AWKI – Purity Divvy, Ecuador 75% Dark Chocolate with Cacao Pulp

About the bar

This dark chocolate bar from Ecuadorian maker AWKI are made entirely from cocoa. Freeze-dried cacao pulp, otherwise known as cocoa fruit, is added to sweeten the chocolate. So, technically, these coins are 100% cocoa! There are green, vegetal notes from the beans, with a strong, unique fruity flavour from the cacao pulp – think tangy guava or grapefruit. These cocoa pulp sweetened coins combine the nutty, woody and earthy notes of AWKI’s beans with the tropical fruit sweetness of cocoa pulp.

Comparing AWKI’s ‘Pure’ Cocoa 75% dark chocolate coins to their standard 75% coins crafted with refined sugar is a great reminder of the magic in a cocoa pod. When you open a cocoa pod, you are confronted by a fleshy, gooey sweet pulp that surrounds incredibly bitter and astringent cocoa seeds. And these unappetising cocoa seeds are, via the magic of fermentation, transformed into cocoa beans.

About the maker

Founded in 2020 by Nathalia Padillia Pino, an environmental engineer from Ecuador, AWKI was born from a true passion for sustainability and environmental transformation. The name ‘AWKI’ has extremely powerful protective connotations – in the indigenous communities of Ecuador, the person that protects the tribe is named ‘The AWKI’ or ‘The Protective Spirit’. Following in the footsteps of ‘The AWKI’, AWKI’s mission is to protect the whole value cocoa chain. In addition to producing their delicious craft chocolate products, AWKI is truly dedicated to improving the world of bean-to-bar chocolate for cocoa growers themselves – as part of their mission, AWKI seek to empower female growers and vulnerable people by fighting gender inequality, gender violence, and providing new jobs. Today, Nathalia works alongside the production and manufacturing manager, Aziz, and the financial director, Daniel, who both fell in love with AWKI’s mission.

The beans

The beans for these coins were sourced from the Cacao Arriba, also referred to as ‘Arriba Nacional Cacao’ in Ecuador. AWKI works with UNOCACE, a small a representative integration organisation, which is made up of  20 associations that bring together small cocoa producers. They ensure high quality standards and preserve cocoa culture by having a sustainable production chain with gender and generational inclusiveness.

Allergens*

May contain soybeans

Ingredients

Cacao paste, cacao butter, cacao mucilage freeze-dried

*Allergen advice: We directly import, and purchase, all products from independent makers and have these shipped by our partner warehouse (which is not certified allergen-free), and so we cannot guarantee that any product will be allergen-free. Even where an allergen is not listed, products may have been produced, shipped, or stored in facilities which handle allergens.

If you would like further information about a specific product, please contact us on [email protected] or contact the maker directly.