Is your chocolate organic?
None of our cacao sources are certified organic. There are several reasons for this. First, much of the cacao in the northern Amazon region of Brazil is organic, but the farms do not carry certification because of their remote location, which makes agricultural certifications even more expensive to farmers than they already are. Second, even if cacao is grown organically on a plantation, it may not be able to receive USDA organic certification because other crops in the area may have had certain fertilizers and pesticides applied to them. Finally, the cacao industry in St Catherine and St Mary (the country’s main cacao producing region) is in the midst of recovery from a fungal infestation called Frosty Pod that has devastated its cacao production during the past few years. Most farms in this region use fertilizers and some pesticides as part of the eradication program.
Is your chocolate certified Fair Trade?
We do better than that, we source our cocoa beans Direct Trade and pay premiums that exceed those of Fair Trade by an average of 15 times! Direct Trade means that we establish relationships with all farms from whom we purchase, we use our own criteria to judge the quality of the operations in terms of labor and environmental practices, and we deposit our payments directly into the bank accounts of our farms, without any middle men to take a cut.
Why is your chocolate and that of other craft chocolate makers so much more expensive than chocolate found in most supermarkets?
Craft chocolate makers typically use fine cacao, which requires much more careful and intensive cultivation, farm maintenance, land management, selection, fermentation, and drying practices. Most chocolate is made from commodity grade cacao, which includes all the rotting and low grade beans whose poor flavor is masked by lots of sugar and other additives. Fine cacao is often times at least twice as expensive as commodity grade cacao. Further, craft chocolate makers use other higher quality materials as well, such as cane sugar, high quality inclusions such as vanilla, coffee, and fruit, as well as high-end packaging. Finally, and probably most significantly, craft chocolate makers actually make their own chocolate. They have small hands-on chocolate making operations with lots of employees. Most brands found at supermarkets do not make their own chocolate. Instead, they outsource production to huge co-packers.
Do you have your own retail location?
Not quite yet. Our factory & cafe is located in St Mary We are open for experiences via either online or in person via airbnb. Check out our blog to learn more about other events, such as tastings and pairings, held at our factory space or virtually.
Do you ship internationally?
We now ship our chocolate internationally. Chocolate logistics are tricky given that chocolate is best transported in a cool and dry environment. We try and avoid shipping between April to October but please send us a note if you would like to get product during that period and we'll make special arrangements.
What is the difference between “cacao” and “cocoa”?
Botanically, the term “cacao” refers to the tree and its fruits (pods and seeds). Cocoa describes the bulk commercial dried fermented beans, as well as the powder produced from the beans. Source: Chocolate, Cocoa, and Confectionery Bernard W. Minifie.
Are your products Vegan/ Kosher/ Gluten Free?
All of our plain chocolate bars and flavoured bars in dark and white are vegan, All of our plain chocolate bars and discs are gluten-free. Check the packaging of any product for specific ingredients.
What do you do with your husks’ residues?
We donate our cocoa shells to Rockmountain Herbs (http://www.rockmountainherbs.com), a wonderful mushroom farming and educational project in Kingston.
If I am interested in carrying your products, what should I do?
That is great! Please give us a call at +1 876 781-4841 or send us a note.
Can One/One Cacao private label?
At the present moment we are developing our initial product line and most of our resources are being spent on our own R&D. That being said, we are certainly open to discussing your private label needs and how we can help within our own constraints. Please give us a call to discuss further.