Gnosis: The World’s Most Nutritious Chocolate
If I had seen this tag line anywhere else, I may have raised an eyebrow. But when you meet Vanessa and you see what she’s up to in the world, you can’t help but be impressed.
Intention personified.
Vanessa Barg, aka Chocolate Girl & certified holistic health counselor, made her first raw chocolate bars in a copper bowl in her mom’s postage stamp-size Harlem kitchen as gifts for her clients. Three years later, Gnosis Chocolate is the world’s leading manufacturer of raw organic chocolate.
I’m a little fussy about my chocolate. As much as I love the concept of eating “raw” chocolate, I’m not always sold on the mouth feel. Vanessa takes raw chocolate to a whole new level. The first bar I tasted was her Aphrodisia (for passion). Not that I need any more passion in my life but, well, who wouldn’t want to try that one?
I loved the rich raisiny pruney notes.
Next came the Mayan Heat (for circulation). What I liked most about this bar was that the heat was distinct, yet subtle. It wasn’t the blow-your-socks-off effect some chocolatiers present to you, a somewhat suspicious gleam in their eyes. I also love all the “yummies” she includes in this bar: pecans, cranberries, cacao nibs and currants. The texture is delightful.
Gnosis Chocolate is made from ethically & directly sourced cacao from Bali, Ecuador, and Peru. Each product is not only flavorful but also functional—infused with superfoods and medicinal herbs sourced from the Amazon to the Himalayas. Gnosis products celebrate health, exquisite flavor, and integrity. Vanessa has visited farms in Belize, Grenada, Mexico, and Indonesia, following her supply chain to its roots to ensure Quality Assurance and fair labor practices onsite.
Vanessa started The Raw Integrity Project to involve the raw food industry and community in determining better methods of production as this niche continues to expand. Since the first bar sold, Gnosis has operated with environmental and societal awareness. From manufacturing to packaging and shipping, Gnosis invests in sustainable materials and methods of operation.
I encourage you to check out her products: a complete line of unique organic raw chocolate bars, truffles, hot chocolate, jams, and trail mixes. All Gnosis products are raw, vegan, organic, kosher, dairy/soy/ gluten/refined sugar/peanut-free, and diabetic-friendly! Best-selling products include SuperChoc, Pomegranate Açaí, and Aphrodisia Bars, Pumpkin Spice Truffles, Immune Boost and Mayan Heat Hot Chocolate Elixirs, and Cupuaçu Acai Spread.
I’m completely enamored with both the concept and the chocolate.
Would you like to sample her chocolate elixir? Leave a comment below and tell me why you simply must have this delicious cup of hot steamy warm-your-tummy chocolate elixir and be the first winner of the One Year Anniversary of Chocolate for Breakfast!!
Oh my! I have been on an intense journey for the past year or so, changing my food habits and feeling healthier. A big part of this journey has been to cut out processed foods and eat more raw, organic and sustainable foods. We grow quite a lot of our own food here on the farm, but one thing I cannot grow myself is chocolate. I am a huge supporter of local foods and fair trade products. Everything you have mentioned about Vanessa’s products fits with the things I have been trying to accomplish in my life. I am definitely bookmarking her site for future indulgences! Thank you for this.
I think what this woman is doing is amazing. I LOVE chocolate but am lactose intolerant so that cuts out a lot of the chocolate I would love to eat. I really need her chocolate elixer because a good cup of hot chocolate is a hard thing for a lactose intolerant person to find.
I’ve been loving your site and posts almost from the beginning. Just truly love chocolate and would love to try a version I have not had before. It is such a wonderful comfort food when it is -30C.
Like many women of my age group and stage of life, I went through a very challenging 2011. I began to feel stuck and a little, yes, desperate, for change and passion in my life: interests and projects that were just for me, not for the many others who rely on me as the axis of their world. Never having been very “tech-y” I nevertheless answered the prodding of several in my life and turned to the digital ether world for inspiration and possible connections. I actually discovered the “Chocolate Girl” some time ago and was just blown away by her personal passion and conviction and how much she has accomplished at such a young age. Talk about inspiring! I was thrilled when she accepted my request to join her “group.”
I also was thrilled to stumble across CFB and Sue Ann and have gained so much knowledge and insight and so enjoyed the camaraderie of others of like mind. I have dedicated 2012, for myself, to creative growth and exploration and to discovering healthier ways to keep my body and mind fit and active. Gnosis is at the top of my list of chocolate to try because I truly believe in the benefits of “real” chocolate and those of the long-proven herbs and spices and “good things” Vanessa adds with real thought. I would love to sample either of her elixirs–a word that appeals to my “magical” imagination–and plan to purchase on my own several of her bars, including the “power” bar and the “G” bar for my Mom, who is diabetic but loves to indulge her passion for an occasional square of the “really good stuff.”
Happy Anniversary CFB and keep up the good work, Vanessa!
