Kallari Chocolate

In July, a company called Kallari contacted me asking if I would like to try some of their chocolate for free and do a blog post on it. 

I'm not an idiot, people. Of course I said yes.

I got the chocolate when we returned home from our summer vacation and it was delicious. 

The company produces 70%, 75%, and 85% dark chocolate (75% was my very favorite). I LOVE dark chocolate. In fact, I often buy a bar of decent dark chocolate and nurse that baby all month long. It's one of my non-guilty pleasures. Which is sort of the thing about dark chocolate. It's just so much more satisfying that it's milkier/sugarier brothers. To eat a square of dark chocolate is to be satisfied. To eat a bar of Hershey's chocolate is (not terrible, mind you), but different--the sugar creates more of a demand for itself and refuses to be satiated.  

But taste is not the only thing going for this chocolate. Below I will include a blurb from Kallari about their ethical sourcing and rainforest/cultural conservation. It's worth reading, but do you know what struck me most. What struck me most was that when I received the chocolate, there was a sort of "Our Story" blurb and it said that most of the people who farm and produce chocolate (cacao) in this world don't even know what it tastes like. They've never eaten it. It was one of those facts that made me squirm. But with Kallari, the people who make it get paid a living wage, and get to enjoy their bounty as well. As well they should. That fact alone was enough to make me want to buy this chocolate from now on for my dark chocolate fix. 

The reason Kallari contacted me is that they're doing a kickstarter program. They're raising money (and trying to see if they have enough interest) to produce a chocolate chip (that is what we would call a 'chunk'). If you're interested in checking it out, the link is here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kallari/kallari-chipped-chocolate. If you're interested, you can donate (you can donate as little as $1 and you end up paying through Amazon, which is pretty easy). Also, the drive is nearly over, so do it soon if you're going to do it.

If you just want to buy some, you can purchase it at Amazon. Or have a look here: http://www.shamansmarket.com/kallari-organic-single-source-chocolate-bar-70-cacao.html?gdftrk=gdfV25511_a_7c1921_a_7c7153_a_7ck00270&gclid=CNjr8MqVj7kCFUJqMgod1gIASw. Or here: https://www.chocosphere.com/default/brand/j-p/kallari.html.

And if you want a recipe to try your lovely chocolate. Here's one I recommend this No Cook Chocolate Mousse (sub out the unsweetened chocolate for the 85% Kallari). 

More about Kallari:

Fresh and Ethical Sourcing – We are cacao growers that make gourmet chocolate. Other chocolatiers pay a living wage – we own our chocolate and pay ourselves an income higher than the minimum wage in Ecuador for our work in biodiverse cacao groves.

Rich Flavor with no Bitterness – The fresh taste of the cacao beans remains in the chocolate, unlike chocolate processed thousands of miles from the source. Kallari uses organic heirloom cacao, gourmet recipes (no emulsifiers, artificial flavors and half the sugar), and minimal processing to provide a chocolate experience unique from other chocolate chips for baking.

Rainforest Conservation and Cultural Preservation – We retain most of our farms in primary and secondary rainforest, with an average of 1.5 acres of cacao planted per family, less than 2% of our total territory. This allows us to earn a living and provide for our families without sacrificing natural resources or forgetting our cultural traditions.