SECAO® Cacao
The Fabric
Made from what was already thrown away.
The Waffle Half Zip is knitted from 100% SECAO - a bio based fibre engineered from cacao husks. SECAO® is a patented technology from GrandeTex, and we make no claims we cannot put a document behind.
100% SECAO - a bio based fibre engineered from cacao husks
Choosing the fibre
The right fibre for the job.
We do not build the whole range from one material. A tank or a brief sits against the skin for hours, so it is Tencel™ Lyocell. A layer you live in through winter is merino with Tencel. Leggings and sports bras have to hold their shape under load, so they are cut from Repreve, a polyester spun from recycled bottles.
So we use recycled polyester where the garment has to perform under load. Here, in the Waffle Half Zip, we use something different.
The Waffle Half Zip is the piece you pull on over everything else: warming up, cooling down, driving home, going out afterwards. It needs weight, texture and a hand feel you actually want against you. It does not need to be a technical fabric, because it is not doing technical work. That freed us to choose on origin instead, and SECAO® was the most interesting answer we found.
“An innovative design with a stunning lattice texture and an opulent hand feel.”
The Proformance Waffle Half Zip
On the body
What it is actually like to wear.
These are our own observations of the finished garment rather than laboratory figures. Where we have not tested something, we have not claimed it.
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Hand feel
Closer to a good cotton than to a technical knit. Soft and dry to the touch rather than slick, with none of the papery finish people expect from a novel fabric.
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Structure
The waffle is a deep lattice knit, not a surface print. It is what gives the piece its body, holds the funnel neck upright and stops the shape collapsing in wear.
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Weight
Mid weight, and heavier in the hand than it looks on the rail. Warm enough to be the only layer over a tee in spring and autumn, not so warm that it is a winter coat.
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Origin
The fibre starts life as cacao husk, a by-product of chocolate making that would otherwise be discarded.
How it is made
Two waste streams, one yarn.
A cacao pod is mostly husk. The beans, the part chocolate is made from, are a small fraction of what comes off the tree, and the rest is normally discarded. SECAO® is GrandeTex's patented answer to that: a way of engineering the husk into a bio based fibre.
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Chocolate made
Cacao pods are processed for chocolate, leaving the husk behind.
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Husk recovered
Cacao husk is taken from chocolate production, where it would otherwise be waste.
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SECAO® applied
GrandeTex's patented process engineers the cacao husk into SECAO®, a bio based fibre.
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Knitted
The yarn is knitted into the deep waffle lattice, then cut and sewn into the half zip.
The proof
What we can prove, and what we will not claim.
We would rather publish this page with an awkward line in it than fill the gap with something we have not seen. Here is exactly where we stand, including the part that does not flatter us.
- Confirmed The composition
100% SECAO - a bio based fibre engineered from cacao husks.
- Confirmed SECAO® is the real thing
SECAO® is GrandeTex's patented technology, and GrandeTex have confirmed we may name it in describing this fabric. They also asked that it always appear alongside the correct fibre composition, which is why the two sit together at the top of this page.
- Stated, not yet certified The recycled content
The recycled content is stated by the mill. A Global Recycled Standard transaction certificate can be issued against a specific production order, and we have not yet taken one, so you will not see a GRS mark on this piece. When we do, we will say so here.
- Tested, and we will not claim it Biodegradation
A SECAO® fabric was tested by the Taiwan Textile Research Institute to ASTM D6691 in natural seawater over thirty days. It returned 1.73% biodegradation. That is negligible, so we do not describe this fabric as biodegradable or marine degradable, and neither should anyone selling it.
In the range
Where we use it.
One style, two cuts. The Waffle Half Zip is a unisex piece, so the fit runs naturally oversized in both.
Questions
The things people ask us.
Is the garment made of cacao?
Yes. The fabric is 100% SECAO - a bio based fibre engineered from cacao husks, using GrandeTex's patented SECAO® technology.
Then why does the cacao matter?
Because it turns a waste stream into the fibre itself. Cacao husk is one of the largest agricultural by-products there is, and almost all of it is discarded. SECAO® is one of the few technologies doing anything with it at scale. We think that is worth paying for, and worth explaining properly rather than dressing up.
Does it smell of chocolate?
It does not. The husk is the shell of the pod rather than the bean, and by the time it has been through the SECAO® process there is nothing of the smell or the colour of chocolate left in it.
Is it biodegradable?
No, and we will not imply otherwise. Bio based does not mean biodegradable. Independent testing of a SECAO® fabric to ASTM D6691 in natural seawater returned 1.73% biodegradation over thirty days, which is effectively nil. Treat this as a piece to wear for years and then pass on, not one that disappears.
Does it shed microfibres?
Every knitted fabric sheds some fibres in the wash, including our Repreve pieces. Washing cool, washing less often and washing full loads all reduce it, and a filter bag reduces it further. We would rather tell you that than leave it out.
Why SECAO rather than cotton?
Cotton is a crop that needs land, water and a growing season. SECAO is engineered from cacao husks that already exist as a by-product of chocolate making. Cotton is not a bad fibre and we are not going to pretend it is, but for a layer that has to hold a heavy waffle structure through years of wear, this was the better answer.
How should I wash it?
Follow the care label on the garment. As a general rule, cool wash, line dry, do not tumble dry and do not dry clean. The waffle structure holds its shape best if you dry it flat.
Which size should I take?
It is a unisex piece so it runs naturally oversized. Take your usual size for the intended fit, or size down if you prefer it closer to the body.
Fibre composition, the SECAO® designation and the biodegradation test reference are as confirmed to us in writing by our supplier and the fabric mill in September 2026. The biodegradation figure is from a Taiwan Textile Research Institute report on a SECAO® fabric tested to ASTM D6691 in natural seawater over thirty days. Descriptions of hand feel, weight and structure are our own assessment of the finished garment rather than laboratory measurements. SECAO® is a registered trademark of GrandeTex. TENCEL™ is a trademark of Lenzing AG. REPREVE® is a registered trademark of Unifi, Inc.
The other fibres
The right fibre for the job.
We do not build the whole range from one material. Each fibre is here because it was the right answer to a particular garment.