AS SEEN IN THE OBSERVER 18/07/21

‘A GLORIOUS NUTTY, TOASTED BREAD TASTE…’ Annalisa Barbieri

• Classic creamy fudgy notes, toasted bread and a smooth nutty finish

• Farmer co-operative of 13 communities

• Farmer fermented with direct sun in a thin layer on raised bamboo

• Light roast, 48 hours grinding in stone melanger with refiner

• Intercropped with plantain, banana, yam and forest trees 

• Cocoa beans, organic unrefined cane sugar, cocoa butter with toasted buckwheat

ABOUT THIS BAR

ABOCFA is a farmer cooperative based in Suhum, Ghana, known for producing the highest quality traceable cacao in the region. This cacao’s classic rich and fudgy flavour is representative of what we have come to know and love in chocolate and is sure to stir up nostalgic memories of childhood. We have balanced these notes with the soft creaminess of toasted buckwheat to create a delicious DarkMylk bar that offers all the enjoyment of a classic milk chocolate without the dairy.

ABOCFA’s beans are different from most specialty cacao origins, in that they are not centrally fermented in one location. The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) does not permit the sale or purchase of wet cacao, so farmers must ferment their own cacao and sell it dried. ABOCFA has invested a lot of energy into teaching farmers best practices in heap fermentation and raised bed drying, leading to superior quality compared to other Ghanian cacao.

ABOCFA’s network contains 13 hamlets (communities of farmers). Each hamlet has three representatives that report directly to the ABOCFA cooperative leadership, which has annual general meetings once per year, in July. The cooperative also democratically decides where quality and Fair Trade premiums go every year. For the 2019 year, farmers voted that 40% of the premium pool goes directly to farmers, while the remainder was spent on cooperative management, certification maintenance, community projects, and child labor monitoring and remediation programs. For the 2019 buying season we paid a premium 43% higher than the Fair Trade and Organic premiums combined.

BUCKWHEAT INCLUSION

Buckwheat, the magical gluten-free, vitamin-rich grain, is under utilised in the plant-based world; however, it is an amazing source of nutrients and minerals, like plant-based protein, fibre, magnesium, vitamin B6, iron, zinc, copper, and niacin. 

Though not a true cereal but a fruit, buckwheat seeds resemble cereal grains and are often used in a similar way to rice, barley, bulgar or quinoa. Buckwheat kernels have a dark hull with a lighter inner seed. Groats are the intact seeds with the hull removed, when toasted, they're called kasha, which is how they're most often used!