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About Farms, Regions & People
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Cacao Farms from A-Z page currently being updated
Origin: Belize
Region/Farm: Toledo District
Certifications: Organic, direct transparent trade
Chocolate Makers Notes: Honey, pineapple and raisin
About:Maya Mountain Cacao (“MMC”) is a pioneer in direct trade cacao sourcing. MMC, founded in 2010, put Belize on the craft chocolate map as the first exporter in the country to produce high-quality, centrally-fermented, transparently sourced cacao. MMC works with 350+ certified organic smallholder cacao farming families in the Toledo District, most of them indigenous Q’eqchi’ and Mopan Maya. MMC centrally processes all cacao at a post-harvest facility where three unique stages of sun drying create optimal flavor. MMC operates a 24-hectare Demonstration Farm, for research and trainings in best practices for increasing cacao yield and quality; in 2016, the first pods were harvested from the demo farm, just 18 months after planting. MMC is focused on being a sustainable, long term and transparent partner to farmers and producing uniquely delicious and sweet cacao that creates real positive impact for the communities of southern Belize.
Region/Farm: Toledo District
Certifications: Organic, direct transparent trade
Chocolate Makers Notes: Honey, pineapple and raisin
About:Maya Mountain Cacao (“MMC”) is a pioneer in direct trade cacao sourcing. MMC, founded in 2010, put Belize on the craft chocolate map as the first exporter in the country to produce high-quality, centrally-fermented, transparently sourced cacao. MMC works with 350+ certified organic smallholder cacao farming families in the Toledo District, most of them indigenous Q’eqchi’ and Mopan Maya. MMC centrally processes all cacao at a post-harvest facility where three unique stages of sun drying create optimal flavor. MMC operates a 24-hectare Demonstration Farm, for research and trainings in best practices for increasing cacao yield and quality; in 2016, the first pods were harvested from the demo farm, just 18 months after planting. MMC is focused on being a sustainable, long term and transparent partner to farmers and producing uniquely delicious and sweet cacao that creates real positive impact for the communities of southern Belize.
ORIGIN: Brazil
REGION/FARM: Bahia, Ilheus
TYPE: Catongo
CERTIFICATIONS: Direct Trade
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Rare white beans - apricot, peanut buttery.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
So many amazing people — Chocolate makers, growers and farmers. This is an incredibly beautiful farm located in the northwest corner of Brazil in the Ihious Region of Bahia. It is very organized and well kept with varietals as segregated as possible. This bean is one just varietal that they take care to keep separate and out of their farm blend due to its really unique nature. The beans are fermented in traditional boxes and turned on a schedule dictated by how the temperatures rise and fall. They are sun dried of open patios with huge roofs on rollers that can be quickly put in place should rain come in.
REGION/FARM: Bahia, Ilheus
TYPE: Catongo
CERTIFICATIONS: Direct Trade
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Rare white beans - apricot, peanut buttery.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
So many amazing people — Chocolate makers, growers and farmers. This is an incredibly beautiful farm located in the northwest corner of Brazil in the Ihious Region of Bahia. It is very organized and well kept with varietals as segregated as possible. This bean is one just varietal that they take care to keep separate and out of their farm blend due to its really unique nature. The beans are fermented in traditional boxes and turned on a schedule dictated by how the temperatures rise and fall. They are sun dried of open patios with huge roofs on rollers that can be quickly put in place should rain come in.
ORIGIN: BOLIVIA
REGION/FARM: Wild Harvest Tranquilidad and Itenez
TYPE: Wild Harvest
CERTIFICATIONS: Direct Trade, HCP Heirloom Tranquilidad
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Bright notes of apricot & tangy fresh plum moving into dark roast coffee & bitter almond with a long after taste that circles back to fruit.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
PRODUCER / COLLECTORS: Tranquilidad Natural Forest Estate of around 600 hectares is owned by Volker Lehmann and his family, as private enterprise. In over 15 years Volker Lehmann increased the Wild Harvest activities all over the Beni department on areas of the size of Germany, involving hundreds of mainly indigenous families and dozens of organizations. Since 2014, after receiving the HCP recognition for Tranquilidad, production is concentrated in Tranquilidad and neighboring collection areas between the villages of Huacaraje and Baures. All cacao is fermented and sundried at Tranquilidad fermentation and drying facility.
