Wow Cacao: A game-changer in hydration

I was recently introduced to Wow Cacao – the UK’s first cacao water – and straight away I wanted to learn more about it. The still and sparkling waters are made from the pulp of a cacao fruit, offering a naturally refreshing and nutrient-packed alternative to traditional hydration drinks and the taste is described as ‘a unique tropical taste, mild but zesty’. Each 275ml glass bottle of Wow Cacao contains the goodness of approximately five cacao pods, with no added flavours, sugars, or sweeteners. 

The juice comes from Ecuador, the birthplace of cacao, where more than 5000 years ago its special properties were recognised by Andean tribes and widely used in ancient rituals and ceremonies. Wow Cacao is not only good for your body but is an upcycled product. Cacao juice has typically been discarded in the process of fermenting beans to make chocolate, but Wow Cacao are collecting and preserving the pulp and juice and finding new ways to utilise them. 

I was so intrigued by the drinks, that I had to ask Pam Thornton, Founder some more questions:

What was your inspiration for Wow Cacao? 

Inspiration is perhaps too strong a word. Over the years the infrastructure in certain producing countries has evolved such that it finally became possible to imagine taking the taste of cacao juice to a wider market.

How do you find your partners to work with? 

I’ve been a trader in the cocoa market for over 40 years and have spent a lot of my time at origin evaluating the crops and working to establish long term partnerships with farmers and exporters. One of my long-time suppliers of beans has created a unique supply chain to collect fresh wet beans from large local farmers and then separate the juice from the pulp. Thereafter the juice is flash pasteurized, frozen and exported in bulk. I have been with him on his journey so at one point he said “C’mon Pam. Isn’t Europe ready to buy? The trader in me said “Ok, let’s try” even though I have absolutely no experience of FMCG!

What do you think the opportunities are for Wow Cacao water? 

Apart from its unique and zesty tropical taste, our drink has a number of important attributes which we hope helps it secure a place in the market among those who value a clean, original product with strong health attributes. Wow Cacao naturally contains important levels of Vitamin C along with electrolytes like potassium, magnesium and manganese and equally significant, it has no added fillers, sugars or sweeteners.

Who is your target market? 

Everybody would benefit from drinking it – including young kids – but we recognise that it is a premium product, given its expensive ingredient. It is not going to be in any Lunch Deals any time soon, but should be enjoyed by those who need healthy hydration whether on the desk at work, at home or in the gym. It is a drink to be enjoyed among friends in a café and perfect over ice as an non-alcoholic aperitif. And did I mention its range of electrolytes make it the ideal pick me up or next morning hangover help?

What’s in the pipeline for the brand?

We started with still Cacao Water and have just added a sparkling version. But cacao juice is a chameleon, blending well with dozens of other juices and alcohols, so we already have 2 other recipes finalised. However, we are a start-up so from a business perspective we want to walk well before we try to run. We want consumers to become familiar with the unique cacao taste itself – the unchocolate – before we venture off.