"Chocolate is actually much deeper."
That's what we say about us, who run the "Fermented Cocoa Bean and Chocolate Specialty Store Cacao Mono" in Kobe's Higashiyama shopping street.
Beyond ordinary chocolate lovers, we named it "cacao thing" with the meaning of "one who leans towards cacao". In the Edo period, people who were not bound by common sense were called "tilted people". We also want to deliver a world that goes beyond the common sense of chocolate to everyone.
The trigger was an encounter with fermented cacao beans.
Typical cocoa beans are roasted at a high temperature of 100 degrees Celsius or higher, while fermented cocoa beans are unheated or low-temperature processed. Thanks to this, there are plenty of nutrients such as cacao's original enzymes, polyphenols, magnesium, and iron.
"I want to spread the world of chocolate, which is not only delicious, but also good for the body."
With this in mind, we are proposing a new way to enjoy cacao from Kobe, the birthplace of Valentine's Day.
Our goal is to achieve both "deliciousness" and "health and beauty".
Add a little happiness and health to your daily life. I wanted to convey the charm of cacao, so I set up a store in a corner of Higashiyama Shopping Street.
Through more than 200 types of chocolates carefully selected from around the world and original fermented cocoa products, we explore new possibilities for cocoa.
A place where "cocoa people" and "cacao things" who are fascinated by chocolate gather. That is our "cacao thing".