According to Natural Grocery Buyer, the growth of natural chocolate sales in supermarkets increased by 65% this past year. The reason is simple - people are interested in better quality food and in knowing where their food comes from, and they’re beginning to have more sophisticated palates.
Consumers are also becoming aware of the many health benefits of dark chocolate and realizing that high-end chocolate is not just another form of candy. Chocolate comes from a vegetable and is actually a food. The more sugar is has, the less expensive it will be because prices for quality cocoa are a lot higher than for sugar. Low-cost chocolates are often 50 percent to 70 percent sugar, dark chocolates contain as much as 80 percent cocoa solids. Recent studies have touted the antioxidant effects of dark chocolate, as well as its heart-healthy vasodilation effect.
