Cacao draws trace minerals from the soil and environment it grows in, so every cacao product contains small amounts of elements like lead and cadmium. Most brands don’t publish their numbers, but we do. An independent lab tests our cacao using ICP mass spectrometry, the standard method for measuring trace elements in food.

Lead: 0.041 ppm (post-harvest)

Lead in cacao generally comes from atmospheric exposure after harvest, not from the plant itself. Trace lead can cling to the sticky mucilage surrounding the beans during fermentation and drying. We dry our beans on shaded, raised beds to keep them away from road dust, and our result reflects that care.

Cadmium: 0.50 ppm (soil-based)

Cadmium occurs naturally in mineral-rich volcanic soils like those of Ecuador’s cacao regions. Cacao trees accumulate it from the soil as they grow, so it’s present in the bean itself rather than added during processing. Our result is within the EU limit of 0.80 ppm for cacao products of 50% cocoa solids or more, one of the strictest standards in the world.

The reality of “zero”

There is no such thing as "zero" lead or cadmium in an earth-grown product, but we are dealing in very small quantities - our result of 0.041 ppm lead is equivalent to one minute in 46 years!