Bio cocoa, organic cocoa, made-up cocoa?

Reading time 5 minute(s)

In grocery stores, supermarkets, health food stores, as well as on the Internet, today we come across products that are advertised as „organic”, „bio” or „organic”. These terms, by the way, are many, but their meanings sometimes vary widely. And while it is difficult to make generalizations, 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 watch 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's worth checking, whenever possible, whether what we're buying is really better than the (much cheaper) product on the shelf next to us.

That's why, specifically for cocoa lovers, we decided to take a look at sources regarding products such as bio cocoa, organic cocoa and organic cocoa. 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's actually worth paying a little more and going for an organic product? Is it worth buying organic cocoa? What exactly is bio cacao? We answer these and other questions below. Curious if you are doing the right thing by drinking organic cocoa?

So: let's check it out!

Organic cocoa - does it exist?

Today, bio cocoa is available in most online and stationary stores. Packaged in green and gray eco-friendly materials, with a large „bio” sign visible from afar, it is sure to entice many of us more than the classic products. But what does it actually mean that a particular cocoa 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 PN-EN ISO 14001:2015. The basic idea of the certificate, however, is simple: it is to testify to the high ecological standard of the conditions under which the goods were produced. On the basis of EU directives on ecology, entrepreneurs can apply for the certificate and, if they receive it, label their goods with the „bio” logo ¹.

BIO cocoa

Non-BIO cocoa

However, if we look at who the „Bio-Certificate” is directed to, it turns out that it is directed to everything except plants... agro-food plants. Yes - you can talk about bio travel agencies or bio banks, but not products such as cocoa. 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. So it seems that “bio” certifications attesting to eco-friendliness exist in abundance today. In addition, mere name „bio” on the package does not prove the environmental performance of the product⁴! To identify that a product is really certified, you need to find the logo of the relevant certification on the product, not the term itself such as „bio” or „eco.” But then, which certification to look for? One can get lost!

If we look at the range of organic cocoa on the Internet, we can find cocoa certified by the European Union with a green leaf stamp. It seems that this cocoa is the most trustworthy when it comes to organic standards. However, it's easy to get caught out, because on the following pages we'll find cocoa signed as bio... but the manufacturer no longer mentions any certification. On the other hand, you can also find cocoa products with certificates of completely unknown origin. If you stay with our article until the end, you will see that there is an easier way to buy good quality, real cocoa! But now let's take on organic cocoa.

What is organic cocoa?

We already know that with organic cocoa we have to be careful, because instead of an organic product, we can get a product that is admittedly nicely packaged, but not in accordance with our expectations. And what is it like with organic cocoa? What does it actually mean that something is „organic”?

Żywność organiczna to taka, którą wytworzono bez użycia pestycydów i nawozów chemicznych, a także, której nie poddawano modyfikacjom genetycznym ⁵. Czy to więc to samo, co żywność ekologiczna? Wygląda na to, że tak, a nawet, że certyfikat organiczności jest… dokładnie tym samym, co „Certyfikat Bio”. Przynajmniej na terenie Polski, określenia „ekologiczny”, „organiczny” i „bio” są synonimami ⁶! Sugerowałoby to, że w stosunku do produktów organicznych powinniśmy stosować tę samą strategię: szukać zielonego liścia i uważać na oszustwo.

And how is it with organic cocoa? Again, we can end up in places where the name „organic” is applied a bit too liberally and accidentally buy a product that, next to a truly organic product, didn't even stand. Also, in situations where we see that a product has a „bio” certificate - here, a certificate of „organic” or „eco-friendliness” - it's still worth exercising caution and checking whether we're really talking about European certification.

Not all bio that glitters

Buying food, including cocoa, that is organic, healthy, that does not leave a 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 cocoa” has a higher demand than one without this magic word attached to it, many entrepreneurs will not hesitate to easily increase profits. The same goes for organic and organic cocoa. Does this mean that there is no 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 cocoa, which you can find here?

Ceremonial cocoa

Ceremonial cocoa, also known as real cocoa, is a product that you can be sure is 100 percent made from cocoa beans. In our store, we import cocoa from all parts of the world, and we do our best to make sure it is just certified cocoa. But the truth is painful: many farmers can't afford to make a certificate, and they grow great organic cocoa, with care from the very selection of the beans, through the growing and production process, to the final roasting. We want our products, instead of just looking pretty, to be simply great quality. This is exactly the kind of ceremonial cocoa you will find with us. Try it for yourself!