Raw Cacao product supplier
Posted in: Make Mine Raw ... (Read-Only)
That's an interesting point with regards to different definitions and I suppose there is no reason why their interpretation of raw should be unconventional, they probably think the same of the raw food community's definition of raw 
I wholesale the product so I'm responding to customer requirements who are most likely responding to their customer requirements, who are most likely simply equating raw with healthy. I think as the raw market is going more mainstream, a lot of the new consumers of raw products are buying into a lifestyle and in a time-poor world they are not educating themselves to become discerning consumers... raw is not the be all and end all, and it may not be the best option when all things (e.g. price, taste, nutrient content) are considered. So there's consumer pull for the raw cacao products, and there is also manufacturer pull. I'm guessing a lot of the raw chocolate bar manufacturers see having raw chocolate as good from a marketing persepective. It may not be the best tasting chocolate in the world and it may not be the most healthy treat in the world but it taps into its own niche.
I'd also like to see some more research on the health benefits of raw and unraw and the temperature at which enzyme loss increases for different products, particularly cacao.
Ultimately, it's about helping consumers make more informed choices about what their buying and eating. Organic designation does help in this regard but in some ways "raw" can be a distraction as raw doesn't always equal best.