Integrity Cacao Offers Chocolate with Healthy Benefits
Chocolate—that divinely decadent nectar of the gods—is much more than a treat. It is a superfood, with the ability to help the body thrive, says Merissa Marcuccella, founder of micro-chocolaterie Integrity Cacao.
Marcuccella says she got interested in the healing power of food as a young girl with autoimmune disorders that caused a near-fatal illness. “I became totally interested in learning how to harness the human potential—how the body assimilates food, the mind-body connection,” she says, adding that research has shown that raw cacao, the beans which are normally toasted and used to make shelf-stable chocolate, has many beneficial health effects, including generous anti-inflammatory properties, as well as high levels of magnesium.
Marcuccella, who is also a certified nursing assistant and Ayurvedic health counselor, started investigating how to create health-promoting chocolates that enrich the body while tasting wonderful, when she worked in a health food store. The results were so good, she decided to launch Integrity Cacao. She has started expanding her part-time business, thanks to a small business loan from the Women’s Economic Ventures program.
“What I do is not just chocolate. It is not like anything that exists in the chocolate universe. It is a supplement or medicinal food for healthy systemic stasis and longevity,” Marcuccella says. “These beautiful handmade chocolates are delicious and stimulating. They are formulated for foodies, health nuts and people new to healthy foods alike. This is food that can be so sexy and so exciting, with no dietary compromise.”
Integrity Cacao chocolates are fair trade, vegan, non-GMO, soy/gluten/coconut-free and contain no fillers. Other ingredients, including concentrated turmeric, berry extracts, fresh fruits and matcha, add to the depth of flavors.
With a wide variety of tasty iterations of raw organic cacao, including rose cream truffle, orange essence and mint crunch, Integrity Cacao is made locally and available in about 40 stores in the Ventura County area, and online.
