Cacao Crudo arose from a deep passion for high quality food, research, ethics and for a short/direct supply chain. It is a new way to produce and savour chocolate To preserve the precious qualities of the cacao and the other ingredients we are constantly seeking new production methods.

Single origin
Single origin chocolate is so called because the cocoa beans used to create it are taken from a single source/origin, in some instances even a single estate or plantation but in most instances a single country or region.

Criollo cacao is a very delicate under species of cacao (Theobroma Cacao), it is rarely grown and therefore seriously endangered. Owing to its high organoleptic qualities, its use adds a greater value to our chocolate and implies two important consequences: a great hand to the local producers’ economy and an incentive to not substitute the Criollo underspecies with hybrids that are more profitable and easier to grow.

Bean to Bar
Simply put, A Bean To Bar Chocolate Maker makes chocolate from raw cacao beans.  They source, roast, and grind the beans into chocolate, and then form it into bars and confections.

Cacao Crudo Production Method
Truly raw - below 45 degrees Celsius 
Ferment 2.5 - 3 days, always mixing otherwise

Vegan
Made with zero animal or dairy products.

They also use 100% recycled straw paper for packaging and the vegetable ink is completely biodegradable. We do not use any animal products nor materials processed with those products.

Made in Italy 
There isn't much chocolate produced in Canada at all, and most of the chocolate that is produced in Canada is sourcing its Cacao through brokers in Belgium and Holland. 
Whereas this is a transparent train to the producer - no brokers are involved and the cacao bean can be traced from the very beginning. 

Cacao Crudo is the first manufacturer of raw chocolate in Italy. We use the high-quality  cacao Criollo variety from the Peruvian Amazon and we never process it at temperatures above 42 ° C, the threshold where the deterioration of  its various nutrients begins.
The traditional roasting of the cacao beans is substituted by a slow process of desiccation in protected environments. In this way we bring to your palate clean, full  and real organoleptic identities, extraordinary in their own way.

Shade grown
Shade-grown cacao promotes biodiversity (a variety of species in a seen ecosystem), improves soil fertility, provides a habitat for plant and animals, and creates corridors between forests that migratory birds and insects travel along
Larger shade trees reduce weed growth, cutting down on the farmer’s labor.

Coconut Blossom Nectar (Coconut Sugar)
Coconut Nectar is a rich source of potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron. It is full of Vitamin B1, B2, B3, C and B6. Coconut nectar helps to maintain a balance of liver functioning. Coconut nectar has a low Glycemic Index (GI) so it can be safe for people with diabetes (type 1 and 2) by improving blood sugar levels.

Fair Trade vs Slavery Free
Cacao Crudo is not fair trade certified. The cacao they use and many other ingredients are certified Fair Trade. They have not yet certified the final product because they are not sure they can believe in the certification anymore - other ‘big name’ brands are also ‘certified fair trade’ (Nestle through it’s Kit Kat program)
They have invested a lot of energy explaining how their cacao supply chain works and their direct relationship with the farmers. 

Criollo Variety
The original cacao genetics! There is a lot of confusion about Criollo. In South America, in Peru, Criollo also means the local/indigenous varieties (a mix….like Creole). 

CCN51 - less productivity, higher quality
Bianco - fruitier, more aroma
Criollo Cacao currently makes up just 0.01% of all the cacao grown in the world.
Criollo is a very rare and precious variety of cacao that was at risk of extinction for many years. It is the cacao of the Mayas and the Aztecs, the cultivation of which has been progressively abandoned owing to its low yield. It is a delicate cacao and makes up just 0.01% of global cacao production. However, the quality of this cacao is unparalleled: the absence of tannins, which normally give it bitterness and astringency, gives Criollo cocoa a unique creaminess, sweetness and roundness.
No large landowners of cacao in Peru, they own approximately 1 hectare each
Only ⅓ of the cacao producers are incorporated, the other ⅔ are independent 
Cacao is sacred. First thought is the environment, second thought is the economy

For more information check out the following films:
Documentary on the chocolate industry - Rotten - Bitter on Netflix 
Slavery: A Global Investigation (2000)
Mighty Earth
https://cacaocrudo.it/en/pag/our-mission-9