A few weeks ago, our whole family — me, Michael, Leo, and Lily — packed into the car in Kona, Hawaii, and drove out to visit one of the most extraordinary places I've ever been.

A deep sea salt farm.

Now, I know salt isn't exactly the ingredient that makes headlines. But stay with me — because by the end of this, you're going to look at the tiny pinch of salt in your Happy Cacao very differently.

The Water in Your Happy Cacao Is 900 Years Old

That's not a marketing claim. That's actually what's happening.

The salt in Happy Cacao comes from Kona Deep — the only company in the world making salt from true deep ocean water, piped up from 2,200 feet below the surface of the Pacific.

To put that in perspective: 2,200 feet is nearly twice the height of the Empire State Building — submerged underwater. At that depth, the water sits in what oceanographers call the "Aphotic Zone" — where no sunlight penetrates, temperatures hold at around 43°F (6°C), and pressure is immense.

And the water itself? It began as melting glacial ice in the North Atlantic — almost a thousand years ago. It slowly sank to the ocean floor and has been traveling along the global deep current (called the Thermohaline Circulation) ever since, moving slowly toward Hawaii across the bottom of the ocean.

For 900 years, it's been traveling through the deep sea — completely untouched. No pollution. No microplastics. No oil runoff. No modern human activity of any kind.

When the team at the farm explained this to us, I genuinely felt moved. There's something humbling about holding something that has been traveling quietly through the earth for nearly a millennium.

Then the Hawaiian Sun Does the Rest

Once the deep ocean water is piped up to the surface, it flows into enclosed greenhouse evaporation ponds. The intense Hawaiian sun slowly evaporates the water over about four weeks — leaving behind the most beautiful, flaky salt crystals you've ever seen.

Then salt masters hand-scoop the crystals from the harvest trays. By hand. Every single batch.

Leo and Lily were absolutely fascinated — they kept asking if they could try scooping, and honestly, Michael and I were just as excited as they were. Watching something so ancient and elemental be harvested with such care felt really special.

Why This Salt Is Completely Different From Anything Else

Most salt — even "sea salt" — comes from surface ocean water or underground mines. It tends to be high in sodium and stripped of most minerals during processing.

This salt is the opposite:

• 33% lower sodium than regular table salt — a gentler, more rounded flavour without the harsh edge

• Naturally rich in magnesium, calcium, and potassium — because at 2,200 feet, the water hasn't been depleted by surface organisms. It's mineral-dense in a way surface water simply can't be

• Completely free of microplastics and surface pollutants — the depth and pressure make it one of the purest water sources on the planet

• A lighter, sweeter finish — the crystals are almost snow-like, flaky, and incredibly clean on the palate

When you taste it next to regular salt, you notice immediately. It's softer. Rounder. More mineral, less harsh. Chefs love it as a finishing salt for exactly this reason.

Why It's in Happy Cacao

When I was formulating Happy Cacao, every single ingredient had to earn its place.

Salt wasn't just about flavour — though a tiny pinch of mineral-rich salt in chocolate genuinely does make it taste extraordinary. It's about trace minerals for your nervous system. Electrolyte balance. The kind of deep nourishment that comes from using the best possible version of every ingredient, even the ones people overlook.

There are plenty of cheaper salts I could have used. But once I visited this farm and stood in that place, the decision was made. There was no going back.

This Is Why We Source the Way We Do

Every ingredient in Happy Cacao has a story like this. Slow-pressed Peruvian cacao. Lucuma from the Andes. Mushroom extracts with centuries of traditional use behind them. And now a salt that has been traveling quietly through the deep ocean for nearly a thousand years.

This is what we mean when we say 100% nature. Not just the absence of synthetic ingredients — but a genuine commitment to sourcing the most extraordinary version of every single thing that goes into our products.

Visiting that farm with my family is one of those days I'll remember for a long time. Leo asking a million questions. Lily running between the evaporation ponds. Michael and I tasting crystals straight from the harvest tray, looking at each other like — yes. This is it.

Want to Try Happy Cacao?

Add 2 teaspoons to warm plant milk, froth it up, and taste what it feels like when every ingredient truly matters. 

👉 Related: Healthy Chocolate Hazelnut Toast 

👉 Related: Why Cacao Makes You Happy — The Science of Mood & Chocolate

If you have questions about any of our ingredients or sourcing, just reply to this post or DM me @eatsuperplants. I love talking about this stuff.

Eat Plants. Feel Alive.

xo Kristel