Latest news with #cacao
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Tsunan Sake Brewery Participates as a Drink Partner at 'Sustainable Food Night #28'
Tsunan Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Tsunan-machi, Nakauonuma-gun, Niigata Prefecture; CEO: Kengo Suzuki, hereinafter 'our company'), a sake brewery based in Tsunan, Niigata, participated as a drink partner at Sustainable Food Night #28, held on Monday, July 28, 2025, at the Sustainable Food Museum in Nishi-Shimbashi, Tokyo. This event's theme was 'The Aroma of Cacao Crafted through Fermentation – The Development of Chocolate in Southeast Asia and Japan.' The guest speaker, Mr. Akira Fukumura, CEO of WHOSE CACAO, shared insights in a talk session about fermentation and product development for specialty cacao, covering local fermentation techniques in Southeast Asia and their applications in the Japanese market. As the drink partner, we presented our 'GO GRANDCLASS Uonuma Koshihikari Edition,' representing our role as a bearer of Japan's sake fermentation culture. This sake, embodying the terroir of the snowy Tsunan region, was introduced to participants, highlighting its naturally fermented and aged flavor profile without the use of artificial flavors or additives. The similarities in fermentation processes between sake and cacao sparked significant interest among attendees. The event also featured aroma comparisons of cacao beans from different origins, fermented cacao cola by WHOSE CACAO, and tastings of various chocolates, allowing visitors to experience the diverse aromas and flavors created through fermentation. Tsunan Sake Brewery will continue to contribute to the development of a sustainable food culture centered on fermentation and to explore the untapped potential of Japanese sake. Event Overview Event Name: Sustainable Food Night #28 Date & Time: Monday, July 28, 2025 – Doors open 18:45 / Event 19:00–21:45 Venue: Sustainable Food Museum (1F, 1-17-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo) Organizer: Sustainable Food Asia Co., Ltd. Guest Speaker: Mr. Akira Fukumura, CEO, WHOSE CACAO Moderators: Mr. Shuhei Tsukada, Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. / Mr. Satoshi Umino, Sustainable Food Asia Co., Ltd. Reference: Aroma Component Analysis of Tsunan Sake Brewery For the GO series, we measure key fermentation-derived aroma compounds, including ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, and ethyl caproate. About Tsunan Sake Brewery Tsunan Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. is a sake brewery located in Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture, one of Japan's snowiest regions. We specialize in brewing with locally grown sake rice varieties such as 'Gohyakumangoku' and 'Uonuma Koshihikari,' combining harmony with nature and innovation. In 2025, we were awarded the Governor of Niigata Prize (1st place) at the Echigo-style Sake Brewing Technical Championship, a competition evaluating sake brewing excellence. Website:
Fast Company
30-07-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Tariffs meant to protect U.S. chocolate are melting it instead
While tariffs were initially enacted to help promote domestic manufacturing, one particular industry is getting the short end of the stick: chocolate. Due to chocolate's main ingredient, which is rarely grown in the country, US-based chocolate brands depend on cacao exports, and are now subjected to high import tarriffs. Just last month, the popular chocolate company Hershey's announced a price increase for its products in an effort to offset rising production costs related to cacao. ''[For years,] we've worked hard to absorb these costs and continue to make 75% of our product portfolio available to consumers for under $4,' a Hershey representative told Fast Company at the time. The price increase followed the companies pursuit for a tariff exemption with Trump's administration, estimating a tariff expense of upwards of $20 million in its second quarter. After speaking with 11 experts in the chocolate industry, Reuters found that tariffs are hurting American companies's competitively amid rising costs of cacao—yet others and benefiting. Reaping the benefits Almost everyone loves chocolate, and its popularity continues to rise, with chocolate amounting to $21.4 billion in confectionery sales last year. As chocolate's birthplace, Mexico does not rely on imported cacao, as its tropical weather can sustain the growth of beans. Due to its local harvest, Mexican brands can produce chocolate without paying for the Trump imposed 10-25% tariffs. Similarly, Canada benefits from a lack of tariffs, as it imports its cacao with zero additional duties, making production up north cheaper than in the U.S. Additionally, the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade pact (USMCA), the trade agreement that replaced NAFTA, chocolate imports from both Canada and Mexico are tariff free, regardless of cacao origin. American companies are required to pay taxes to import cacao, which cannot be nationally produced at scale, while Mexico can produce its own and Canada buys in without extra fees, setting American companies back. Still, as American companies continue to struggle, it seems a new trade deal might revert back tariffs and help those in the chocolate industry. On July 29, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested that natural resources not found in the U.S. could be tariff exempt as soon as upcoming trade deals close.
South China Morning Post
12-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
How Thailand's craft chocolate industry is raising the bar with sustainable practices
When it comes to countries that produce chocolate, Switzerland and Belgium may be among the first to come to mind. But neither of them grow cacao, the fruit whose seeds are needed to make chocolate. In fact, 70 per cent of the world's cacao comes from the Ivory Coast, in western Africa. Advertisement Few would think about Thailand, but the Asian country is emerging as a craft grower with a blossoming bean-to-bar movement. Thailand's relationship with cacao has been a long and rocky one. In the 17th century, Spanish galleons began transporting the crop from the Philippines to elsewhere in Southeast Asia – to Indonesia, India, Malaysia and finally Thailand, where it arrived in the early 1900s. Yet, unlike its regional neighbours, Thailand never became a major player in the global cocoa trade. In 1952, the Thai government introduced subsidies to promote cacao as a lucrative export crop. But the initiative faltered as farmers found greater profits in rubber, palm oil and fruit. Advertisement By the 1990s, annual production of cacao had dwindled to just 400 tonnes (440 tons), a drop in the bucket compared with regional giants like Indonesia.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
Delicious Blue Stripes cacao granola dubbed 'the best I've had by far' is 50% off during Prime Day - be quick to snag this sweet deal!
