Farmatuur x Flava’Choc: A New Love Affair with Cacao

We thought we knew chocolate. Ruben and Elien Swalens are showing us what cacao can become when nature is allowed to remain.

We all know olive oil. Or at least, we think we do.

For most of our lives, olive oil was simply olive oil. Only recently have many of us begun to understand the importance of freshness, cultivar, harvest time and polyphenol content, and why two bottles labelled extra virgin can differ enormously in quality, flavour and nutritional value.

Oils such as Attimo Coratina d’Italia and OLV Limits Green Machine reveal an entirely different world. They teach us that bitterness and pepperiness are not imperfections, but expressions of freshness and naturally occurring polyphenols. Suddenly, olive oil is no longer merely something we pour over food. It becomes a product of cultivar, terroir, timing, craftsmanship and measurable quality.

We all know berries, too.

They are among nature’s most recognisable symbols of health. Yet the deeper we look, the more we discover that not every berry reaches us in the same condition. Cultivation methods, pesticide use, long transport routes and storage all matter.

That is when wild berries, picked from pristine Scandinavian forests and gently preserved as whole fruit powders, become something entirely different from the anonymous berries lining a supermarket shelf.

Products such as LOOV’s wild blueberry powder and wild lingonberry powder allow the colour, flavour and natural complexity of Nordic berries to become part of an everyday routine, without added sugar, fillers or unnecessary ingredients.

And then there is chocolate.

Almost everyone loves it. Most of us grew up believing that we understood it. We learned that a higher cacao percentage generally meant darker, purer and perhaps healthier chocolate.

But what if that percentage tells us only part of the story?

What if the real question is not simply how much cacao was used, but how much of the original cacao bean survived the journey into chocolate?

That is where the story of Flava’Choc begins.

The cacao story hiding inside chocolate

Flava’Choc is a young Belgian cacao brand founded by Ruben Swalens and developed together with his sister, Elien.

It did not begin with the ambition to create another premium chocolate brand. Ruben’s starting point was far more fundamental:

How can we preserve what makes cacao naturally valuable?

Ruben had always loved chocolate and cacao. But his growing interest in health, longevity and evidence based nutrition encouraged him to look beyond flavour and cacao percentages.

That search led him to cacao flavanols, naturally occurring bioactive compounds belonging to the wider polyphenol family. Cacao is one of nature’s richest dietary sources of these compounds, provided they are not lost during processing.

The more Ruben learned, the more frustrated he became.

Chocolate packaging might mention the percentage of cacao, the country of origin or a beautifully worded tasting profile. But essential information was often missing.

Where did the beans really come from? How were they grown? At what temperatures were they processed? Had the cacao been alkalised? And how many flavanols remained in the finished product?

Despite the growing scientific interest in cacao flavanols, Ruben could not find a brand that combined everything he was searching for: exceptional cacao, traceable origins, natural or organic cultivation, minimal processing, high flavanol levels and transparent laboratory results.

So he decided to create the products he had been looking for himself.

Today, Ruben safeguards the sourcing, quality standards, processing philosophy and scientific foundations of Flava’Choc. His sister Elien helps translate that precision into stories, recipes and a growing community around cacao.

Together, they share a simple conviction:

Cacao should remain what it was always meant to be, pure, transparent and naturally rich in flavour and nutritional value.

Several years to find the right production partner

Finding extraordinary cacao beans was only half the challenge. Ruben also needed to find someone capable of turning those beans into chocolate without destroying the very qualities he wanted to preserve.

Most chocolate production is designed around efficiency, consistency and a familiar flavour profile. Roasting softens acidity and develops traditional chocolate aromas. Alkalisation makes cacao darker and milder. Long periods of conching create an exceptionally smooth texture.

Technically, those processes work beautifully.

But intensive heat treatment and alkalisation can also significantly reduce the natural flavanol and polyphenol content of cacao. The exact loss varies according to the bean, temperature, duration and method used, but research consistently shows that processing choices matter.

Ruben therefore arrived at potential producers with an unusual request.

He wanted cacao that was not conventionally roasted. He wanted no alkalisation. He wanted short, gentle conching with temperatures kept below 45 °C. And he still expected excellent flavour, food safety and texture.

