Ingredients

MIA announces Baobab & Salted Nibs arrival, as ethical chocolate brand pushes into Whole Foods and Nature & Découvertes in Europe

13-Nov-2018 - Last updated on 13-Nov-2018 at 13:28 GMT

MIA announces Baobab & Salted Nibs addition to its chocolate bar collection. Pic: MIA

Company celebrates first year with another new variant to add to its bean-to-bar process.

MIA, which stands for ‘Made In Africa’, has added a Baobab & Salted Nibs variant to its range of bars, which are wholly produced, crafted and packaged in Madagascar.

Following the brand’s successful crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs, which raised over £130K ($167k) and a launch in Whole Foods in the UK and Nature & Découvertes in mainland Europe, the new line contains the on-trend superfood ingredient baobab, which has been sourced from African-inspired health food brand Aduna.

Brett Beach: in conversation

Brett Beach, director, MIA, an ethical bean-to-bar chocolate producer.

Baobab grows on Africa’s ‘Tree of Life’ and is the only fruit in the world that dries naturally on the branch. After bathing in the sun for six months, the dry whiteish pulp inside the fruit is harvested and sieved to produce a 100% natural and organic powder, which is nutrient-rich and contains more antioxidants than any other whole fruit. MIA says it provides the bar with ‘a sweet and citrussy flavor’.

Brett Beach, co-founder of MIA, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Aduna on our latest launch as their mission is similar to that of MIA. We both look to support African producers and create change. Baobab as an ingredient is becoming more and more popular in the UK and it once again shows the wonderful breadth of ingredients produced throughout Africa. It adds a fantastic zing to the bar and is delightful when combined with the crunch of salted cocoa nibs. We think consumers will love it!”

The new variant joins the brand’s other bars – 100% Cocoa, 75% Dark Chocolate, 65% Coconut, 65% Almond & Coconut, 65% Cranberry & Hazelnut, 65% Candied Orange and 65% Hemp & Almond. The bar is available immediately to retailers in 75g packs in cases of 10.

MIA, which celebrates its first anniversary this month, says it works in collaboration with local communities, growers and craftspeople in Africa to ‘discover the best ingredients and uses them to produce the finest tastes, textures and flavors’.