Morogoro Cacao Powder

Fruity, bright, rich and nutty, great for baking and savory cooking.

$9.99
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Morogoro Cacao Powder is rich and nutty with a bright, fruity edge, offering layers of flavor that go far beyond sweetness. Its tasting notes lean toward toasted hazelnut, espresso crema and gentle bitterness, with a depth that feels savory as often as it does dessert-ready.

This cacao comes from the Kokoa Kamili cooperative in the Morogoro region of Tanzania, where beans are carefully fermented and sun-dried before being ground into powder. Unlike conventional cocoa powders, the beans are not roasted, allowing their natural fruitiness and complexity to shine through. The minimal processing preserves both aroma and nuance.

Use Morogoro Cacao Powder in baked goods, hot chocolate and desserts, or lean into its savory side. It’s excellent as an alternative to paprika in stews, chilis and tomato sauces, where it adds sweetness and depth reminiscent of caramelized onions, barbecue or soy sauce. A small amount brings richness and balance, especially in slow-cooked dishes.

Highlights

Origin:

Kilombero Valley, Morogoro Region, Tanzania

Process:

Naturally fermented & sun-dried

Tasting notes:

Dried Cherry • Tannins • Bittersweet Chocolate

Pairs well with:

Royal Cinnamon, Pemba Cloves, Black Urfa Chili

Ingredients

Cacao bean solids, ground. (Theobroma cacao var. Trinitario)

Kosher
non gmo clear
non irradiated clear
no preservatives clear
Salt Free

Cooking tips

  • Replace paprika with cacao in stews, sauces, chili and rubs
  • Swap out for processed cocoa powder in brownies, chocolate cakes or puddings
  • Mix with milk (or milk alternative) for delightful hot chocolate
  • Replace chocolate for a rich mole sauce

Recipes

Sourcing

People working with Morogoro Cacao beans from Burlap & Barrel on a large yellow tarp in an indoor setting.

The Kokoa Kamili cooperative is comprised of over 5,000 smallholder farmers in the Kilombero Valley. They provide training and support for their member farmers, as well as cocoa tree seedlings (over 140,000 so far) for free or well below cost.

Kokoa Kamili supplies cocoa beans to a lot of well-respected chocolate makers here in the US, including Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco and Raaka in NYC.

With this spice, they've gone one step further and turned the cocoa beans into powder. Rather than relying on someone else to take this step, they're creating an opportunity to bring more money back to their member farmers.

Their cacao powder is minimally processed and unroasted: the beans are fermented using the cacao fruit sugars, and then heated gently to extract the fat (which is used to make cocoa butter). The powder is the byproduct of the cocoa butter-making process, which is typically used for cosmetics.

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