Raw chocolate refers to cacao and chocolate products made without high-temperature roasting, alkalization, or extended high-heat conching, keeping bean temperature well below the point where flavanol loss accelerates. This preserves a much larger share of the cacao's natural flavanols, the compounds behind its measured effect on blood vessel function. The term itself has no legal definition, but the processing behind it is specific, and its outcome is independently testable.
There's no legal definition of "raw," but there is a practical one
No regulatory body enforces the word "raw" on cacao products the way "organic" or "extra virgin" are enforced. Within the industry, though, it has a fairly consistent practical meaning: cacao that hasn't been roasted at high temperature, hasn't been alkalized (Dutch-processed), and hasn't gone through extended high-heat conching. Unlike some other unregulated cacao terms, see why we don't use the term "ceremonial cacao", the outcome this processing is meant to protect, flavanol content, can be measured directly and confirmed through lab testing.
What conventional processing changes
Roasting develops the familiar chocolate flavor, but research on bean roasting shows epicatechin loss becomes significant once bean temperature exceeds 70°C. Alkalization, also called Dutch processing, makes cocoa powder darker and milder, but is one of the most damaging steps for flavanol content, in some cases destroying more than 90%. Extended high-temperature conching adds further degradation. The full mechanism behind why this matters is covered in our article on cacao flavanols and vascular function.
How we keep bean temperature below that threshold
Our beans never cross 70°C, and core bean temperature averages 45 to 50°C throughout processing, a comfortable margin below the point where degradation accelerates.
Why flavanol content is the meaningful difference
Flavanols, principally catechin, epicatechin, and their procyanidin forms, are the compounds studied for their effect on blood vessel function through the nitric oxide pathway. The EU-authorised health claim states that cocoa flavanols help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, which contributes to normal blood flow, at a daily intake of 200mg cocoa flavanols (Regulation (EU) No 851/2013).
How to tell if a product is genuinely raw
Look for a stated processing temperature, the absence of alkalization on the ingredient list, and independent lab verification of flavanol content rather than cacao percentage alone. Named, single-origin sourcing is a useful secondary signal, though not proof by itself. For a fuller checklist, see our guide on buying raw chocolate.
Our Raw Cacao Bar 100% and Raw Cacao Beans are both processed this way, and independently lab-tested to confirm it.
Summary
"Raw chocolate" isn't a protected term, but the processing choices behind it are specific, and their effect, flavanol retention, is directly measurable. The most reliable way to know whether a product delivers on that is independent lab testing, not the word "raw" on the label. For how raw cacao powder specifically compares to conventional cocoa powder, see our article on raw cacao powder vs. regular cocoa powder.
References
Kothe L., Zimmermann B.F. & Galensa R. Temperature influences epimerization and composition of flavanol monomers, dimers and trimers during cocoa bean roasting. Food Chemistry, 2013;141(4):3656–3663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.06.049
Payne M.J., Hurst W.J., Miller K.B., Rank C. & Stuart D.A. Impact of fermentation, drying, roasting and Dutch processing on epicatechin and catechin content of cacao beans and cocoa ingredients. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2010;58(19):10518–10527. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf102391q
Miller K.B., Hurst W.J., Payne M.J., Stuart D.A., Apgar J., Sweigart D.S. & Ou B. Impact of alkalization on the antioxidant and flavanol content of commercial cocoa powders. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2008;56(18):8527–8533. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf801670p
