The subtle sweetness comes from lo han fruit (monkfruit), which is a natural zero-calorie sweetener that has no impact on blood sugar. Lo han fruit doesn’t cause a funky aftertaste either, which is the main complaint about stevia.

Additionally, we never use sugar alcohols, allulose, sucralose, or any other non-nutritive sweeteners in any of our products.

We prioritize fair-trade, organic, and regenerative whole food sourcing. We directly source from organic farmers around the world and only use ethically sourced foods.

The majority of our ingredients are organically sourced and the bars are Non-GMO certified.

The Essentials bars are grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free but do contain nuts.

Fudgy Maca Brownie contains two tree nuts – almonds and coconut.

Ginger Lemon Tart contains three tree nuts – almonds, cashews, and coconut.

Because they are processed on shared equipment, these bars also may contain traces of peanuts, eggs, soy, milk, wheat, sesame and other tree nuts.

Sunflower lecithin is created by extracting oil and gum from sunflower seeds. The oil is then processed through a cold press system, while the gum is dried and used to produce sunflower lecithin.

Unlike refined oils, cold-pressed oils are extracted by way of a mechanical process that doesn’t involve any heat, which is why they retain the quality and nutritional benefits.

When manufacturing a bar, it’s required to use some sort of binding element to hold the dry ingredients together. We chose cold-pressed sunflower lecithin because it is naturally rich in choline and essential fatty acids – a superior choice to the refined vegetable oils and soy lecithin found in most bars on the market.

Soy lecithin is a cheaper ingredient but it is problematic for a number of reasons:

Many people are allergic to soy.
Most soy is genetically modified.
Soy lecithin is often processed with chemicals.
Sunflower lecithin is the opposite. Most sunflower lecithin is organic, not genetically-modified, and does not contain any chemicals or genetically modified ingredients.
Our number one priority is ensuring that our bars are of the highest quality without compromising on taste or nutrition. We have chosen to use sunflower lecithin, which is more expensive, but guarantees pure ingredients that help to enhance health, not inhibit it.

The motivation for choosing coconut oil instead of palm oil uses the same set of criteria for all our ingredient choices – Quality, Efficacy, and Sustainability.

Quality:

Our source of coconut MCT oil simplifies the production process by using a more natural MCT oil the old-fashioned way – by using physical processes that don’t require harmful solvents. This method of processing uses environmentally friendly practices and results in a healthier all-natural product.

Efficacy:

The most desirable MCTs are Caprylic (C8) and Capric (C10) acid. Although Coconut Oil and Palm Kernel Oil are both rich food sources of MCTs, coconut oil still has the highest percentage of Caprylic and Capric Acid making up 15 percent of its fatty acids, more than double the amount from palm oil.

Sustainability:

Unlike palm oil, coconut oil is produced from coconuts that are grown on individual trees that do not require deforestation to plant or re-plant. Palm oil is one of the cheapest vegetable oils to produce, making it an attractive option for many manufacturers, but it comes with a dark-side. Mass deforestation and poor working conditions for laborers are just two of the many reasons why we chose the more expensive, yet more sustainable option.