As you begin to stock your pantries with chocolates and candies, pay attention to the list of ingredients listed on the package. Depending on the brand and quality of chocolate, it may be a product that is harmful to your own health, as well as to the environment and wildlife.
However, there is a chocolate brand that we like, as it surpasses all expectations of quality ingredients, refined taste, and global standards. Nuubia is a new ethical chocolate shop based in San Francisco that goes far beyond many other brands.
Hand Crafted and Environmentally Friendly
Nuubia hand-makes specialty confections from humanely sourced ingredients, without using either palm oil or GMOs. Founder, Alexandra Saunders, was born in Java, Indonesia, and has dedicated to life to conservation (cultivating palms for their oil is highly destructive of the environment so Nuubia has found a way to make ganache without the use of palm oil). Just a few weeks ago, Alexandra Saunders was an Honoree at Pongo Environmental Awards.
Nuubia is the first chocolatier to not only refuse to use palm oil but to ensure that what they make has no negative impact on the rainforests of the world. The company is also working to launch the Chocolate Wildlife Project which provides farmers with a viable source of income. For example, Nuubia purchases its ethical chocolate and ingredients directly from farmers who learn to produce sustainable, habitat-friendly crops.
With Indonesia being the world’s 3rd largest exporter of palm oil, the production of palm oil has devastated the natural habitats of the animals and orangutans that inhabit the area. Founder, Alexandra Saunders, took a personal interest in orangutan conservation when she lived in Indonesia and studied them in graduate school at UC Berkeley. It was through this passion that Nuubia created the Chocolate Wildlife Project, which provides small farmers living on the edges of the Orangutan habitat with a viable source of income to abstain from destructive farming practices.
The Delicious Products
Some standout ethical chocolates from Nuubia include fresh-squeezed lime juice with vanilla bonbons, Caramelized Hazelnut Spread Sauce, that can rival just about any Nutella out there, and finally Johnny Walker Black Espresso Ganache Half Spheres! So when a box of chocolates is under the tree, you know that no orangutans were harmed to make your chocolate and that your treat can be enjoyed guilt-free.
Not to mention the OMG Candy Bar was awarded “Best Foods in the U.S.” by Esquire Magazine. Layers of hazelnut praline, sea salt caramel, rice crisps, and dark chocolate come together in harmony to create the perfect mood-altering balance. The chocolatier at Nuubia is Lionel Clement in 2011 he was named Chocolatier of the Year by Pastry Live.
Nuubia also offers a heart-shaped chocolate special (for pick up only), filled with more chocolate bonbons. This is the ultimate sweetheart gift for any special occasion.
Connect with Nuubia Today
In February 2015, Nuubia San Francisco opened its first flagship retail space in the newly built “Market on Market” inside the Twitter building, bringing fine chocolates, confections, natural spreads, macarons, handcrafted ice creams and seasonal specials to the city. Either take a selection of these handmade items home or stay and enjoy a chocolaty treat with freshly brewed latte in-store while sitting at Nuubia’s Chocolate Counter. The chocolates can be purchased directly from their instore location or ordered online. When ordered online they arrive very well packed with an ice pack and delivered within a couple of days directly from the store.