HARVEST & PEOPLE: Harvest time in Tranquilidad is once a year between mid December to mid February. It could vary regarding the appearance of the rainy season starting in October and ending around end of May. The amount to harvest per tree varies also from year to year. In general the amount per tree is small as well as the pods and the beans, which are half the size of cultivated cacaos varieties. The cacao trees grow tall in its natural habitat and can reach 8 – 10 meters. People harvest the lower trunk by hand and use long sticks with a wire sling to get to the fruits in the upper parts. Sometimes they climb into the tree when there are many fruits, or they get eaten by monkeys and birds. The people like to come early in the morning, when mosquitoes are still less active, to collect in small groups or by family and make piles of pods. After 2-3 hours they sit at the piles and open the pods placing the fresh beans in bags. Once full the bags hang on poles to collect the dripping juice that people love to drink right there and to sell some in the villages. After that, between noon and early afternoon, they bring the bags by foot or on bikes to the harvest center, where they are weighed and payed directly by weight and quality. The price is generally agreed at the start of the harvest and varies if there are more or less to pick. People are free to sell to the best offer or take home. The beans go then straight into special designed wooden fermentation boxes. The post harvest protocol was developed in 2003 and is mainly adapted to the size of the beans including slow sun drying.
The Itenez is harvested within the same area but the post harvest steps are completed by the individual harvesters and not centrally fermented and dried, giving them even more multi-dimensional flavors.
REGION/FARM: Wild Harvest Tranquilidad and Itenez
TYPE: Wild Harvest
CERTIFICATIONS: Direct Trade, HCP Heirloom Tranquilidad
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Bright notes of apricot & tangy fresh plum moving into dark roast coffee & bitter almond with a long after taste that circles back to fruit.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
PRODUCER / COLLECTORS: Tranquilidad Natural Forest Estate of around 600 hectares is owned by Volker Lehmann and his family, as private enterprise. In over 15 years Volker Lehmann increased the Wild Harvest activities all over the Beni department on areas of the size of Germany, involving hundreds of mainly indigenous families and dozens of organizations. Since 2014, after receiving the HCP recognition for Tranquilidad, production is concentrated in Tranquilidad and neighboring collection areas between the villages of Huacaraje and Baures. All cacao is fermented and sundried at Tranquilidad fermentation and drying facility.
HARVEST & PEOPLE: Harvest time in Tranquilidad is once a year between mid December to mid February. It could vary regarding the appearance of the rainy season starting in October and ending around end of May. The amount to harvest per tree varies also from year to year. In general the amount per tree is small as well as the pods and the beans, which are half the size of cultivated cacaos varieties. The cacao trees grow tall in its natural habitat and can reach 8 – 10 meters. People harvest the lower trunk by hand and use long sticks with a wire sling to get to the fruits in the upper parts. Sometimes they climb into the tree when there are many fruits, or they get eaten by monkeys and birds. The people like to come early in the morning, when mosquitoes are still less active, to collect in small groups or by family and make piles of pods. After 2-3 hours they sit at the piles and open the pods placing the fresh beans in bags. Once full the bags hang on poles to collect the dripping juice that people love to drink right there and to sell some in the villages. After that, between noon and early afternoon, they bring the bags by foot or on bikes to the harvest center, where they are weighed and payed directly by weight and quality. The price is generally agreed at the start of the harvest and varies if there are more or less to pick. People are free to sell to the best offer or take home. The beans go then straight into special designed wooden fermentation boxes. The post harvest protocol was developed in 2003 and is mainly adapted to the size of the beans including slow sun drying.
The Itenez is harvested within the same area but the post harvest steps are completed by the individual harvesters and not centrally fermented and dried, giving them even more multi-dimensional flavors.
Origin: Columbia, Arhuaco
Region/Farm: Sierra Nevada
Chocolate Makers Notes: Cashew nuttiness, hint of wine like tannic notes, full untamed.
About the Region/Farm: The Arhuacos are one of three indigenous groups that preserve the biodiversity sanctuary of the Sierra Nevada in Colombia. They believe that the balance of humanity is in the respect of all beings and the earth and that their territory, the Sierra Nevada, is the center of the universe. This community recently returned home after generations of land issues with colonizers and drug wars. Now, the Arhuacos derive their livelihoods mainly from sustainable agriculture including harvesting of native cacao deep in the jungle close to the Venezuelan border. Since 2009, Cacao Hunters has worked with the Arhuacos community of about 70 farmers to produce well-fermented, high quality cacao. In 2017, Cacao de Colombia handed management of the centralized fermentation and processing center over to the community to manage. Today, the Arhuacos farmers make 58% more income by selling wet cacao to their own processing center than dry to other buyers. For a community in which cacao is the main source of income for 9 out of 10 farmers, and where 73% of the people live below the Colombian poverty line, this increase in income makes a big difference in quality of life for families and furthers the sustainability of this incredible culture.
Origin: Colombia, Tumaco
Region: Southwest Pacific Coast
Flavor notes: Molasses, Caramel, Barley malt, Rose petal, Jungle
About: On the southern pacific coast of Colombia, Tumaco is a region that has been hard hit by historic political conflict and plagued by narco trafficking. The predominantly Afro-Colombian population has faced a great deal of prejudice and sustainable local development has been hijacked by extensive penetration of paramilitary and narco groups. When Cacao de Colombia first explored the region back in 2011, they found cacao everywhere; drying on any flat surface farmers could find, including the road. The sheer volume of cacao was overwhelming, and the opportunity for quality and systemic improvement was obvious. Cacao de Colombia has worked with three community cooperatives to introduce centralized processing and drying. Because of the introduction of centralized processing and Cacao de Colombia’s expertise in high-quality flavor development, farmers today earn 70% more income from cacao than they did when selling dried beans to the commodity market supply chain, and have a true sustainable alternative to coca production or involvement in the narco groups.
