Delicious Opportunity in the Food Business - Chocolate
If you’re in the food business, there’s a niche where you can capture buyers from a wide spectrum of the market: chocolate. This has always appealed to gourmets, but now it can rightfully be marketed as a health food as well. Several studies have shown that chocolate consumption offers the following benefits:
–Decreased blood pressure
–Improved circulation
–Lower risk of heart disease
–Lower risk of stroke
–Lowered LDL (bad cholesterol)
–Raised HDL (good cholesterol)
–Defense against destructive free radicals, which trigger cancer and other ailments
–Improved digestion
–Relief from headaches
–Defense against tooth decay
–Stabilized insulin levels
–Elevated mood
Chocolate used to be considered a “sinful indulgence.” We now know that not only is it “okay…occasionally,” it is good for us. (In moderation, of course.) It has truly become the latest hero in the fight against a variety of ailments.
Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes returned from Mexico in the early 1500s with the sacred drink of the Aztecs, made from the roasted seeds of Theobroma cacao. It was flavored with a blend of exotic ingredients, and although Cortes came to like it, the Spanish eventually added sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon for a sweeter drink.
The secret recipe was eventually leaked all over Europe, first appearing in London in the mid-1600s. By 1765, the American colonists were enjoying cocoa; cocoa powder was developed by a Dutch chocolate maker, and his patented process for pressing cocoa butter from the roasted beans led to the production of both instant cocoa and solid chocolate.
Contrary to popular belief, it has little caffeine; its main stimulant is the much milder theobromine. The darker the chocolate, the higher the content of theobromine.
Cacao beans are a rich source of antioxidants; dark chocolate has four times the antioxidant content as tea, and 1 1/2 ounces of it have about the same amount as a glass of red wine. (Dark chocolate has twice the antioxidants of light, and white has none.) It also contains significant amounts of several minerals.
This causes the brain to release endorphins–thus the effect on mood–and the smell alone slows brain waves, inducing a sense of calm.
Quality is key. Health-conscious people should eat high-quality dark chocolate with a 60 to 70% cocoa content. Normal dark chocolate is around 30%; ordinary chocolate has as little as 10 to 20% cocoa content, with a lot of sugar and hydrogenated vegetable fats. It is actually quite low in fat and sugar.
The Swiss eat the most chocolate of anyone–about twice as much as Americans–yet they have among the lowest obesity rates. And according to immunesupport.com, “The residents of an island called Kuna in Panama…rarely develop high blood pressure, although they drink about 5 cups of cocoa each day and include it in many recipes. But if they leave the island, the risk of high blood pressure increases, and studies found it wasn’t related to salt intake or obesity.”
So, are you ready to go into the chocolate business? Team up with a marketing expert who loves it as much as you do, and enjoy the sweet taste of success!
Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance copywriter specializing in direct response and marketing collateral, with a special interest in the health, pets, specialty foods, and inspirational/motivational/self-help niches. She has a degree in biology, has worked in a variety of fields including pharmaceuticals and teaching, and has volunteered for many causes including special-needs kids and literacy. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, art, music, outdoor exercise, and all things Celtic and Renaissance.
Have you signed up for her free e-mail series on marketing strategies?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_J._Lehr