Crio Bru is a good cacao alternative to coffee. It’s made of roasted cacao beans and comes in various flavors. Because cacao beans have a lot of nutrients and antioxidants packed in them, they’re considered a superfood. This means that Crio Bru is a healthy product.
The company was founded by Dr. Eric Durtschi and Jon Fortheringham, while Durtschi’s dad invented the product. His job at a chocolate company inspired his love for cacao-based recipes. He was curious to see if cacao beans could be brewed similarly to coffee beans. The product was named after the Criollo cacao bean, considered the best.
The best-selling point of Crio Bru isn’t just that it’s a healthy alternative to coffee but that it’s calorie-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, and has no sodium or cholesterol. Although Crio Bru is largely caffeine-free, it does contain theobromine, which has a calming effect but isn’t harmful to consume. The flavor of Crio Bru is unique; it’s not as bitter as coffee and is actually quite light to consume in comparison. Theobromine is perfect for providing a gradual increase in energy and a much healthier alternative to caffeine.
Crio Bru beans can also be reused after being used once.,It can disrupt sleep the same way that coffee does. The anti-oxidant count of Crio Bru when measured by ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) was equivalent to a cup of raspberries meaning that it is high in anti-oxidants.
Before coming to Shark Tank, Durtschi and Fortheringham had tried to raise funds from a Kickstarter campaign but failed. They intended to use the Shark Tank investment for retail distribution.
Are They Still an Active Company?
Yes, they are active and still in business.
How Did the Shark Tank Pitch Go?
Jon and Eric’s initial ask was for $1 million for a 10% stake in the company. They gave the pitch centred around the sentimental story of how Eric’s dad came up with the product through his love for cacao-based recipes. They also handed out samples for the Sharks to try. Unfortunately, the Sharks reacted negatively to Crio Bru, they didn’t like the taste of it. Robert, Mark and Daymond visibly expressed their distaste and left first, followed by Barbara and Kevin.
Overall, the Crio Bru Shark Tank review wasn’t so great, and they left without a deal. Surprisingly even after locking no deal on Shark Tank, the company continued to make a lot of sales through Amazon, with Eric leaving the company and Jon staying on as CEO.
The company still manages to generate yearly revenue of $3 million despite being rejected at Shark Tank. It was valued at $10 million during and right after appearing on Shark Tank, but now has a net worth of $15 million!
Our Review of Crio Bru
We decided to try Crio Bru for ourselves to see how it would fare in real life.
The good news is that it’s a delicious hot beverage that tastes a lot like dark chocolate and while it’s sugar-free, you can always had some kind of sweetener to it to make it taste better. It comes in a wide variety of flavors from pure ground to chocolate-flavored beans. It also has many seasonal flavors. It’s perfect for anyone who’s allergic to gluten/dairy since it’s gluten and dairy-free. Plus it acts as a great appetite-suppressant for people who are controlling their diet. Theobromine is different from caffeine because it gives energy too but doesn’t make you jumpy.
The bad news is that this healthy alternative is actually quite expensive. Despite its claim of 0 calories, it actually does have a bit of a calorie count. Upon trying it, we discovered that it tastes a lot like hot chocolate and less like coffee. Plus it caused a bit of a dry mouth that was easily resolved by drinking a glass of water.
Pros of Crio Bru
- Smells good
- Lighter and less bitter than coffee
- Variety of flavors
- Theobromine gives energy without making you jumpy
Cons of Crio Bru
- Tastes more like hot chocolate
- Expensive
- Might cause some dehydration
- Suppresses appetite
Who Is Crio Bru for?
Crio Bru is perfect for people who drink coffee regularly but want a healthier option that’s still similar to coffee. It’s also a good option for people who are interested in trying out brewed coffee but don’t want to get addicted to caffeine and want to get nutrients from their morning drink.
Are There Any Alternatives
Although Crio Bru was somewhat unique at the time of its invention, it has a lot of competition on the market now with many different brands offering variations of cacao powder.
Navitas Organics’ Organic Cacao Powder is one good alternative to Crio Bru. Just like the Crio Bru, it comes in a wide variety of delicious flavors and is made from cold-pressed and unroasted cacao beans. It’s full of nutrients like iron, magnesium and fiber and can be added to anything, from smoothies to cereal. It also makes for a fun addition to baking.
Unlike the Crio Bru, Navitas Organic Cacao Powder is not roasted, meaning that it’s in an even purer form with a rich variety of antioxidants packed in it.
Our Final Thoughts
While some people have their reservations about the safety of consuming cacao powder, Crio Bru definitely makes for a good alternative for people who enjoy drinking coffee but know that caffeine is bad for them.
Since this product is caffeine free and packed with so many nutrients, it’s much healthier to drink. On top of which, the thick consistency makes it even more exciting to drink as a cozy option for the winter. Plus, it can be added to almost anything.
In many ways though, Crio Bru tastes more like hot chocolate than coffee so coffee-enthusiasts might not enjoy it completely but it does the job of providing energy while being relatively healthier.
