frequently asked questions
How much caffeine does your chocolate / cocoa powder contain?
Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, between 0.3% (milk chocolate) and 0.7% (bittersweet), mainly in the form of caffein. Caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline (in tea) are chemical compounds with closely related structures and similar pharmacological properties. They are all members of the class of compounds known as methylxanthines. They occur in many common food plants, such as coffee, tea, cocoa, mate (a South American drink), and cola. Some people are concerned that children may be consuming excessive amounts of caffeine when eating chocolate; however, the amount is nominal. It is Rapunzel's opinion, when consumed in moderation chocolate can even be part of a healthy diet. The caffeine content of cocoa powder varies between 0.1 and 0.5%.

I am allergic to gluten (milk, soy, etc...). Can I eat your products?
To determine, whether it is safe to eat one or the other of our products please call 1-800-207-2814.

What is Lovage (in Herbamare)?
Lovage (Levisticum officinale) is an almost 6 feet tall herb plant grown in Europe. It partakes a strong flavor and taste, which is used in soup flavorings like 'Maggi' or Herbamare.

Can I order directly from you?
Yes - customers without access to one of the many natural health food stores or mass market retailers which carry our products can order either via the internet or directly at our company with our toll free number 1-800-207-2814.

I am planning to fast with Biotta juices. Can you give me some advice?
Please check our Juice Fasting Guidelines on this web site. It contains detailed information about almost all aspects of juice fasting with our Biotta juices.

Are your products GMO free?
All of our products are produced under the guidelines of the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) which prohibits the use of genetically manipulated organisms (gmo). However — the so called gene pollution, meaning the widespread transfer of GMO seeds by unintentional cross-pollination or mix-up in storage and transport systems — can not be avoided anymore. The use of too many gmo crops and seeds in the North American agriculture has taken over proportions which are hard to control anymore.

Rapunzel however tries to stay as GMO-Free as possible. We have every crop and processing lot tested for GMO's and can claim to be GMO free up to the detection level of 1 PPB (parts per billion). Analytical machines for GMO's are only so accurate as to what its detection level is set.

What is Breuss juice?
Breuss juice is a mixed vegetable juice created to the specification of the famous Austrian naturopathic Doctor Rudolf Breuss. He formulated this juice from Beet root, Carrots, Celeriac, Radish and Potato as a cleansing and purifying agent and to revitalize the body's digestive system. (See see also R. Breuss' book: The Breuss Cancer Cure available at the 'Alive' publishing company .

What's the difference between Rapadura and Sucanat?
The way it is processe ! Although very similar in appearance and taste, Rapadura is made by just evaporating the water from the organic sugar cane juice. Sucanat is manufactured in a way that the sugar stream and the molasses stream is separated from each other and then carefully re-blended to reach a consistent product. The taste and appearance of Rapunzel's Rapadura on the other hand can vary according to sugar cane variety, soil type and weather. But it is a whole product in its true sense.

Why do you add lactic acid to the Biotta juices?
Biotta adds lactic acid to the juices to reach two separate goals. a) to preserve the juice in a way that it does not need extreme temperatures to pasteurize — only a minimal pasteurization temperature of 158 - 185 deg. F is needed versus the regular temperatures of 200 deg. and higher. b) lactic acid is a healthy stimulant for the gastro-intestinal system.

Can I as a vegetarian consume the Biotta juices containing lactic acid?
Yes. The lactic acid used is based upon the lactic acid fermentation process, which does not need or carry any milk products.

What is the difference between freshly pressed juices and Biotta juices?
Fresh juices still contain heat sensitive enzymes and vitamins. On the other hand the Biotta juices are pasteurized at temperatures which range only between 158 - 185 deg. F due to the fact that lactic acid is added to help preserve it. With the heat treatment, certain heat sensitive enzymes are eliminated and no longer active.

However, due to the fact that the pasteurization temperature is very low (compared to regular bottles juices), the Biotta juices still maintain the taste of freshly squeezed juice. The added lactic acid helps maintain a healthy gastro intestinal flora.

My chocolate has a white coating, — is that mold ? Can I eat it?
Should you open a bar of chocolate and see a white coating on the surface, it does not mean that it is moldy. It indicates that the finished chocolate product was exposed to too much heat, and the cocoa butter particles separated from the rest of the mix and settled at the surface when the chocolate cooled down again. This chocolate is still edible, but it is no longer a gourmet product and one meeting Rapunzel standards.

