Cacao Barry’s Evocao WholeFruit Chocolate is chocolate that is made from 100% pure cacao fruit. Released in June 2021, the company says it is used by chefs in over 90 countries worldwide and has gained popularity due to its unique fruity flavour that it achieves without the use of added sugars, lecithin or vanilla.
It is now also the first chocolate ever to be given the Upcycled Certification by the Upcycled Food Association (UFA). Upcycling, put simply, is the process of turning otherwise unused waste materials into new, more desirable or higher quality products.
The UFA’s Upcycled Certified Programme is “the world’s first third-party certification program for upcycled food ingredients and products.” The certification comes with an Upcycled Certified mark that can be displayed on product packaging to inform consumers that the product has been upcycled and thus contributes to reducing food waste. A company spokesperson commented, “artisans and chefs will now be able to make an intelligent purchasing decision, knowing they will be receiving upcycled certified chocolate for the first time historically.”
CacaoBarry’s website claims that ‘WholeFruit upcycles 25% more of the cacaofruit as its sugars come from the excess pulp that is usually discarded, offering farmers an additional revenue stream’. “It’s good for the environment, it brings an added revenue stream to the farmers, and it offers an exciting new fresh and fruity taste to the world of chocolate,” explained the company in their press release.
Evocao being Upcycled Certified means a big step in our industry towards a sustainable cocoa farming that will engender other industries to follow. By using Evocao, I know I am making the planet a little better.
Chef Dimitri Fayard, Head Chef, Chicago Chocolate Academy
The UFA announced in April 2022 that it would be expanding its Upcycled Certified Programme to Canada, following its success in the US market.
According to UFA, the programme has certified over 200 food, beverage, cosmetic, companion pet food, cleaning, and home care products and ingredients so far, which are expected to reduce over 820 million pounds of food waste in the coming year.