I am a 3 year cancer survivor who was told at diagnosis I would be dead in 2-3 months. Chocolate is part of my healing food protocol….I’ve been wanting to try gnosis because I’m so impressed with it’s purity and I believe it is probably worth every penny…but money is really tight so I’ve been relegated to organic cacoa concoctions of my own…would love to get some of the “real” stuff….
I am a Vegan Culinary Educator and my partner is a Vegan Chef so we love to try new products… especially ones with so much intention and good motives behind them. Oh and did I mention… I LOVE CHOCOLATE! Thank you for this opportunity. Keep up the good work…
I received some of your delicious chocolates as a Christmas gift (mint and hazelnut). Oh, my! I am so spoiled by the taste, impressed by the texture and pureness of the products. I certainly can’t wait until next Christmas for more…so glad you are on Facebook!
Now this… THIS Gnosis Chocolate Elixir is a chocolate for breakfast I could truly entertain!
Haha! Though you know I love you sooooooo…. you may not know my secret! I have not believed that chocolate is truly okay for breakfast! Yes. I know. A betrayal of trust of sorts. Here is my new wise woman LOVE of my life… and she wooing me with this idea that chocolate is not only for sensual delight… it is also good for breakfast! What?!?! at first I thought it was a metaphor! but since, I have discovered that you really mean this.
A LIFETIME of biases have taught me that chocolate is naughty and sometimes, down right BAD! In the spiritual community I was involved with for 12 years, chocolate was EVIL! we could only eat its false counterpart, haha! whose name I thankfully have long forgotten! And yes, another mother food story… some of my issues are rooted back to HER. Her religion’s tradition (which I have serious challenges with) had her making massive numbers of chocolates around Christmas. I delighted in the sensuality of the experience, but it was another one of HER foods… Ugh. And… waaaaaaaay too much sugar!
It wasn’t until my 40s that my very dear vegetarian extremely health conscious woman friend turned me on to her dark chocolate, that I began to open to new levels of chocolate’s lusciousness and healthfulness. The other revelation? Up until then, I never knew that women in particular were crazed over chocolate! That they used is when going through pms. That it was considered an aphrodisiac. That it was the love food of Aphrodite! how had I missed out? And… I had never known chocolate could be made ‘healthy’… made organically with fruit bits and natural sweeteners AND fair trade.
My body quivered at the tartness of the darkness which I was also not accustomed to… combined with those rich bits of tart raspberries.
So yes… my journey with chocolate is wonderfullly dark and complex! and… for breakfast? methinks the Elixir I would dare.
xoxo
Who knew that chocolate can be an experience of ecstacy in itself? Raises the consciousness, opens the heart, lets you grow wings and helps you unfold your own potential? All the energy and love of creation Vanessa puts in it, flows into the little molecules of the chocolate and lands in our sweet belly to raise our vibration and the energy of our cells. Our cells get fed a divine combination of information, so they can grow easilier and transform! Wisdom and knowledge stands behind the making process and a big beautiful loving smile and a shining glowing heart of such a beautiful goddess! Everybody deserves her Aphrodisia Elixir, so whoever gets it, is sharing his/her magnificent experience and mouth-blowing taste with the whole universe – cause when you are happy, you lift up the state of happiness on the whole planet! YAY!!!!!!!!! So whoever gets it, WE ALL WIN :-)!!!!!! YAY, thank youuuuuuuuuuu! LOVE YOU ANGEL!
Whether I win it here or find it on my own, I will try this chocolate! I am not a raw foodie per se, but raw chocolate is another story. I love my chocolate raw. My next step in my own chocolate life at home is to begin to grow it where I live, even though that will require a greenhouse and hand pollination to succeed. I will go to great lengths for locally grown raw chocolate!
I am all about chocolate, or so I thought. This opens up all new areas for in my chocolate search. Long past just the plain chocolate bar and squares. I long to experience all that I can and learn about this wonderful gift from Heaven. Never heard of or tried raw chocolate. Any way I can get chocolate, I am all for.
When I was practicing full time as a health coach in Boulder, I used to shock people when I said, “I eat chocolate for breakfast sometimes,” followed up with listening to your body, all the magic of chocolate and mystery of cacao wow facts…
Now that I am speaking full time, I NEED to consistently practice all of the best practices that I used to teach others…
I would love to sample the morning elixir… but more than that, Cacao has taken over my body, and insists that we have this (you are what you eat right?)
-Seth B
Sue Ann, Happy One Year Anniversary! I didn’t realize CFB was still a “baby” when we met — your site always looks so professional… inviting… chocolate-y… Congratulations!
I know you “celebrate” with chocolate (even on plain ol’ weekdays — me, too!), but THIS occasion calls for an extra special chocolate — looks like you’ve found it. Chocolate Elixir?! Count me in. Best wishes, sweet friend!
This truly looks decadent!! Would love to have a cup of this after a nice long bath on a cold winter night and curl up with a good book or movie. Thanks for the giveaway!