Inside Scoop
Keeping it local
Washington Hazelnuts
Our hazelnuts are sourced from family-owned orchards in Washington state. Every jar of Bōkas is packed with 55-65% of the Jefferson variety - known for their resilience growing in tough climates - and also their sweet, buttery taste.
Honoring our Roots
Sustainable Cacao
Did you know the Amazon rainforest covers over 42% of Colombia? This rich ecosystem gives home to the highest biodiversity in the world - including some of the world's finest coffee and chocolate.
We proudly source our cacao from a collective of small, sustainable farms in Colombia.
Formulated by a Nutritionist
Dates
The nutritionist in me chose dates as the sweetener in our hazelnut spread formulas. Known as "nature's candy", dates are naturally sweet - while being low in the glycemic index and packed with a powerhouse of antioxidants.
Maybe the saying should be, "A date a day keeps the nutritionist away?"
-Autumn Morrow, MSc, CN
FAQ
Questions and Answers
What oils are used in the spreads?
No oils! Just pure organic cacao butter (from cacao beans). It's what gives chocolate it's "melt-in-your-mouth" goodness.
Unlike many oils out there - our cacao butter is never refined, bleached, or deodorized (RBD).
Are dates considered "added sugar"?
Our spreads are sweetened with whole, dehydrated organic dates. Because the fruit is simply dried and ground - all the natural components of the whole fruit remain (i.e. fiber, antioxidants, etc.). The most current FDA guidance does not count whole fruit powders as "added sugar" on the nutrition facts - only powders made from concentrated fruit juices.
Why is it so expensive?
No refined sugar: Most commercial hazelnut spreads are loaded with refined sugar as their main ingredient - which is (unfortunately for our health) super cheap. Instead, we use date powder from whole fruit as our only sweetener.
Locally-sourced hazelnuts: While other leading brands have only 13% hazelnuts in their formulas and usually source them cheaply from Turkey, we use between 55%-65% hazelnuts in our formulas and source our hazelnuts fresh from Washington state.
Climate change: Cacao crops have been devastated worldwide due to climate change. The shortage of cacao has driven up prices to record levels.
That's why it's so important not to ever buy products with palm oil - it's one of the leading causes of deforestation - and deforestation is one of the leading causes of climate change.
Other fun factors: Persistent inflation, tariffs, and surging oil prices inflating the cost of goods and supplies everywhere.
Why does the cacao butter crystalize on the surface?
Cacao butter is what makes chocolate - well, chocolate. And chocolate likes to be kept at cooler temperatures. When temperatures fluctuate too much (like during shipping), the crystals in cacao butter can separate and form little flower shapes on the surface of your spread. It's called "bloom" and it's totally natural. It's also an easy fix: just warm gently and give a quick stir.
What's the difference between cacao and cocoa?
They are the same thing - same bean, same plant (Theobroma Cacao). The two names are use for marketing purposes only and the FDA doesn't distinguish between them. We use the two names to distinguish between the sweetness levels of our two formulas (the oat milk cocoa is sweeter). Even though cocoa is a more familiar term, we may end up calling them both cacao to avoid confusion.