Ruben spent several years searching for a production partner who was not only technically capable of meeting these conditions, but who also understood why they mattered.

The process had to adapt to the cacao, not force the cacao to surrender to the process.

That restraint may be the greatest craftsmanship behind Flava’Choc. At every stage, the maker has to know when to intervene and, perhaps even more importantly, when to leave the bean alone.

Quality begins long before production

Gentle processing can only preserve what was present in the original bean. That is why Flava’Choc does not begin at the chocolate factory.

It begins at the origin.

Ruben selects cacao according to its purity, genetics, flavour profile, cultivation method and natural composition. Batches are analysed before production. If the cacao does not meet the required standards for flavanols, nutrients and purity, it is not used.

This approach has resulted in a collection of distinctive origins rather than one anonymous stream of cacao.

Guayas, Ecuador

Nacional cacao with dried cranberry, soft malt, light fruitiness and a subtle salty note.

Cusco, Peru

Rare Chuncho cacao from the Peruvian highlands, offering nuances of sweet wine, toffee, cognac and cinnamon.

Sambirano Valley, Madagascar

Cacao with a beautiful balance of raspberry and strawberry notes, gentle acidity and cashew.

Bundibugyo, Uganda

Whole cacao beans grown near the Rwenzori Mountains, characterised by notes of nuts, berries, pineapple and subtle spice.

As with wine or exceptional extra virgin olive oil, variety is only the beginning. Soil, climate, rainfall, harvest timing, fermentation and drying all help determine what a cacao bean can eventually become.

At Farmatuur, this is how we have always looked at nature. Origin is not a decorative story added to a product after it has been made. Origin is part of the product.

Why cacao flavanols matter

Cacao flavanols belong to the polyphenol family, naturally occurring plant compounds also found in foods such as tea, apples, berries and olives.

The European Union recognises one specific authorised health claim for cacao flavanols:

“Cocoa flavanols help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, which contributes to normal blood flow.”

According to the official conditions, this beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 200 mg of cacao flavanols from a qualifying cacao product. View the official EU regulation.

Cacao flavanols are also being studied in relation to cardiovascular function, cerebral blood flow, cognition, metabolic parameters and the microbiome. These research areas are promising, but they require nuance.

The large randomised COSMOS trial followed 21,442 older adults for an average of 3.6 years and used a daily cocoa extract containing 500 mg of flavanols. The primary composite cardiovascular outcome was not significantly reduced. However, a secondary outcome showed 27% fewer cardiovascular deaths in the flavanol group.

This is an interesting observation, but as a secondary finding it should not be translated into a promise about eating chocolate. Read the COSMOS study.

A separate COSMOS Web study examined memory and cognitive ageing. The primary memory result was not significant across the full group, but improvements were observed among participants who had a lower quality diet or consumed relatively few flavanols at the start of the study. Read the COSMOS Web memory study.

The science is therefore more nuanced than the slogans often suggest.

But it does make one thing very clear: if we want to talk meaningfully about cacao and flavanols, the finished product must be measured.

A cacao percentage alone cannot tell us that.

One philosophy, six expressions of cacao

Every Flava’Choc product follows the same philosophy, but each one reveals a different side of the cacao bean.

The 100% unroasted cacao bar: cacao without detours

This uncompromising bar is made with organic Nacional cacao from Ecuador.

No sweeteners. No emulsifiers. No flavourings. Only cacao beans and a layer of unroasted cacao nibs for texture and crunch.

The cacao is unroasted, never alkalised and gently conched at low temperatures. Independent analyses show approximately 1,490 mg of DP1 to DP7 cacao flavanols per 100 grams.

The flavour is intense and complex, yet surprisingly refined. This is not chocolate designed to imitate what the industry has taught us to expect. It is the direct expression of the bean itself.

Discover the 100% unroasted cacao bar at Farmatuur.

The 80% unroasted cacao bar: softer, never compromised

For those who want the richness of unroasted cacao with a naturally rounded softness, Flava’Choc created an 80% bar.

It uses the same Ecuadorian Nacional cacao, complemented only by organic cacao butter and organic date powder.

