Food Thoughts has scooped three Great Taste 2022 awards for their vegan-friendly Chocolate Coated Roasted Cacao Nibs, Luxury White Chocolate Chips and Oat Mylk Chocolate Chips.
Billed as the first fairly traded cocoa powder to be launched in the UK, Food Thoughts said ethics and sustainability are at the heart of everything they do.
“We are delighted that we impressed the judges. We only use premium grade cocoa beans in our products - the top 8 per cent in the world,” said Fiona Esom, Food Thoughts chief executive.
“Our Chocolate Coated Roasted Cacao Nibs are completely and utterly addictive. They are roasted, which deepens the flavour and have a lovely crunch. Our Luxury White Chocolate Chips are made with 35 per cent cacao, which means they are unlike the majority of white chocolate products people are used to - they are more chocolatey and less sweet. Our Oat Mylk Chocolate Chips are hugely popular with vegans and anybody who is avoiding dairy.
“Bakes made with Food Thoughts ingredients will have a rich chocolatey flavour, they won’t be brown cakes that only taste of sugar. That’s one of the reasons why we entered Great Taste. We know how great our chocolate products taste and wanted the seal of approval that will add credibility and open doors to new retailers.”
Food Thoughts uses cocoa beans farmed in Colombia and the Dominican Republic. Powders are supplied by Pronatec YACAO - these are organically cultivated and fairly traded and farmed in the Dominican Republic. The chips are supplied by Luker Chocolate, a co-operative that has provided new roads, aqueducts training, a community centre and other initiatives for growers.
“Taste is everything, but we also find that our customers are very principled about what they buy. At Food Thoughts we are committed to supporting our farmers in Colombia. They are mostly small, family-owned businesses that use natural methods to process the beans, such as drying them in the sun to lock in flavour and nutrients,” Esom added.