Ombar

Super good. Super ethical. Super tasty

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Organic Raw Vegan Chocolate

All of our chocolate is 100% vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, soya-free and free of refined sugar, meaning it’s suitable for most!

Our Mission

Change the way you think about chocolate

Ombar’s mission is to change the way the world sees chocolate. From cheap, sugary junk food, to cacao rich, nutrient dense super bar! It all started in 2007, when Richard, our founder, discovered that the original chocolate ingredient – the humble cacao bean – is a little gem of a superfood with huge health benefits. Dismayed that chocolate had lost its way, Richard vowed to champion good chocolate and put cacao back on top.

Cacao… Our hero

At the heart of our chocolate is cacao (cocoa beans) an incredible superfood packed with heart-healthy polyphenols, manganese and magnesium, antioxidant properties, over 300 natural compounds and essential nutrients and minerals that nourish the brain, immune system and muscles. Pretty impressive, right?

At Ombar we want you to enjoy as many of these health perks as possible. So we:

Cacao In

From 55% cocoa solids right up to 100% pure cacao, there’s no scrimping on the good stuff.

keep Our Cool

The nutrients and minerals in cacao are damaged by heat so we don’t roast our beans. Instead we use unroasted cacao processed at cool temperatures.

Raise the bar

All our ingredients are vegan and organic, such as whole, unrefined coconut sugar – a healthier alternative to the refined sugar in most chocolate. We even add probiotics to some of our chocolate bars for all those microbiome fans out there.

Ombelievably delicious

It’s a universal fact – chocolate should taste good! That’s why we can’t get enough of it, right? Which means, as well as all the other important ethical and better for you stuff, at Ombar we only make delicious, rich and utterly indulgent chocolate.

Rise of Cacao

From sacred gift of Central and South American Gods, to modern-day super food, we’re fascinated by the story of the humble, and truly amazing cacao bean:

1. Blessed Beans

Aztecs and Mayans considered cacao to be a sacred gift from the gods. Considered more valuable than gold, it was consumed during rituals by kings and priests.

2. Cacao Cure

When cacao arrived in Europe, it was again considered to be very valuable as a health drink, even prescribed by doctors for a host of ailments.

3. Industrial Revolution

In the 18th century cacao processing changed hugely. The making of cocoa powder and then, later, ‘eating chocolate’ made it more accessible to a wider population.

4. Milk & More

When dried milk was added, chocolate became more of a sweet confection than a health drink. Cacao as an ingredient took a back seat and large manufacturers dominated chocolate production.

5. Cacao Rediscovered

Thanks to fair trade and organic initiatives, people became more aware of where and who made their food. Cocoa solids percentages and origins became important and gradually cacao came back into the conversation.

6. Beans Boosted

This rediscovery brought an interest in cacao and its health benefits. The first superfood trend exploded, and Cacao was recognised for the superfood it truly is.

7. Ombar to the rescue

We started making authentic cacao rich chocolate from our kitchen table, with the intention of making a healthier more ethical chocolate without compromise.

Super Ethical

For us, Ecuador is where it’s at. Home to the best tasting cacao in the world, from the renowned provinces of Manabi and Esmereldas,  where we’re proud to have built strong partnerships since 2007.

More than fair trade

We only source cacao from cooperatives owned by farmers growing a variety of crops, never large monoculture plantations. And we pay higher than fair trade prices for native Ecuadorian cacao that doesn’t fluctuate in price like the cheaper mass-market varieties do. This means we can offer farmers a stable income at better than fair prices. As all the farmers we work with are part of the global Fairtrade scheme, the additional premium we pay for their cacao goes straight to projects that benefit their local community.

Coconut sugar

We purchase our coconut sugar from a brilliant producer based on the tropical island of Mindanao in The Philippines. They manage their own coconut palm tree plantations and small factories for the production of coconut sugar, placing special emphasis on recruiting and empowering women and local indigenous communities. It’s all certified fair trade helping to provide improved facilities to local communities.