There is no refined sugar and no flavour masking. The date powder adds a subtle sweetness that supports the cacao without overpowering it.

The measured flavanol content is approximately 790 mg per 100 grams.

Discover the 80% unroasted cacao bar at Farmatuur.

The chocolate drops: the culinary exception

The chocolate drops are the only product in the Flava’Choc collection that is lightly roasted.

This is a deliberate choice. The gentle roasting develops a rounder flavour and creates the smooth melting quality needed for cooking and baking.

The cacao comes from Madagascar’s Sambirano Valley and is combined with organic coconut blossom sugar, organic cacao butter and carefully selected Spanish honey.

With approximately 370 mg of measured cacao flavanols per 100 grams, the drops retain a meaningful flavanol content while remaining easy to use in cakes, pancakes, desserts or homemade chocolate creations.

Discover the 80% dark chocolate drops at Farmatuur.

The unroasted cacao nibs: a daily crunch with measurable substance

Cacao nibs are small pieces of broken, unroasted cacao bean.

Flava’Choc’s nibs are made from organic Nacional cacao from Ecuador and contain no additives. They deliver approximately 2,620 mg of measured DP1 to DP7 flavanols per 100 grams.

A 10 gram portion therefore contains approximately 262 mg of measured flavanols.

Sprinkle them over yoghurt, granola or porridge. Add them to a smoothie, use them as a topping or eat them directly from the bag.

They are earthy, crunchy and wonderfully direct.

Discover the unroasted cacao nibs at Farmatuur.

The unroasted Chuncho cacao powder: a functional powerhouse

For the cacao powder, Ruben selected rare Chuncho beans from Cusco, Peru.

The cacao is cold pressed, unroasted and never alkalised. The resulting powder contains approximately 2,620 mg of measured DP1 to DP7 flavanols per 100 grams, including around 700 mg of epicatechin and catechin.

It also naturally contains approximately 31 grams of fibre and 25 grams of protein per 100 grams.

One 10 gram portion provides approximately 262 mg of measured cacao flavanols. Add it to a smoothie, yoghurt, breakfast bowl or warm, rather than boiling, cacao drink.

Discover the unroasted Chuncho cacao powder at Farmatuur.

The hand peeled cacao beans: as close to the origin as possible

And then there are the beans.

No chocolate bar.
No powder.
No industrial transformation.

The cacao comes from a single farm in Bundibugyo, Western Uganda. Every bean is peeled by hand, without conventional roasting or mechanical shelling. The beans are then treated with UV light to reduce microbiological risk without exposing them to a traditional heat treatment.

They can be eaten whole, broken over a breakfast bowl, freshly ground into cacao paste or used as the starting point for a personal cacao drink.

Their structure, natural fats, minerals and plant compounds remain as close as possible to their original state.

Flava’Choc does not currently publish an exact flavanol value for these beans because this product has not yet undergone a separate flavanol analysis. The batch is tested for purity and safety, including microbiology, pesticide residues and heavy metals.

That distinction matters.

Flava’Choc does not turn an assumption into a number simply because the number would make good marketing.

Discover the hand peeled cacao beans at Farmatuur.

Is Flava’Choc “ceremonial grade” cacao?

Across the Flava’Choc collection, you will find many of the qualities people associate with ceremonial cacao: traceable origins, carefully selected beans, minimal processing, pure ingredients and a cacao experience that can become part of a personal daily ritual.

The 100% and 80% bars are unroasted, never alkalised and gently conched below 45 °C. The nibs remain unroasted. The rare Chuncho cacao powder is cold pressed and never alkalised. The whole Ugandan beans are peeled by hand, never heated and treated with UV light for food safety. Even the chocolate drops, the only lightly roasted product in the collection, are processed gently and never alkalised.

Each product expresses cacao differently, but they all follow the same principle: preserve as much of the bean’s natural character as possible.

Flava’Choc nevertheless chooses not to describe any of these products as ceremonial grade.

There is no regulated definition behind the term. No official production standard determines how cacao must be grown or processed to qualify. There is no fixed maximum temperature, no required origin and no laboratory test that can confirm the grade.

