At Antidote, purity is our true north. I personally handle all sourcing, focusing on powerful, vibrant ingredients that make every bar both a pleasure and a tonic.

We’ve worked with organic-certified cacao before, and many of our ingredients still are organic — but going fully certified would actually limit the quality and creativity that define Antidote. Organic doesn’t always mean better, especially when it comes to flavor and cacao nutrition.

What We Use and Why

Our 84% bars are made with certified organic cacao, and all our spices are always purchased organic. The cacao butter we use is the highest quality we can find — and happens to be organic.

When it comes to sugar, we take a tailored approach. Depending on the bar, we use different unrefined and unbleached cane sugars — from light beige to deep brown panela sugar — so each cacao can shine in its best light. Some sugars enhance a bar’s natural caramel tones; others let the fruitier beans take the lead.

Our 100% cacao bar comes from a to-be-organic lot, and the Medjool dates in that bar are certified organic.

Real Ingredients, Real Flavor

Our flavors stand out because we never use essential oils or artificial extracts. Instead, we work directly with local artisans in Ecuador to prepare ingredients for us.

Together, we’ve developed artisanal processes for fruits that preserve as much natural flavor as possible — without chemicals or added sugar — capturing the essence of orange, lemon, ginger, and other fruits grown abundantly in Ecuador. That’s why our flavors taste alive, layered, and real. We don’t buy off catalogs; we collaborate with craftspeople.

Ecuador’s soil is incredibly fertile, producing ingredients with an intensity of flavor that often outshines certified organic equivalents elsewhere. If you go to a supermarket in Ecuador, buy regular salad, eggs, and vegetables, and taste the flavor — you’ll understand what we mean. Even our milk chocolate uses milk powder from small- and medium-sized mountain farms — rich, clean, and full of purity and flavor.

Why We Moved Away from Certification

Early on, we held organic certifications for several bars. But managing both certified and non-certified production made our process unnecessarily complex — and, most importantly, it limited our access to the finest ingredients.

As a U.S. company producing in Ecuador, the certification system adds extra layers. And even though we use organic ingredients, by law we cannot label them as such unless the entire process is certified. That would force us into a rigid model that doesn’t reflect our craft.

For us, flavor, nutrient density, and transparency matter more than an organic stamp — and we hope you can taste that.

We purchase organic whenever possible, and non-organic when we know the quality is higher. Our goal is always the same: the cleanest, most powerful chocolate we can make.

Beyond Organic: True Purity

One thing organic certification doesn’t cover is lead and cadmium safety. All our cacao is carefully processed and lead-free. We also test for cadmium, and our results consistently show low levels.

To us, these parameters matter more than a label. We promote Antidote as a powerful chocolate that gives you more — more flavor, more integrity, more benefits for body and mind.

I’ve learned over time that where there is high flavor, there is high nutrition. That’s our compass. We choose ingredients that are vibrant, clean, and honest — whether certified or not.

A Note from a Customer

“I am in love with the Raw 100% Cacao + Nibs, seriously. And I won't buy from anyone else; for me it's only Antidote, no other can compare. Quality and sourcing is everything and Antidote is the best option for the highest quality/standards/sourcing. Because of Antidote I have access to clean, nutritious raw 100% cacao. 🫶🏼”
— Customer Review

In short: We don’t chase labels. We chase purity and creativity — in the craft behind every bar.