Throughout cacao’s modern history, pure Criollo has existed only in whispers – long thought to have been hybridized out of existence. That is, until now. At the foothills of Belize’s largely uncharted Maya Mountains, an extraordinary discovery was made. On the protected nature reserve of BFREE (Belize Foundation for Research & Environmental Education), ancient wild Criollo trees were found and genetically tested, revealing the most pure, 100% genetically authentic Criollo cacao ever discovered – a mystical relic once revered by ancient civilizations.

Untouched by modern agriculture and thriving in one of the world’s most pristine ecosystems, these trees represent not only a gustatory find, but an archeological marvel. Grown wild on protected ground, this is the very same cacao historically recognized for its complex and unparalleled flavor, flavor that has remained hidden for centuries, found nowhere else on earth. The most pure Criollos previously documented by the HCP (Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund) have ranged from 27% to 71%, but never higher (see video below for reference). HCP #11 breaks this mold with a very unique 100% USDA Genetic Profile for purely Criollo cacao. The beans are not commercially available as there are simply not enough of them to go around.

Fu Wan is a taste of southeast Asia like no other. Crafting chocolate grown, fermented, and entirely produced on the island nation of Taiwan, these nerds (said with admiration, always) take terroir seriously. While planning the menu for Fu Wan Resort, Warren Hsu became acquainted with a collection of local cacao farms and fell deeply in love with the fruit. Chocolate quickly revealed itself as Hsu’s true passion, prompting him to found Fu Wan Chocolate, an independent team and workshop dedicated to the care and craft of this unique and beautiful cacao.

In this new chocolate factory, Hsu and the team introduce regional inclusions and complimentary flavors to this new and special cacao. The team embraces the mad scientist archetype by experimenting with fermentation, aging, and regional tea inclusions. Very recently (January 2024), their Beer Yeast #3 bar was awarded distinction with a silver medal at the International Chocolate Awards, as well as 18 other accolades from that, their first awards show.

As you explore our selection of chocolate at Caputo’s, you know we’re familiar with innovation and novelty. Fu Wan captivates our imaginations with experiments we truly haven’t seen before, and matches them with a drive to keep creating more. We’re excited and honored to host these creative minds on our shelves, and we can’t wait to see what else they have in store.

Shorter days are here, the snow is accumulating, and it’s feeling more like winter with each passing day. Nature is encouraging us to take a reset and frankly, we’re ready for it. It’s times like these that we reach for sturdy mugs filled to the brim with rich, creamy, uniquely flavorful and expressive Drinking Chocolate. Haven’t had a sip of the goods yet? Read/Watch on to learn how to make your own!

Drinking chocolate carries a much deeper history than the humble chocolate bar. For thousands of years, ancient central American tribes have been consuming this ritualistic beverage with spices, masa, and little to no sweetening added. It wasn’t until the age of colonization when chocolate was brought over to Europe, that sugars and fats were introduced to this sacred substance. With ready access to milk and cane sugar, the advent of drinking chocolate as we know it today was born.

The first chocolate bar was produced in the 1840s and we’ve never looked back, but we’ve been drinking it all along. Take a journey with us to find out all the unique ways we can make drinking chocolate today.

Most hot, liquid chocolate can be divided into two distinct categories: Hot Cocoa and Drinking Chocolate.

Hot cocoa is what we remember from childhood. It’s made with cocoa powder, milk powder, sugar, and is by far the easiest to make. It drinks the thinnest and expresses the least terroir (a sense of place through flavor), but will always transport you back to days when the snow was regularly taller than your view of the world. Goodnow Farms makes an excellent selection of cocoas that will leave you nostalgic while sending your tastebuds around the world.

Drinking chocolate is defined in its name: chocolate broken down for ease of emulsification. Whether it’s shredded, ground, chopped, or otherwise prepared, these selections are prepared to melt and dissolve in whatever milk, water, or alternative you’re using as a base. Ritual Chocolate makes a delicious range of single origin drinking chocolates that are reflective of the same regions their bars come from.

Both styles prioritize less time whisking over your stove in favor of more time getting cozy in your PJs with a cup of the good stuff. Taste for beverages that express the same as your favorite single origin chocolate bars, dial your prep with our tips below, and let yourself slip into the indulgence.

The beauty of drinking chocolate is that with enough determination, you can make any chocolate deliciously drinkable. Purpose made mixes (hot cocoa, drinking chocolate) are easiest, coarse ground bars (think Taza, Cuna de Piedra, and Sabadi) involve a bit more labor, and with enough elbow grease, any chocolate can be whipped to liquid luxury. Whichever difficulty level you choose here, any technique below will work. With increasing levels of difficulty come richer levels of texture, flavor, and overall enjoyment.

Technique 1: Frothing
Have a milk steamer or an electric frother? You’re in luck and your drinking chocolate is almost ready. Combine your milk, water, or alternative, blitz with your magic wand until frothy and emulsified, and settle into your coziest chair to indulge. While this technique will result in a well combined drink, it may quickly lose its body and become thin again. Doubtlessly delicious, but not nearly as viscous and satisfying as the other options below.

Technique 2: Whisking
Spoons, forks, knives, whisks, or whatever other cutlery you have laying around will always work in a pinch. Simply add chocolate to your warmed milk, water, or alterative and whisk away until the mixture is thick, foamy, and no chunks remain. This may produce less foam than frothing, but the thicker body will last longer for consistently textured sips throughout.

