Cacao is the raw base for chocolate manufacture. However, in its own right it is a truly remarkable food. It is packed with antioxidants & other phytonutrients, to make a powerful & delicious contribution to a healthy diet. For too long this amazing nutritional phenomenon has been ignored, hidden behind the fat & sugar of its processed relative, chocolate. However, awareness of its remarkable nutritional profile is growing, & increasing numbers of people are putting this fantastic food at the core of a healthy diet. Rainforest Foods uses only Criollo Cacao, often referred to as the ' Queen of Cacao' for its high quality. Cacao is extraordinarily rich in antioxidants, even more so than Acai berry. Science has investigated Cacao extensively. One well-regarded study looked at its effects on a people indigenous to Panama, comparing a group given to drinking large quantities of home-prepared Cacao with another exhibiting more modern dietary habits. The results were startling: the Cacao-consuming group exhibited much lower rates of stroke, cardiovascular disease & cancer than the other.