547: Shari Flam on Raw Cacao from Belize and Ecuador.
Supporting 4th generation farmers while making healthier chocolates.
In This Podcast:
We’ve all heard some of the benefits of chocolate, but Shari Flam is harnessing the medicinal benefits of cacao beans by using the fermented beans in her tasty treats. Listen in to learn about ethically sourcing cacao beans, the health benefits of eating raw cacao, the different processing methods, and some of the treats she makes using the unprocessed cacao beans. She also discusses the mineral and chemical components of chocolate and how it interacts with the nervous system.
Our Guest:
Shari began her endeavors in chocolate 15 years ago as a home based business for family and friends. A dream finally blossomed 3 years ago with the start of communal Uprising chocolate driven by a passion to help the planet and spread awareness through the heart-opening benefits of the cacao. The treats are all free of white sugar, completely ethically and environmentally sound using no plastic and purchased through a South American Co-op. Communal Uprising chocolate works for them, they do not work for us, says Shari. We educate about the benefits of raw cacao and create a connection in our minds to positivity.
Listen in and learn about:
- Shari’s transformation to a new career and how it brought her to cacao
- Sourcing Cacao from South America and a little about the co-op she purchases from
- The different forms of cacao, cocoa powder, and chocolate
- The process of tempering chocolate
- Using cacao seeds in treats instead of more processed versions
- Health benefits to eating raw cacao and the mineral and chemical components to it.
- Acquired tastes and experiencing cacao seeds for the first time
- Medicinal cacao vs chocolate with white sugar in it
- Treats that she makes using cacao
- How fermentation changes the taste of cacao
As well as:
Her failure – Staying in a relationship that was not healthy for longer than she should have.
Her success – Becoming vulnerable and finding her direction.
Her drive – The desire to be connected to her heart and passion for what she is doing.
Her advice – Watch “Bitter Chocolate” on the Netflix TV show: Rotten.
Shari’s Book recommendations*:
“Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman”
How to reach Shari:
Website: www.cuchocolate.com
Facebook: Communal Uprising Chocolate
Instagram: CommunalUprisingChocolate
UrbanFarm.org/cuchocolate
*Disclosure:
Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