Region/Farm: Sierra Nevada
Chocolate Makers Notes: Cashew nuttiness, hint of wine like tannic notes, full untamed.
About the Region/Farm: The Arhuacos are one of three indigenous groups that preserve the biodiversity sanctuary of the Sierra Nevada in Colombia. They believe that the balance of humanity is in the respect of all beings and the earth and that their territory, the Sierra Nevada, is the center of the universe. This community recently returned home after generations of land issues with colonizers and drug wars. Now, the Arhuacos derive their livelihoods mainly from sustainable agriculture including harvesting of native cacao deep in the jungle close to the Venezuelan border. Since 2009, Cacao Hunters has worked with the Arhuacos community of about 70 farmers to produce well-fermented, high quality cacao. In 2017, Cacao de Colombia handed management of the centralized fermentation and processing center over to the community to manage. Today, the Arhuacos farmers make 58% more income by selling wet cacao to their own processing center than dry to other buyers. For a community in which cacao is the main source of income for 9 out of 10 farmers, and where 73% of the people live below the Colombian poverty line, this increase in income makes a big difference in quality of life for families and furthers the sustainability of this incredible culture.
Origin: Colombia, Tumaco
Region: Southwest Pacific Coast
Flavor notes: Molasses, Caramel, Barley malt, Rose petal, Jungle
About: On the southern pacific coast of Colombia, Tumaco is a region that has been hard hit by historic political conflict and plagued by narco trafficking. The predominantly Afro-Colombian population has faced a great deal of prejudice and sustainable local development has been hijacked by extensive penetration of paramilitary and narco groups. When Cacao de Colombia first explored the region back in 2011, they found cacao everywhere; drying on any flat surface farmers could find, including the road. The sheer volume of cacao was overwhelming, and the opportunity for quality and systemic improvement was obvious. Cacao de Colombia has worked with three community cooperatives to introduce centralized processing and drying. Because of the introduction of centralized processing and Cacao de Colombia’s expertise in high-quality flavor development, farmers today earn 70% more income from cacao than they did when selling dried beans to the commodity market supply chain, and have a true sustainable alternative to coca production or involvement in the narco groups.
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
REGION/FARM: Oko-Caribe, Duarte province
CERTIFICATIONS: Organic
Intercropped with plantain, avocado, zapote, corn, beans, yucca and casava,
Öko-Caribe (or “eco-Caribe,” in German) is a gem amongst cacao suppliers. With more than 50 years of combined experience in cacao, owners Adriano de Jesus Rodriguez and Gualberto Acebey Torrejon have fine-tuned their systems to ensure consistent, superior quality in their 500+ tons of annual production. Öko Caribe maintains close relationships with its 165 farmers through technical training, in agronomic practices and organic certification. In addition, owners Adriano and Gualberto have personal relationships with all farmers, offering microfinance loans for cacao-related expenses, as well as personal loans for family emergencies or other community needs. The loyalty between Öko Caribe and the farmers they work with is not only evidenced in daily interactions between staff, management and farmers, but also in their best-in-class, award winning final product.
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
REGION/FARM: Reserva Zorzal
TYPE: Hispanola - Trinatario
CERTIFICATIONS: direct trade & certified organic by ceres
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
Our passions for cacao, wildlife conservation, and sustainable development unite at Reserva Zorzal — a 1,019 acre bird sanctuary and organic cacao farm in the northern mountain range of the Dominican Republic. As our farm grows, we continue to plant new varietals based on feedback from international leaders in the artisan chocolate market. In conjunction with our Zorzal estate beans, our Zorzal Comunitario beans are sourced from agricultural partnerships with a hand-picked group of farmers bordering the Zorzal reserve and bird sanctuary. Both Zorzal estate and Zorzal Comunitario cacao beans are fermented and dried at the Zorzal fermentorium in San Francisco de Macoris.
This is a cocoa bean you can feel really good about. Zorzal Cacao has a story that goes well beyond just being organic and direct trade. Reserva Zorzal has set aside 70% of its 1,019 acres as “forever wild”, devoted to the wintering grounds of Bicknell’s thrush, which of course benefits biodiversity and many other species. This rare and threatened bird breeds on remote mountaintops in the northeastern United States. Seeing or hearing one is a rare treat even for experienced birders, and its habitat in dense hemlock forests makes even getting the chance of seeing one or hearing its nasal trill the thrill of a lifetime. It winters in the DR, where it is called the Zorzal de Bicknells, in the dense cloud forest, and because its habitat is shrinking both in its wintering grounds and breeding grounds, cooperative efforts between conservation organizations in the United States and the DR are forging real progress in maintaining populations of this rare songbird.
