102396 Fri Apr 01 15:29:30 -0800 2005 7 23 Ontario (including Toronto) 0 554555 I have an elderly friend who wants to get back to his roots and grind some cocoa beans with a mortar and pestle. Can you buy cocoa beans in Toronto? Fri Apr 01 15:29:30 -0800 2005 0 Timpano 1 554559 www.rawcacao.com/check out this website. it will give you an indication on what is available. Link: http://www.rawcacao.com/ Fri Apr 01 16:53:26 -0800 2005 554555 0 fatboy44 1 554562 A few years back I tried to locate different bean varieties for a proposed 'single bean chocolate tasting' (i.e. the chocolate would be made from each of several different bean varieties). At that time nobody was bringing bean 'varietals' into Ontario, only the 'liquor' (or the subsequent solids) which had already been partially processed. Apparently the beans were susceptible to various insects and you had to be big enough to have an 'agent' at the purchasing end to ensure quality (and to prevent seizure of the shipment by agriculture canada, as it then was). The last 'importer' (somewhere near Oshawa) had given up a few years earlier - so over 5 years ago now. That doesn't mean that nobody has re-initiated this, but even the 'gourmet' chocolatiers in Toronto were buying slabs of 'processed' cocoa (incidentally I was able to get slabs of different bean 'chocolate' and made various products e.g. fudge that did taste different by bean variety). I got that from Qzina which is in Northern Mississauga, not that far from the airport. They're usually wholesale, but have a retail 'sale' once or twice a year. But these were, in turn, supplied by one of the conglomerates (I think Callebaut, but recollection may be faulty) - there are only a few processors of raw beans in the world apparently. (OK there maybe some cottage industry too, but it's mostly huge corporations). Fri Apr 01 18:02:47 -0800 2005 554555 0 estufarian 1 554563 Try Soma chocolate in the distillery district. Apparently, they do microroasts of their own beans at nearby Balzacs. See the webpage below Link: http://somachocolate.com/ Fri Apr 01 18:39:16 -0800 2005 554555 0 sunburn 1 554577 You can buy cacao nibs at Super Sprouts (I think its called) on Bathurst St. (its some where between Bloor and Dundas I think). These are like broken cacao beans. There was a women in the market last year at The Restaurant (that was its name) using raw cacao like this to make bread spread and raw foods items. I tried to make a drink from these but I couldn't get it to mix properly... Sat Apr 02 11:05:52 -0800 2005 554555 0 Siri 2 556076 I've been looking for "raw" cacao beans for a few days all over the city....no one sells them! I think they're a great source of triptophan and other great nutrients. Thu May 05 19:01:51 -0700 2005 554577 0 steven 3 556143 Please make sure you do your homework before you start using the cacao nibs. Check with your Pharmacist, or do some online research about the negative health effects of eating the raw cacao nibs. Granted, I have many health issue, but I don't think the negative effects healthwise, would be any different for a healthy person. Link: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/rawcacao.html Sat May 07 11:48:18 -0700 2005 556076 0 Sojourn 3 556144 Please make sure you do your homework before you start using the cacao nibs. Check with your Pharmacist, or do some online research about the negative health effects of eating the raw cacao nibs. Granted, I have many health issues, but I don't think the negative effects healthwise, would be any different for a healthy person. Link: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/rawcacao.html Sat May 07 11:49:50 -0700 2005 556076 0 Sojourn