You may have seen our recent emails about quitting sugar. 

We don’t want to demonize sugar. 

In fact, sugar played a huge role in Firefly Chocolate’s evolution.

Here’s a story from our founder, Jonas:

Many of you know that I started making chocolate after spending time in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I learned how to make cacao the indigenous way. When I learned, I mixed a lot of honey into it, as my taste buds weren’t quite ready for 100% cacao yet.

For the next 18 months after that, I made batches of chocolate at home, and followed what was at the time the standard two-ingredient bean-to-bar recipe—70% cacao and 30% sugar.

However, for a while, I had been experiencing chronic headaches and health issues, and I didn’t know why.

I saw many doctors—conventional and alternative.

Finally, the solution hit me: it was time to go cold turkey on sugar. 

At first, I gave up chocolate completely, but within a couple weeks I discovered that I really didn’t want to go without chocolate in my life for very long! 

So, I started eating 100% pure cacao with no sugar to get my chocolate fix.

It was rather intense though. I wasn’t as good at making 100% cacao then as I am now, and my palate still enjoyed a bit of sweetness. So I began researching different sweeteners I could use in my cacao.

That’s when I found coconut sugar, a lower glycemic index, and a more sustainable crop than cane sugar. But this time, I cut the sugar content in half. Many people resonated with my journey to have more health, to the point that I was convinced to start a business. When I launched Firefly Chocolate it was chocolate bars that were 85% cacao and 15% coconut sugar.

(*A quick note for your health: When comparing 85% dark chocolate to 70% dark chocolate, most people think there is only 15% more sugar. 15% doesn’t sound too bad for your health, right? However, the inconvenient truth is that 70% dark chocolate contains TWICE the amount of sugar in 85% dark chocolate. For example, here’s the math: 1) 100g chocolate bar with 85 grams of dark chocolate and 15 grams of sugar versus 2) a 100g chocolate bar with 70 grams of dark chocolate and 30 grams of sugar. That means you are consuming 200% more sugar with each bite, rather than 15% more sugar as you might think. Chocolate bar labeling can be misleading!)

A few years later, we made a full shift to unsweetened ceremonial cacao. And sugar-free cacaos became the staple of our business. 

But we didn’t make the shift because we are against sweet things in life. 

Rather, we want to empower you to choose your own sweetness, if any.

There are SO many sweetener options these days. 

If we decided how to sweeten the cacao for you, it would limit your creativity, as well as the amount of people that we can reach. 

So, we leave that up to you. 

If you like your ceremonial cacao 100% dark and pure, perfect!

If you want to add honey, stevia, maple syrup, date sugar, coconut sugar, whatever else it may be…that’s perfect too! 

As you continue growing your relationship with cacao, remember that it’s okay to sweeten it sometimes. 

And we also encourage you—if you are a sweet tooth—to try it pure sometimes.

Like my palate, your palate will adjust over time too. So have fun on that journey. 

And keep using your cacao ritual as your special time each day to create a healthier relationship with your food, your body, and your life. 

Re-Stock Your Cacao For Fall

Do you have any questions on rituals? Or would you like to share your rituals with us?

We'd love to hear from you and feature your cacao practice in future newsletters! Text us at +1 (844) 695-0043, reply to this email, reach out on social media, or click on the bottom-right-hand corner of our website for help.

With Love, Gratitude, & Cacao,

Jonas & The Firefly Family

​P.S. - ❄️ We are now on a summer shipping schedule. All cacao is sent out with ice packs and recycled + recyclable insulation!

📅 Orders ship Monday through Wednesday.

🕰️ Wednesday @ 1pm PST is the last order time to make the above shipping window, so that we can reduce the likelihood of your cacao being delayed in a hot warehouse over the weekend!

🧠 Please be mindful if you are ordering during a heatwave.

🏡 Bring your package inside as soon as you can after it is delivered!

📲 We recommend opting in for text message delivery notifications; to do this, enter your phone number at checkout and you will receive updates on your cacao!

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Text +1 (844) 695-0043 for a more intimate cacao conversation.  

You'll get access to the Firefly Family, our private circle where we share exclusive promotions, cacao ritual insights, exciting product updates, and more.