REGION/FARM: Oko-Caribe, Duarte province
CERTIFICATIONS: Organic
Intercropped with plantain, avocado, zapote, corn, beans, yucca and casava,
Öko-Caribe (or “eco-Caribe,” in German) is a gem amongst cacao suppliers. With more than 50 years of combined experience in cacao, owners Adriano de Jesus Rodriguez and Gualberto Acebey Torrejon have fine-tuned their systems to ensure consistent, superior quality in their 500+ tons of annual production. Öko Caribe maintains close relationships with its 165 farmers through technical training, in agronomic practices and organic certification. In addition, owners Adriano and Gualberto have personal relationships with all farmers, offering microfinance loans for cacao-related expenses, as well as personal loans for family emergencies or other community needs. The loyalty between Öko Caribe and the farmers they work with is not only evidenced in daily interactions between staff, management and farmers, but also in their best-in-class, award winning final product.
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
REGION/FARM: Reserva Zorzal
TYPE: Hispanola - Trinatario
CERTIFICATIONS: direct trade & certified organic by ceres
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
Our passions for cacao, wildlife conservation, and sustainable development unite at Reserva Zorzal — a 1,019 acre bird sanctuary and organic cacao farm in the northern mountain range of the Dominican Republic. As our farm grows, we continue to plant new varietals based on feedback from international leaders in the artisan chocolate market. In conjunction with our Zorzal estate beans, our Zorzal Comunitario beans are sourced from agricultural partnerships with a hand-picked group of farmers bordering the Zorzal reserve and bird sanctuary. Both Zorzal estate and Zorzal Comunitario cacao beans are fermented and dried at the Zorzal fermentorium in San Francisco de Macoris.
This is a cocoa bean you can feel really good about. Zorzal Cacao has a story that goes well beyond just being organic and direct trade. Reserva Zorzal has set aside 70% of its 1,019 acres as “forever wild”, devoted to the wintering grounds of Bicknell’s thrush, which of course benefits biodiversity and many other species. This rare and threatened bird breeds on remote mountaintops in the northeastern United States. Seeing or hearing one is a rare treat even for experienced birders, and its habitat in dense hemlock forests makes even getting the chance of seeing one or hearing its nasal trill the thrill of a lifetime. It winters in the DR, where it is called the Zorzal de Bicknells, in the dense cloud forest, and because its habitat is shrinking both in its wintering grounds and breeding grounds, cooperative efforts between conservation organizations in the United States and the DR are forging real progress in maintaining populations of this rare songbird.
ORIGIN: Esmeraldas Ecuador
REGION/FARM: Rio Cayapas
TYPE: Nacional
FLAVOR NOTES: Nostalgic and clear chocolate note followed by cinnamon, nuts and baked fruit notes. Think fruit cake.
This Cayapas River cacao is a blend from 300 smallholder farmers, many of whom are part of the Chachis tribe. The Chachis people are an ethnic group who live in the rainforest area of northwestern Esmeraldas on the northern coast of Ecuador. They live by the Cayapas River in the Centro El Encanto, bordering the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve. To reach this community you must take a canoe in Puerto Bonbor (Esmeraldas) and travel for approximately 2.5 hours.
The (canoe) "highway" river links the Chachis, up river and the Afro-Ecuadorian community down river - closer to and in Esmeraldas. Here the folklore and heritage is expressed in Marimba music and dancing and arullo singing, styles originating in Africa. If you remember the Tumaco cacao from a few weeks back, notice the similarities. Tumacao Colombia is just a stones throw from Esmeraldas. The Chachis are most know for their handcraft production and beautiful weaving.
ORIGIN: Ecuador
REGION/FARM: Eco Cacao
TYPE: Heirloom Nacional
CERTIFICATIONS: Uncertified Organic
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Big Foghorn chocolate note with a golden raisin finish and a sparkle of lemon acidity.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
Hails from the Esmeraldas coast. The farm is part of a producer co-operative called Eco Cacao, co-founded in 2006 by George Fletcher and the Ecuadorian permaculture and Seed Guardians Community (www.redsemillas.org), a grassroots network that works with
communities to preserve the bio-cultural diversity of the Ecuador. Gregory Landau, CEO of Terra Genesis International and founder of Nova Chocolate, began collaborating with Eco Cacao in 2006 with a strong vision: to support the local community in evolving their agricultural practices towards regenerative growing, and to create practices that also conserve the local Chocóan rainforest, an area of immense biodiversity. Now, Eco Cacao works to empower 80 farmers on 320 hectares dispersed across the Galera-San Francisco Peninsula, many of whom specialize in unique, high-quality varietals. Eco Cacao is part of a larger cooperative (UOPROCAE) which has a total of 1600 hectares.
