Cacao is the seed of a fruit of an Amazonian tree that was brought to Central America during or before the time of the Olmecs. Cacao beans were so revered by the Mayans & Aztecs that they used them as money! In 1753 Carl von Linnaeus, the 18th-century Swedish scientist, thought that cacao was so important that he named the genus & species of this tree himself. He named this tree: Theobroma cacao, which literally means "cacao, the food of the gods." Cacao beans contain no sugar & between 12% & 50% fat depending on variety & growth conditions. Our cacao beans contain around 40% fat content (low compared to other nuts). There is no evidence to implicate cacao bean consumption with obesity. Learn more about Gillian Mc Keith