These days, mesquite may be seen as a bit of an underdog. A sleeper, if you will. But that hasn’t always been the case. Really, it wasn’t until the past few decades that America has had one main use for the mesquite tree: chopping it down and burning its wood to cook barbecue. But the truth is, our sweet ‘squite has so much more to offer. And historically, it’s done just that as a staple food source in the Americas and beyond, and is still used in many parts of the world today as a part of a balanced diet. Indigenous communities had many uses for mesquite, not the least of which was harvesting its fruit—a powerful little pod packed with immense potential, and one of the main reasons for our ongoing love affair.

Diverse, rich, and expansive, mesquite’s flavor profile is chocolatey, sweet, and cinnamony, with hints of toasted coconut and date, plus plenty else in between. This versatility is mesquite’s superpower, and lets us use it to achieve things that can’t be done with more traditional ingredients like cacao. For example, the sweetness of cacao-based chocolate can only be achieved by adding lots of sugar or other artificial stuff into the mix. With mesquite, natural sweetness is built in, and it provides the very unique experience of a chocolatey flavor that’s neither too sweet nor too bitter. And that allows us to rev things up for more of a milk chocolate flavor, or tone it down for something closer to a classic dark chocolate. Put simply, mesquite unlocks the possibility for serious exploration and discovery in the flavor department, and we’re just getting started.

One tiny little mesquite pod packs a serious nutritional punch. We’re talking protein, fiber, calcium, iron, amino acids, and antioxidants out the wazoo. On top of all that, it doesn’t have any of the caffeine or other stimulants found in cacao, as well as 500x less tannins—the group of compounds that give cacao its bitter and astringent nature, and require mounds of added sugar to combat. This means we can use a whole lot less sugar while combining mesquite with other wholesome, nutrient-rich ingredients to make foods that look, smell, and taste like a treat, but are healthy enough to enjoy all the time. A real “have your cake and eat it too” moment, you guys.

Okay, more good news: mesquite isn’t just great for us humans—it’s pretty great for the planet, too. A true desert native, it thrives naturally in hot, dry climates with almost no water or fertilization, and grows on every continent except Europe and Antarctica. Even better yet, it regenerates soil in the process, helping remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere simply by existing. Which gets us pretty excited, we must say. Because if we can make innovative products that keep the mesquite tree in the ground, we see the pathway to creating forests, improving soils, reducing carbon emissions, and expanding arable land into zones traditionally not seen as agriculturally productive.