Technique 3: Molinillo
This ancient tool has been used to make drinking chocolate for hundreds of years. It’s tried, tested, and true. You’ll need an oversized vessel to hold your chocolate and your liquid, unless you really WANT to make a big mess (we won’t yuck your yum). Twisting the molinillo between your hands will naturally froth the entire drink at once, both emulsifying and thickening the body to your desired consistency. This is the go-to technique if you’re using a chocolate bar, and can even create a drink thick enough to add a shot or two of booze without fret.

A note on alt milks: Oat mixes well, almond has more texture, soy will be watery, and water still works but won’t be as thick. Use what you’d like; it’s chocolate and it’s going to be tasty no matter how you mix it!

As part of Caputo’s Preservation Program we are proud to announce a partnership between Caputo’s Market & Deli, Hacienda Tranquilidad (Baures, Bolivia), and Ritual Chocolate (Heber, Utah). Namely, a chocolate bar made from rare wild cacao.

The Caputo’s Wild Tranquilidad bar started almost a decade ago when Caputo’s donated money on behalf of an agronomist who had discovered something very special. The tests we sponsored provided a USDA Genetic Profile proving Tranquilidad’s samples were a previously undiscovered type of cacao, “Beniano.”

Even before the tests had confirmed it, Tranquilidad’s cacao had become famous being referred to as Cru Sauvage, Cacao Sylvestre, Boliviano, to name a few. The agronomist, Volker Lehmann, bought land in the area and dedicated his life to building a business that would preserve this cacao. Despite the fame and insanely delicious, one of a kind cacao, Tranquilidad has faced bankruptcy, competitors counterfeiting his cacao, fires, drought, floods and more. Long story short, even in the world of fancy chocolate not enough money flows back to the farmer. 

Caputo’s has arranged for Ritual to buy Tranquilidad’s genetically pure Beniano and pay top dollar directly to Tranquilidad with no intermediaries. Ritual uses these jewels of the jungle to make chocolate bars to Caputo’s specifications. After countless tests and tweaks to almost every step in the chocolate making process, Ritual Chocolate proves their mastery with one of the best tasting dark chocolate bars of all time. Caputo’s then gives a full dollar to Tranquilidad for every 60g chocolate bar sold. This represents an additional $7.60 per pound of chocolate sold and is many multiples more than a farmer would receive when selling cacao.

Caputo’s believes that Capitalism can actually be a wonderful system for positive change when all stakeholders in the supply chain share equally in the rewards. We know our community of food lovers will vote with their purchases and join us in blazing a trail to a food system that preserves biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.

Although I hope that Caputo’s can be a catalyst for changing the entire US food system, I also realize I may be tilting at windmills. If we cannot change the entire food system, I know we can at least ensure the success of a select few farmers and artisans. When short term profits are disregarded, we can make sure precious gems like Mesa Farm have absolutely all the support they need. We can make sure that when they falter, they can continue. Randy Ramsley, the owner of Mesa Farm, is one of the last to uphold farming traditions as they were done hundreds of years ago. He goes deep into regenerative agriculture and far beyond sustainability. Visiting his farm is a spiritual experience. Years ago we agreed to create logos and a marketing plan for Randy, but we also guaranteed we would buy 100% of his excess cheese supply. We have held to our commitment through thick and thin and Randy is always the first to say Mesa Farm would have folded at several different junctures if it were not for the support of the Caputo’s community of food lovers and food professionals.

Mesa Farm is a shining example of how agriculture should be conducted; however, wholesome cheese and land stewardship in Utah is not our only area of concern. As chocolate fanatics, it has been painful to watch the global food system whittle away at the biodiversity of cacao that indigenous civilizations of Central and South America experienced.

This pain became particularly unbearable during the beginning of the pandemic when Luisa Abram’s father Andre told us our favorite bar, Juruá 70%, would need to be permanently discontinued. This bar was made with a unique genetic strain of cacao that only grows along the banks of the Jurua River in Brazil’s Upper Amazon. He explained the mounting challenges and financial burden of accessing this cacao (in the world’s most remote jungle) and bringing it to market made it impossible to continue.

As he explained the challenges, I understood that they were complicated, continuous and growing. I also realized that any hope of making this wild crop economically viable may take a decade of investment. I knew their company was facing pandemic induced financial challenges and could not shoulder the burden.

This is when I knew that despite our own pandemic emergencies, Caputo’s could solve this.

If we throw out any expectation of profit on this chocolate bar in the near future, we could prepay for the next harvest. Luisa and Caputo’s together could make sure the small community in the Jurua had the money and guidance to set up their own fermentary and continue to return to Jurua to harvest this incredible cacao, year after year. With Caputo’s guaranteed support, Luisa can purchase all of the Jurua cacao the foragers can procure. 

It cost us a lot, but the nice thing about not having investors to please and owning your own family business is that you get to decide what to invest in. It may not make a worthy investment return in my lifetime, but that is not what is important. What is important is that Caputo’s and Luisa Abram have created a bar of chocolate that will ensure this crown jewel of the Amazon is protected for future generations.

When you taste a Caputo’s Wild Jurua bar you experience the gustatory exhilaration of some of the world’s most rare cacao. Then, when you see the Caputo’s shield emblem on the walls of our store or on the pages of our website, you will know what it stands for, and that you have joined us in our fight. What a beautiful way to fight: spreading camaraderie and love for intrinsically good food.

https://caputos.com/product/caputos-wild-jurua-70-luisa-abram/