16th-century Spanish explorers were the first to bring cacao back to Europe from the New World, and with it, Xocolatl — the sacred drink of the Aztecs.

Xocolatl was too bitter for the Spanish, so they sweetened it by cold-pressing sugar into the cocoa. A once-Spanish outpost, the beautiful baroque city of Modica is one of the last places left to preserve this tradition.

Unlike today’s industrial chocolate, Modica’s chocolate was rustic, grainy, and more intense in flavor. In 2011, Simone Sabaini set out to restore and evolve Modica’s legacy with Sabadì — Slow Living, using only the finest ingredients.

In 2018, Modica Chocolate became the only chocolate in the world to be granted an I.G.P. certification.

Due to Sabadi’s dedication to artisanal and sustainable production methods, they are certified a Slow Food Presidium and have been named best Modica chocolate for over 10 consecutive years.