What is Cascara?
More than 80% of the worlds coffee is hand-picked and is harvested from ripe red coffee cherries. Inside of the coffee cherry are two seeds, which are dried and roasted, eventually becoming a cup of coffee. For every two tons of coffee cherries picked, nearly one ton of the outer peel and fruit, known as cascara, are discarded.
We were shocked when we realized how much cascara is thrown away, given it's delicious flavor and transformative potential. Cascara is normally sun-dried and is not processed further until it is brewed. Unlike coffee, cascara is minimally processed and tastes like dried fruit and citrus.
More than a thousand years prior to coffee's discovery and cultivation in Ethiopia and Yemen, the indigenous communities used cascara as an ingredient in an energy bar as well as an energizing tea. We've rescued this natural and overlooked resource because it's lightly caffeinated and makes a satisfying low in sugar tea. It is also full of antioxidants, vitamins, and low in calories.
We source the highest quality cascara from organic coffee farms in Central and South America. They believe in cascara as much as we do, especially because it provides their community new sources of income while giving consumers an antioxidant-rich product.