The region of Esmeraldas, where Eco Cacao was founded, is rich with fine and aromatic varieties of cacao which often grow in biodiverse agroforestry systems. Eco Cacao grows ‘nacional complex’, a varietal that is a mix of EET clones from Ecuador’s nacional hybridization program. High quality varieties such as nacional, while prized for their aroma and flavor, are often challenged by poor yields and greater susceptibility to disease. As a result, producers in the region experience difficulty in achieving a meaningful livelihood from cacao, their primary cash crop. Without greater market appreciation for genetic diversity, flavor or conservation value, prices for these special varietals of cacao are often too low to incentivize production.
REGION/FARM: Rio Cayapas
TYPE: Nacional
FLAVOR NOTES: Nostalgic and clear chocolate note followed by cinnamon, nuts and baked fruit notes. Think fruit cake.
This Cayapas River cacao is a blend from 300 smallholder farmers, many of whom are part of the Chachis tribe. The Chachis people are an ethnic group who live in the rainforest area of northwestern Esmeraldas on the northern coast of Ecuador. They live by the Cayapas River in the Centro El Encanto, bordering the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve. To reach this community you must take a canoe in Puerto Bonbor (Esmeraldas) and travel for approximately 2.5 hours.
The (canoe) "highway" river links the Chachis, up river and the Afro-Ecuadorian community down river - closer to and in Esmeraldas. Here the folklore and heritage is expressed in Marimba music and dancing and arullo singing, styles originating in Africa. If you remember the Tumaco cacao from a few weeks back, notice the similarities. Tumacao Colombia is just a stones throw from Esmeraldas. The Chachis are most know for their handcraft production and beautiful weaving.
ORIGIN: Ecuador
REGION/FARM: Eco Cacao
TYPE: Heirloom Nacional
CERTIFICATIONS: Uncertified Organic
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Big Foghorn chocolate note with a golden raisin finish and a sparkle of lemon acidity.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
Hails from the Esmeraldas coast. The farm is part of a producer co-operative called Eco Cacao, co-founded in 2006 by George Fletcher and the Ecuadorian permaculture and Seed Guardians Community (www.redsemillas.org), a grassroots network that works with
communities to preserve the bio-cultural diversity of the Ecuador. Gregory Landau, CEO of Terra Genesis International and founder of Nova Chocolate, began collaborating with Eco Cacao in 2006 with a strong vision: to support the local community in evolving their agricultural practices towards regenerative growing, and to create practices that also conserve the local Chocóan rainforest, an area of immense biodiversity. Now, Eco Cacao works to empower 80 farmers on 320 hectares dispersed across the Galera-San Francisco Peninsula, many of whom specialize in unique, high-quality varietals. Eco Cacao is part of a larger cooperative (UOPROCAE) which has a total of 1600 hectares.
The region of Esmeraldas, where Eco Cacao was founded, is rich with fine and aromatic varieties of cacao which often grow in biodiverse agroforestry systems. Eco Cacao grows ‘nacional complex’, a varietal that is a mix of EET clones from Ecuador’s nacional hybridization program. High quality varieties such as nacional, while prized for their aroma and flavor, are often challenged by poor yields and greater susceptibility to disease. As a result, producers in the region experience difficulty in achieving a meaningful livelihood from cacao, their primary cash crop. Without greater market appreciation for genetic diversity, flavor or conservation value, prices for these special varietals of cacao are often too low to incentivize production.
ORIGIN: Ecuador
REGION/FARM: Fortaleza del Valle
TYPE: Nacional
CERTIFICATIONS: USDA organic, BIOSUISSE certified by ECOCERT, FAIRTRADE, and FLO-CERT, Direct Trade.
ABOUT: An organization of small farmers, Fortaleza del Valle was created in early 2006 and is currently comprised of four agricultural associations and more than 600 partners. Its main objective is to promote the production and marketing of Nacional Fino de Aroma Cacao both certified organic and fair trade and promoting the social, economic and environmental development of its members and families. At present we have an area of 17 hectares in agro-forestry systems that contribute to biodiversity conservation and the environment. Fortaleza del Valle produces "fine aroma" cacao, considered some of the best in the world and highly prized with the exquisite aroma and soft, floral flavors .
REGION/FARM: Fortaleza del Valle
TYPE: Nacional
CERTIFICATIONS: USDA organic, BIOSUISSE certified by ECOCERT, FAIRTRADE, and FLO-CERT, Direct Trade.
ABOUT: An organization of small farmers, Fortaleza del Valle was created in early 2006 and is currently comprised of four agricultural associations and more than 600 partners. Its main objective is to promote the production and marketing of Nacional Fino de Aroma Cacao both certified organic and fair trade and promoting the social, economic and environmental development of its members and families. At present we have an area of 17 hectares in agro-forestry systems that contribute to biodiversity conservation and the environment. Fortaleza del Valle produces "fine aroma" cacao, considered some of the best in the world and highly prized with the exquisite aroma and soft, floral flavors .
