We stand firm by our belief that coconut sugar is the absolute best option to sweeten chocolate in the world. We use coconut sugar for our entire line of bean to bar goodies, from our coconut mylk bars to our dark chocolate bars to the limited edition bars we make every month for our subscription boxes. You could say we're a little obsessed with it, and we have a few good reasons why.
The rich, caramel notes provided by coconut sugar are second to none, and complement the flavors of our organic cacao beautifully. Next time you take a bite of one of our craft chocolate bars, tune your taste buds to the floral overtones that are completely unique to coconut sugar.
The sap, which is composed of about 80% water at this point, is transferred to large woks and placed over low heat to evaporate. This eventually produces a thick syrup as the sugars lightly caramelize and the water evaporates away. Over time, coconut sugar is crumbled by hand as it dries, assuring it is in small granules and perfect for mixing with cacao to make chocolate.
Check out this video from Big Tree Farms, one of our organic & fair trade coconut sugar suppliers, to learn about the adventure our coconut palm sugar takes to get to you, from tree to tongue.
Unlike cane sugar, which is often filtered and bleached using bone char derived from cow bones, and beet sugar, which is highly processed and almost always made from GMO beets, coconut sugar is a minimally processed product that comes straight from coconut flowers - so you never need to worry that animals were harmed in the making of the ingredients we use to craft our chocolate bars.
Additionally, as a naturally dried sap, coconut sugar is much more of a legitimately natural product - unlike erythritol, mannitol, xylitol, and other "sugar free" sugar alcohols, which are usually made in a laboratory from genetical modified cornstarch or timber byproducts.
Inulin is a prebiotic fiber that supports the beneficial flora in your digestive tract, and also slows the absorption of sucrose into the bloodstream (inulin is what makes pure coconut sugar rank @ 35 on the glycemic index - lower than an apple). And while we could use more scientific research on the glycemic index of coconut sugar, inulin is undoubtedly beneficial for the human microbiome. Clinical research has investigated prebiotics like inulin for their potential to support gut health, immunity, blood sugar & fat metabolism, bone health, and to reduce risk of colon cancer, type 2 Diabetes, & more.
Graph from a report by the Philippine Coconut Authority
A recent study in the ASEAN Food Journal found that coconut sugar contains about 71 percent sucrose (compared to 100 percent sucrose in refined white sugar), 3 percent glucose and 3 percent fructose. This means that about 22 percent of coconut sugar is made up of prebiotic fiber (like the inulin mentioned above), starches, trace minerals, and antioxidants.
This is why our chocolate bars contain less grams of sugar (aka sucrose) per serving than other brands of chocolate at the same exact percentage of cacao. For the same amount of coconut sugar, you consume less sucrose, and get all these awesome nutrients.
We exclusively use organic, fair trade coconut sugar sourced from farms in Southeast Asia that use sustainable practices to nurture the earth, the plants, and the farmers.
Coconut trees are powerful soil builders and balancers, and they provide shade for other sensitive food crops that prefer shade. Practicing agroforestry in this way ensures that plants produce high quantities of nitrogen, regenerating the soil over time and eliminating the need for fertilizer inputs. Naturally fallen leaves and older plants decompose, feeding the soil and supporting coconut palms and the overall ecosystem of the forest.
Our commitment to excellence from tree to tongue means that our coconut mylk chocolate bars and our dark chocolate bars sweetened with coconut sugar are better for you, for the farmers that produce our ingredients, and for the big beautiful planet that we all call home.
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LESLEE A Crate
May 30, 2018
this is a very well written article. very informative. kudos. caint wait for my bars!