A Spoon Of Chocolate To Start The Day

Chocolate; a pleasure that many of us would like to take in through an intravenous drip.  Mara Krausz, of Cabaret Brewed Chocolate, enlightened me on this new beverage that has almost no fat and only 24 calories a teaspoon. She certainly didn't have to twist my arm to try a chocolate drink to replace my morning cup of coffee.

Mara, can you share a little bit about your business and how you got started?

Brewed Chocolate is the creation and inspiration of Rob Polevoi.  He very much wanted to create a product that would be of positive benefit to people; that would reveal the natural flavor of the cocoa bean, its pleasing psychic effects and its health benefits.

Rob and I, along with a third partner, initially founded the company in 2003.  We produced a fine bon-bon, the Cabaret Dessert Chocolate, which had a very rich, unique filling.  After a few years, one partner went off to do chocolate manufacture and Rob continued to work to develop a completely new way to present chocolate.  Something that would harken back to the original benefits and origin of chocolate.  We experimented for almost three years and the result was Brewed Chocolate; healthy, light and delicate, nearly no fat/low calorie, and highlights the positive effects of the cocoa bean e.g. mood elevation, clear energy lift, calmness.  A true alternative, adult beverage.

Where do you draw inspiration for your product?

We had discovered from historical sources that the ancient Mexicans seemed to value chocolate even more for how it made them feel than for how it tasted. They often referred to chocolate as a kind of a wine. They definitely didn't conceive of it as a dessert or as a sweet confectionary. Only the aristocracy drank it and it was drunk very much like wine is drunk.  This was all very striking - how it affected their mood and their emotional state.  We all know that chocolate does make people feel good, but the idea here was to say, how can we take all of the best things out of chocolate from an emotional and physical health standpoint and allow chocolate to be presented as a basic beverage - an alternative to coffee, to tea, or even to wine, for a modern lifestyle.

What products have been your best sellers?

We just launched Brewed Chocolate earlier this year, so the product is still in its infancy.  

What are your future plans for Caberet Brewed Chocolate?

We would like to come out with a chilled version, offered as a pre-made, single serving bottle for people on the go.  We also would like to introduce flavors, sophisticated ones that would compliment and highlight the natural flavor of the cocoa bean.  And, of course, to continue our efforts to promote Brewed Chocolate as a healthy beverage alternative that can bring a positive benefit to people's daily life. 

Visit www.brewedchocolate.com.  Oakland, California