ORIGIN: Ecuador
REGION/FARM: Puerto Quito
TYPE: Nacional Arriba
CERTIFICATIONS: Organic, Heirloom, Direct Trade
CHOCOLATE MAKERS NOTE: Buttery, Sour Cherry, lasting coffee notes
ABOUT THE PEOPLE/FARM/REGION:
Asociación de Productores Agropecuarios Artesanal Nueva Esperanza (ASOANE) is an association of 25 producers of artisanal agriculture located in Puerto Quito, Ecuador. Cacao farming arrived to this region over 75 years ago with Nacional cacao brought in from the neighboring Los Rios Province –known not only for its complex flavor profile but its cohabitation with other plants and trees that promote habitats for midge pollinators, birds, and other animals.
Jose Meza and Barbara Wilson, of Mindo Chocolate Makers, work with the ASOANE farmers and provided the beans for submission of their Nacional variety cacao beans for Heirloom designation.
In 2018, ASOANE was awarded an HCP grant funded by the Lesley Family Foundation to support the preservation of their heirloom designated cacao. ASOANE evaluated their heirloom trees based on productivity, flavor and genetics and selected 9 trees for clonal propagation through grafting in their new nursery. With the support of HCP and the local municipality, ASOANE is now building new fermentation and drying infrastructure to assure the highest quality of heirloom Nacional cacao, bringing better prices and markets for ASOANE’s farmers.
While the majority of cacao tree producers are increasing the production of flavorless high-yielding chocolate for mass produced chocolate bars (containing high levels of sugar and added artificial flavors), HCP is striving to preserve the rich biodiversity of cacao trees in Ecuador. These Heirloom trees make balanced, unique, fine flavor chocolate possible for future generations to experience.
These beans known not only for its complex flavor profile but its cohabitation with other plants and trees that promote habitats for midge pollinators, birds, and other animals. The International Tasting Panel had high praise for the beans’ processing and found the chocolate made from them had rich and complex, but balanced caramel and nutty notes, followed by complex fruit and astringent notes with a long-lasting, velvety chocolate finish.
Origin: Hacienda Sofia
Region/farm: Cerecita Valley
Type: Nacional
Certification: Organic
Owned and daily managed by a family of agronomists who have been involved in the cocoa production for three generations. Developing innovative production techniques to protect resources and increase productivity, Hacienda Sofia works on rigorous post-harvest controls with the needed infrastructure to produce a quality and homogenous cacao bean, nibs and pulp. Flavor notes: Full round flavor with no particular floral component often found in Nacional beans. There is a dry oak barrel sort of aroma, plus chocolate. The acidity is a lovely compliment to the tamarind sweetness, slightly bitter minerally tannins and restrained pith like astringency.
ORIGIN: Ecuador
REGION/FARM: Apovinces
TYPE:Nacional
CERTIFICATIONS: Direct Trade, Heirloom
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Deep chocolate, hazelnut, sour strawberry finish
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
Vinces—heart of the historic Nacional estates of the 18th & 19th centuries. In 2006, with great optimism, a group of vinceños, small cultivators of the land decided to form an organization to boost clean agriculture, market production, provide training as key to improving farm productivity and the living conditions of farmers and their families. APOV stands for Vinces Organic Producers Association.
REGION/FARM: Apovinces
TYPE:Nacional
CERTIFICATIONS: Direct Trade, Heirloom
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Deep chocolate, hazelnut, sour strawberry finish
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
Vinces—heart of the historic Nacional estates of the 18th & 19th centuries. In 2006, with great optimism, a group of vinceños, small cultivators of the land decided to form an organization to boost clean agriculture, market production, provide training as key to improving farm productivity and the living conditions of farmers and their families. APOV stands for Vinces Organic Producers Association.
ORIGIN: FIJI Nunokoloa, Rakiraki Province
REGION/FARM: Forestero
TYPE: Forestero Amelonado
CERTIFICATIONS: direct trade
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Rich and earthy, deep and dark (but not in a moody way); nicely balanced, and oh so chocolatey.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
Rakiraki is a district in Fiji Ra Province. It is located about halfway between Suva and Nadi when travelling along the Kings Road, on the northern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island. Prominent landmarks include Navatu Rock in Vitawa village, believed to be one of Fiji’s oldest human settlements. Pottery excavated at the base of the rock has been dated to around 1000BC. The tomb of Ratu Udre Udre, a famous 19th century cannibal chief who reportedly consumed more than 800 of his victims, is close to the township of Vaileka Ra. The Ra province has several hundred small holder cocoa farmers interplanting with coconut.
