bio Certificate', which is based on a system of ecological standards with the complicated identifier EN ISO 14001:2015. However, the basic idea behind the certificate is simple: it is supposed to attest to the high ecological standard of the conditions under which the goods were produced. On the basis of EU organic directives, entrepreneurs can apply for the certificate and - if they receive it - label their goods with the 'bio' logo [1].

However, if we take a look at who the 'Bio-Certificate' is aimed at, it is clear that it is aimed at everything except… agri-food businesses. Yes - you can talk about bio travel agencies or bio banks, but not products such as cacao. But are we sure? If we look elsewhere, we find that there are also 'Bio Certificates' for farmers [2], and 'Bio' certificates operating only within Poland [3]. Thus, it appears that "bio" certificates attesting to organicness exist today in abundance. In addition, the name "bio" on the packaging alone does not indicate that the product is organic [2]! In order to identify that a product is really certified, you need to find the logo of the relevant certificate on the product, not just a term such as "bio" or "eco". But then, which certificate should you look for? You can get lost!

If you look at the range of organic cacao on the Internet, you can find cacao certified by the European Union with a green leaf stamp. This cacao seems to be the most trustworthy when it comes to organic standards. However, it is easy to get caught out, because on page after page we come across cacao signed as bio… but no certification is mentioned by the manufacturer anymore. On the other hand, you can also find certified cacao products with completely unknown origins. If you stay with our article until the end, you will see that there is an easier way to buy good quality, real cacao! But now let's take on organic cacao.

What is organic cacao?

We already know that you have to be careful with organic cacao, because instead of an organic product, you might get a product that is nicely packaged, but not what you expect. But what about organic cacao? What does it actually mean that something is "organic"?
Organic food is food that has been produced without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers and that has not been subjected to genetic modification [4]. Is it then the same as organic food? It would seem so, and even that organic certification is… exactly the same as 'Bio Certificate'. At least within Poland, the terms 'organic', 'organic' and 'bio' are synonymous [5]! This would suggest that we should apply the same strategy to organic products: look for the green leaf and watch out for fraud.

And what is it like with organic cacao? Again, we can end up in places where the name 'organic' is applied a little too liberally and accidentally buy a product that, next to a truly organic product, did not even stand. Even when we see that a product has a "bio" - or "organic" or "ecological" - certificate, it is still worth exercising caution and checking whether we are really talking about European certification.
Not all that glitters is organic!

Buying food, including cacao, that is organic, healthy, leaves no carbon footprint and does not harm the environment, is certainly a good choice. However, it is worth remembering that consumer fashion is a powerful tool for producers and if it turns out that 'organic cacao' has a higher demand than one without this magic word attached to it, many entrepreneurs will not hesitate to easily increase their profits. The same applies to organic and organic cacao. Does this mean that there is no one way to buy organic products? No, but we recommend caution and an informed choice, based on reliable certifications such as EU certifications. And how about ceremonial cacao, which you can find here?

Ceremonial cacao

Ceremonial cacao, also known as real cacao, is a product that you can be sure is 100% cocoa bean product. In our shop, we import cacao from all parts of the world and strive to make sure it is certified cacao. However, the truth is painful: many farmers cannot afford to make certified, but they grow great organic cacao, with care from the very selection of the beans, through the growing and production process, to the final roasting. Rather than just looking pretty, we want our products to be simply great quality. This is exactly the ceremonial cacao you will find with us. Try it for yourself!