The word may describe the intention or ritual with which someone consumes cacao. It does not necessarily verify the product’s purity, traceability, processing method or flavanol content.

Ruben therefore chooses to communicate information that can be verified: origin, cacao variety, farming method, processing temperature, ingredients and, wherever available, independent laboratory measurements.

For products whose flavanol content has been quantified, Flava’Choc publishes the measured results. For products that have not yet received a specific flavanol analysis, such as the hand peeled beans, the brand states this openly rather than turning an assumption into a marketing claim.

We would therefore not describe the Flava’Choc collection as ceremonial grade.

We prefer to call it: Cacao worthy of ritual, grounded in origin, purity and proof.

Perhaps less mystical. Definitely more honest.

Beside your shot of high polyphenol olive oil

At Farmatuur, we believe in small daily rituals that bring us closer to nature.

A shot of fresh, high polyphenol extra virgin olive oil is one example. Not because one product can solve everything, but because it offers a concentrated encounter with cultivar, soil, harvest, craftsmanship and the natural bitterness of protective plant compounds.

For maximum intensity, there is OLV Limits Green Machine, with its exceptionally high polyphenol concentration and powerful peppery finish.

For a beautifully balanced Italian expression, there is Attimo Coratina d’Italia, an early harvest Coratina with 847 mg of polyphenols per kilogram and an intense profile of herbs, artichoke and black pepper.

Flava’Choc fits beautifully into the same philosophy.

Olive oil needs to be protected from excessive heat, light, time and oxidation. Cacao demands respect for fermentation, drying temperature and processing intensity.

With both products, quality is determined not only by the original fruit or bean, but also by what the maker chooses to do, and chooses not to do, afterwards.

There is currently no clinical evidence that combining high polyphenol olive oil and cacao creates a separate synergistic effect. Nor do they need to be forced into the same recipe.

Their complementarity is more honest than that.

They are two remarkable plant foods, each with its own polyphenols, origins, flavours and centuries old cultural history.

Take your olive oil as you usually do. Then choose the form of cacao that fits your day: nibs over breakfast, a spoonful of Chuncho powder in a warm drink, a piece of the 100% bar or a hand peeled bean enjoyed slowly and attentively.

Those who are sensitive to caffeine or theobromine may prefer to enjoy cacao earlier in the day. Those who want to track their flavanol intake precisely should choose a product for which a batch specific flavanol analysis is available. (you can find the lab analysis of each Flava 'Choc product on our Farmatuur product pages)

Why Flava’Choc belongs at Farmatuur

At Farmatuur, we have never been interested in products that are simply packaged beautifully. A product must earn its place.

Through the integrity of its ingredients.
Through the craftsmanship of its maker.
Through an honest relationship with soil and nature.
And through the courage to be transparent, even when the truth is more nuanced than the marketing story.

Flava’Choc shares that conviction.

Ruben does not select cacao because an origin sounds exotic. He selects it because the bean is pure, flavourful and functionally interesting. He tests batches and rejects those that do not meet his standards. He found a production process that adapts to the cacao instead of forcing cacao to adapt to an industrial standard.

Elien makes that precision human. Through stories, recipes and everyday inspiration, she shows that exceptional cacao does not belong behind glass. It can become part of breakfast, baking, family life and personal rituals.

Their environmental philosophy feels familiar, too. The cacao is grown without synthetic pesticides or chemical inputs and is certified organic wherever possible. Their packaging is recyclable, with the ambition to move towards certified compostable materials once those materials meet the necessary quality and safety standards.

They make better choices, one step at a time, and communicate openly about where they are today. It is how a true love affair with nature grows.

When two love affairs with nature become one

Ruben and Elien are bringing cacao back.

Back to the variety. Back to the soil. Back to the farmer and the harvest. Back to processing that preserves instead of erases. Back to flavours shaped by nature rather than designed by sugar.

That is why we welcome Flava’Choc into the Farmatuur family with such conviction.

Farmatuur began as A Love Affair with Nature.

Flava’Choc began with a love for cacao and the belief that its true nature deserved to survive.

Now, those two stories meet.

Not because we felt that our shelves needed another chocolate brand.

But because we discovered cacao that had never forgotten where it came from.