REGION/FARM: Forestero
TYPE: Forestero Amelonado
CERTIFICATIONS: direct trade
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Rich and earthy, deep and dark (but not in a moody way); nicely balanced, and oh so chocolatey.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
Rakiraki is a district in Fiji Ra Province. It is located about halfway between Suva and Nadi when travelling along the Kings Road, on the northern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island. Prominent landmarks include Navatu Rock in Vitawa village, believed to be one of Fiji’s oldest human settlements. Pottery excavated at the base of the rock has been dated to around 1000BC. The tomb of Ratu Udre Udre, a famous 19th century cannibal chief who reportedly consumed more than 800 of his victims, is close to the township of Vaileka Ra. The Ra province has several hundred small holder cocoa farmers interplanting with coconut.
Origin: Fiji
Region/Farm: Matasawalevu
Type: Forestero Amelanado
Certifications: Direct Trade
Chocolate Makers Notes: Full, creamy mouthfeel immediately followed by tart lemon pie puckeryness. Moves to deep chocolate and dried fruits. Lingers with a pleasant, soft bitter chocolate note.
About:
The Matasawalevu Cocoa Farm is located in Dreketi, Macuata, in the hills of Northern Fiji. It is one of the larger cacao farms in Fiji and started operations around 1979. The farm once covered an area of 400 acres but at present consists of approximately 100 acres of Forestero Amelonado cacao. Newer plantings planned are going to be newer Trindad Selected Hybrid (TSH) clones with higher yields, and disease resistance. The Matasawalevu farm has a well established reputation of producing quality cocoa and post-harvest processing operations closely follow traditional techniques.
About Dreketi:
Dreketi is located in the province of Macuata on Vanua Levu and is home to some of the poorest people on Fiji. Dreketi is a district in the comprising of 7 villages all of which are located within the mid reaches and the upper reaches of the Dreketi river and their tributaries. Populations living in these areas are almost wholly dependent on fishing and subsistence as well as rice farming for their livelihoods.The largest village located along the Dreketi river is Nabavatu village which is also the centre of traditional governance within the district. Dreketi has been a slow developing district compared to a number of other districts around Macuata
Region/Farm: Matasawalevu
Type: Forestero Amelanado
Certifications: Direct Trade
Chocolate Makers Notes: Full, creamy mouthfeel immediately followed by tart lemon pie puckeryness. Moves to deep chocolate and dried fruits. Lingers with a pleasant, soft bitter chocolate note.
About:
The Matasawalevu Cocoa Farm is located in Dreketi, Macuata, in the hills of Northern Fiji. It is one of the larger cacao farms in Fiji and started operations around 1979. The farm once covered an area of 400 acres but at present consists of approximately 100 acres of Forestero Amelonado cacao. Newer plantings planned are going to be newer Trindad Selected Hybrid (TSH) clones with higher yields, and disease resistance. The Matasawalevu farm has a well established reputation of producing quality cocoa and post-harvest processing operations closely follow traditional techniques.
About Dreketi:
Dreketi is located in the province of Macuata on Vanua Levu and is home to some of the poorest people on Fiji. Dreketi is a district in the comprising of 7 villages all of which are located within the mid reaches and the upper reaches of the Dreketi river and their tributaries. Populations living in these areas are almost wholly dependent on fishing and subsistence as well as rice farming for their livelihoods.The largest village located along the Dreketi river is Nabavatu village which is also the centre of traditional governance within the district. Dreketi has been a slow developing district compared to a number of other districts around Macuata
ORIGIN: Ghana
TYPE: Forestero
CERTIFICATIONS: Rain Forest Alliance
TYPE: Forestero
CERTIFICATIONS: Rain Forest Alliance
Origin: Guatemala
Region/Farm: Ademayach
Certifications: organic, BZ BIO
The community of San Juan Chivite is based entirely within a 180-hectare cacao farm, abandoned by its owner during the terrible Guatemalan civil war in the 1980’s and handed over in 1985 to the 65 families who were former workers of the farm. In 2002, the families converted a portion of the farm that was formally coffee over to cacao, and as the community has grown from 64 to 125 families today, cacao cultivation remains the source of over 90% of the community’s income. The village and farms are accessible only by swinging bridge over the wide, rushing Cahabón river; to sell cacao, association members carry 100-lb sacks over the bridge on their backs. In 2016, chocolate maker Goodnow Farms invested a donation into ASOCHIVITE (now called ADEMAYACH), enabling them to construct the village’s first centralized fermentery and drying decks, and sparking catalytic growth and development in the region including the installation of electricity for the village in late 2016. The association earned organic certification in 2016 and in collaboration with Cacao Verapaz exported its first lots in the same year.
