Yes we are Samoan owned. Our founder Lasi was born in Apia, and has been travelling the world.

If pure cacao is stored well in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, it does not go bad for a long time (up to 18 months). Although, the flavour and quality of koko (cacao) does tend to decrease after a couple of months. It’s usually the added dairy that makes drinking cocoa go bad, which Koko Samoa in its pure form doesn’t have. That’s why we put a shorter “use by date” because we want our customers to experience their cacao at its best.

Many people look at the colour of the Koko however that’s not always an accurate sign. Cacao that is rich in cacao butter (like the Koko from Samoa) tends to get a marbled effect when exposed to air but that is usually the cacao butter drying to a different colour than the actual cacao grind. Cacao that has dark sections and light sections doesn’t necessarily mean it has aged too long. 

If the cocoa has remained dry and looks to be free of mould, then your sense of taste is the best way to tell if it is still good. When cacao is no longer good, the chocolatey taste tends to disappear.

You'll be glad to know it is mostly the same, with nothing additional added. The two differences are:

1) Once turned into a paste, our Koko Samoa has been 'set' into smaller serving sizes so you don't have to cut and scrape the big blocks of koko. So the shape is different (purely a visual thing).

2) There is slightly less pegu koko (grits) in ours as we grind the koko to a finer level to get a more chocolatey flavour

Yes! You can make an order and send it almost anywhere in the world. You don't have to send the order to your own address. For example, you can send your first order to a friend in another state, then decide you'd like to make a second order for yourself. You can definitely do that.

We make our Koko Samoa Drinks to be as convenient as possible, so we do get the Koko much finer than normal. So it dissolves quicker in hot water without too much effort and stirring. There are still little bits to chew (pegu koko) but the pieces aren’t as big.

Cacao has something similar to caffeine in it called theobromine, and the effects can be similar. Caffeine and theobromine are both alkaloids. Cacao beans usually contain about 1% theobromine. Like caffeine, theobromine blocks adenosine receptors, increasing alertness but isn’t as potent as caffeine. Theobromine has also been identified as one of the compounds contributing to chocolate's reputation as an aphrodisiac.