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more We live in a world where tasty treats tempt us at every turn. While some might be good for you, few can compare to the actual goodness Blue Stripes offers. The brand is widely known as the disruptive company that's taken a stance against cacao waste — and its impact is tremendous. Products like Blue Stripes Cacao Water and Whole Cacao Granola, along with everything else in the lineup, are made using the entire cacao pod. Blue Stripes Whole Cacao Granola 2-Pack Don't miss this chance to snag two bags of granola for 50 percent off! In your choice of Peanut Butter Banana and Dark Chocolate, this granola packs a punch. It contains 15 vitamins and minerals, only 5 grams of sugar (and no refined sugar), 3 grams of dietary fiber, and a whopping 70 percent cacao. Plus, both flavors taste absolutely amazing! $9.50 (was $18.99) Shop Right now select Blue Stripes products are reduced on Amazon for the brand's Prime Day sale, with steep savings of up to 50 percent off the granola for a limited time. It's a great opportunity to stock up and save on your favorite flavor! Its practices are a far cry from the chocolate industry, which uses only beans — and wastes 70 percent of the pod in the process — to make its products. By contrast, Blue Stripes makes complete use of the entire pod, including its shell, fruit, and beans. Blue Stripes Whole Cacao Granola 6-Pack You can't do better than this! With 50 percent off six bags, you will definitely come out a winner with this deal. Crunchy, filling, and satisfying, the brand's granola is loaded with 5 grams of plant-powered protein to help you get your day started right. It's a great anytime, anywhere snack, and it's gluten-free, too! $22 (was $43.99) Shop Food waste plays a huge role in environmental degradation, contributing to significant greenhouse gas production. But those discarded cacao components are nutrient-rich and offer several health benefits. The fruit is loaded with fiber, for starters, which is vital for optimal gut health. And its vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants enhance Blue Stripes' products, making them a great choice for getting the nutrients you need every single day. And doing that is so easy, because the Whole Cacao Granola is flavorful and diverse. Enjoy a bowl for breakfast or toss some onto your yogurt. Use it as a crunchy ice cream topping. With flavors like Peanut Butter Banana and Dark Chocolate, there are tantalizing options to level up your breakfast game while boosting your nutrition to start the day. The reviews speak for themselves! 'The best granola I've had by far,' raved one shopper. 'I immediately fell in love! This is definitely a re-order type of granola.' 'Warning: Very easy to eat the entire bag! This granola is delicious and I love that I'm getting bits and pieces of the entire super fruit cacao pod when I eat it,' wrote another. 'It tastes so good, you could mindlessly snack your way through it on a road trip if you're not careful. Yum!' 'I love this so much I signed up to get five bags a month,' added a third. 'It tastes so great and the crunch factor is out of this world.' In other worlds, you do not want to sleep on this opportunity to stock up on Blue Stripes Whole Cacao Granola while it's in stock — and deeply on sale. Now's your chance to load up on bundles for less! Be quick, as Prime Day wraps up soon.
Free Malaysia Today
23-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Surprising uses of cacao that go beyond chocolate
The by-products from cocoa production has many surprising uses. (Envato Elements pic) PARIS : Cacao beans have uses that go beyond being the base ingredient of our favourite chocolate treats or beverages. Today, cacao beans are processed in all sorts of ways to make the most of every part of the bean. Here are a few examples of how the waste created from their processing can be utilised. Cacao water Mucilage is the white, fleshy pulp that surrounds fresh beans – and the South American workers who harvest the pods have long been used to sucking this white material like candy. There are now several ways to make use of this raw material, such as by producing cacao water. A simple cold extraction process produces a juice with a tangy taste that is rich in antioxidants and theobromine, an energiser similar to caffeine. According to the US-based Blue Stripes brand, a 300ml carton of cacao water has twice the antioxidant power of a handful of blueberries. This new drink is really only at the beginning of its story, but it already seems to be on the road to success. At the end of 2021, chocolate giant Barry Callebaut announced that it had spotted a new opportunity by launching its very first functional beverage, made from cacao fruit. Fine-dining dessert creations In the world of pastry, mucilage is a novel ingredient some top chefs are experimenting with. Its fruity flavour has serious potential for creating a new kind of chocolate dessert. At the Four Seasons George V hotel in Paris, the young prodigy Michaël Bartocetti sources it from Vietnam to create some fascinating and flavoursome fine-dining afters. Mucilage – the white, fleshy pulp that surrounds cacao beans inside the pod – is now being used in products such as cacao water, fine desserts, and even fragrances. (TechnicoFlor pic Building material In Ecuador, an architectural project aims to build an eco-village made up of sustainable buildings constructed from recycled cacao-bean waste. This raw material gets fed into 3D printers to produce fibres capable of constructing buildings in an area traditionally used for cacao cultivation. Ecuadorian brand Muze Cacao is a partner for this vast project. Cosmetics In Ivory Coast, the leading cacao-producing country, the founder of luxury chocolate brand Le Chocolatier Ivoirien recently initiated a project to recycle cacao beans into powder for use in makeup foundation. The entrepreneur is turning the technique of using cocoa powder as a foundation for black skin into a commercial venture. This trick was reportedly used by famed makeup artist Pat McGrath when discussing the beauty industry's long journey to producing for diverse skin tones. Fragrance It's only a short step from cosmetics to perfumery: the TechnicoFlor group, which develops aromatic compositions for perfume houses, has unveiled some surprising fragrances all based on the reuse of waste products, including cacao and mucilage extracted from pods. Indeed, it's clear the versatile cacao bean has more surprising uses than merely for candy or hot cocoa!