Is your dark chocolate vegan / vegetarian?
Rapunzel chocolate is made at the chocolate manufacturer Maestrani in the Swiss town of St. Gallen. Maestrani creates all the different chocolates on the same equipment (belts, pipelines, vats, filling lines). The machines are running almost constantly so there is no need to 'clean' the system every day. Before organic chocolate for Rapunzel is produced, the lines are flushed through with the first quantities of organic ingredients, which are then purged at the end. Only then, the real production for the organic chocolate starts. However, since Maestrani uses the same equipment, very small traces of different chocolates may still be present in the original recipe. That's why a trace of milk chocolate (and therefore milk residue) may be found in the next days run of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, which is supposed to contain no milk at all. We use to say: The recipe is dairy free, but traces may still be present.

Which of your products are Kosher?
The following products are Kosher, certified by KSA: Herbamare, Trocomare, Bambu, Rapadura Sugar. Soon other product groups are to follow like the chocolates and oil line.

What is the source of lecithin in your chocolate?
Our lecithin is the only organic and GMO free lecithin on the market worldwide. It is made at our sister company Biopress in Southern France, where the lecithin is physically separated from the rest of the organic soy oil. This process is called 'de-gumming'. No chemical or other separation agents are used.

Is your cocoa coming from plantations with slave & child labor involved?
No. Since the time Rapunzel started importing cocoa beans for making cocoa powder or chocolate in 1987, we always made sure that the cocoa is not only grown organically, but also grown in a fashion that it supported the small scale farmers and cooperatives of the developing world. From the very beginning, Rapunzel has primarily purchased the cocoa beans only from two cooperatives in Bolivia (El Ceibo) and the Dominican Republic (Conacado). This was always done in a fair and cooperative fashion, which lead us into creating the Hand-in-Hand criteria. These criteria are one of the first fair trade and socially conscious guidelines on how to trade and act with partners in the developing countries. First and foremost, slave or child labor is most definitively not allowed according to these criteria.

What is conching?
Conching is a term from the chocolate manufacturing. After mixing and rolling the chocolate ingredients (first 2 steps in creating chocolate) the chocolate paste is still not smooth enough, and the different flavors and ingredients have not yet combined; the pure, full aroma is still missing. To achieve this, the chocolate paste is next put into big vats, in which we at Rapunzel stir the chocolate constantly for 72 hours (dark chocolate) or 48 hours (milk chocolate). This process is called "conching" (from the Spanish word concha, or shell).

The conching creates a chocolate round in taste, rich in flavor, and robust. It no longer seems "sandy," but is now smooth, with a naturally silky texture that melts on the tongue. The process also makes the chocolate less bitter, a result that other manufacturers reach by alkalizing (or "dutching") the cocoa beans with sodium or potassium carbonate. This lengthy procedure is practiced only in the manufacturing of high quality chocolate; some manufacturers may conch their chocolate for only 3-4 hours!

Why do you use aluminum for wrapping chocolate?
Aluminum is by far the best packing material for chocolate. It helps keeping it fresh for the maximum time and prevents most insects from attacking it. Although taking in traces of aluminum from dental fillings, cooking with aluminum pots or possibly getting a trace from the chocolate wrapper, we feel that the chances of 'digesting' aluminum from the chocolate wrapper is too minimal to be a health concern versus its overriding benefits it provides our chocolate bars.

Can I use Rapadura in baking and how do I use it?
Rapadura is an excellent baking ingredient and can be used replacing white sugar in the ratio one to one.

Do you have recipes to cook with using your products?
Yes. We work with high profile cooks like Steve Petusevsky, author of the Whole Foods Cookbook (seen on the TODAY and Good Morning America Show) or Rebecca Wood, renowned food and kitchen editor for the Vegetarian Times to develop recipes which work best with our products. Please see our recipes page and download our favorites like Pumpkin oil pesto or Rapunzel brownies.

What is dutch cocoa or dutching ? Does Rapunzel alkalize the cocoa?
Rapunzel does not alkalize the cocoa beans, a process which is commonly done to give cocoa beans better processing properties and to achieve a slightly less bitter taste profile. The "dutching", as it is also called, is done by spraying the cocoa beans with sodium or potassium carbonate - roasting and milling it thereafter.