Origin: Guatemala
Region/Farm: Cahabon
Certifications: Organic
The Association of Integrated Development “OX EEK” Santa Maria Cahabón (ADIOESMAC), founded in 2004, cultivates and sells cacao, cardamom, cinnamon, and chili peppers. Perched on a mountaintop overlooking the extensive jungled hills of the Cahabón region, the association processes cacao using cascading wooden fermentation boxes and a combination of greenhouse dryers, raised bamboo decks, and drying patios. This group’s first experience in fine cacao export was in the early 2000’s with Scharffenberger; in recent times, they were the first association in the region to export centrally fermented cacao to U.S. bean-to-bar makers, and have sold exclusively to Dandelion Chocolate through Cacao Verapaz since 2014. Dandelion calls these “potato beans,” and they are huge indeed, coming in at 46 beans per 100g. The association has continued to plant more cacao every year with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and various NGOs; most of the cacao planted is reforesting areas of “milpa” or corn and bean production, and children of the association members are starting to take over cacao production and processing for their parents.
ORIGIN: Guatemala
REGION/FARM: Lachua
TYPE: Iquitos Dominant, Trinitario, Amelonado, Nacional
CERTIFICATIONS: Organic
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Honey, strawberries, coffee and...shooting stars! Approachable and kid friendly with bright notes - good intro to craft heirloom/fine flavor cacao for anyone new.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
Laguna Lachuá is a large pristine cenote lake deemed a national park in 1976 and a Ramsar site in 2006. The “Eco-region Lachuá” around the lake is home to Q’eqchi’ Maya families, many of whom live off grid and rely on production of cacao, honey, cardamom, corn and other crops for their livelihoods. Cacao farmers are organized into three certified organic community associations, ASODIRP, ASOSELNOR, and K’AT’BALPOM, each with its own fermentation and drying operation. Lachuá communities have planted over 245 hectares of new cacao since 2014 and improved financial literacy in cacao production through projects supported by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), FUNDALACHUA, and FundaSistemas, with the shared goal of protecting the Laguna and improving their quality of life.
Region/Farm: Ademayach
Certifications: organic, BZ BIO
The community of San Juan Chivite is based entirely within a 180-hectare cacao farm, abandoned by its owner during the terrible Guatemalan civil war in the 1980’s and handed over in 1985 to the 65 families who were former workers of the farm. In 2002, the families converted a portion of the farm that was formally coffee over to cacao, and as the community has grown from 64 to 125 families today, cacao cultivation remains the source of over 90% of the community’s income. The village and farms are accessible only by swinging bridge over the wide, rushing Cahabón river; to sell cacao, association members carry 100-lb sacks over the bridge on their backs. In 2016, chocolate maker Goodnow Farms invested a donation into ASOCHIVITE (now called ADEMAYACH), enabling them to construct the village’s first centralized fermentery and drying decks, and sparking catalytic growth and development in the region including the installation of electricity for the village in late 2016. The association earned organic certification in 2016 and in collaboration with Cacao Verapaz exported its first lots in the same year.
Origin: Guatemala
Region/Farm: Cahabon
Certifications: Organic
The Association of Integrated Development “OX EEK” Santa Maria Cahabón (ADIOESMAC), founded in 2004, cultivates and sells cacao, cardamom, cinnamon, and chili peppers. Perched on a mountaintop overlooking the extensive jungled hills of the Cahabón region, the association processes cacao using cascading wooden fermentation boxes and a combination of greenhouse dryers, raised bamboo decks, and drying patios. This group’s first experience in fine cacao export was in the early 2000’s with Scharffenberger; in recent times, they were the first association in the region to export centrally fermented cacao to U.S. bean-to-bar makers, and have sold exclusively to Dandelion Chocolate through Cacao Verapaz since 2014. Dandelion calls these “potato beans,” and they are huge indeed, coming in at 46 beans per 100g. The association has continued to plant more cacao every year with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and various NGOs; most of the cacao planted is reforesting areas of “milpa” or corn and bean production, and children of the association members are starting to take over cacao production and processing for their parents.
ORIGIN: Guatemala
REGION/FARM: Lachua
TYPE: Iquitos Dominant, Trinitario, Amelonado, Nacional
CERTIFICATIONS: Organic
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Honey, strawberries, coffee and...shooting stars! Approachable and kid friendly with bright notes - good intro to craft heirloom/fine flavor cacao for anyone new.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
Laguna Lachuá is a large pristine cenote lake deemed a national park in 1976 and a Ramsar site in 2006. The “Eco-region Lachuá” around the lake is home to Q’eqchi’ Maya families, many of whom live off grid and rely on production of cacao, honey, cardamom, corn and other crops for their livelihoods. Cacao farmers are organized into three certified organic community associations, ASODIRP, ASOSELNOR, and K’AT’BALPOM, each with its own fermentation and drying operation. Lachuá communities have planted over 245 hectares of new cacao since 2014 and improved financial literacy in cacao production through projects supported by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), FUNDALACHUA, and FundaSistemas, with the shared goal of protecting the Laguna and improving their quality of life.
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ORIGIN: Haiti
REGION/FARM: Askanya TYPE: Trinatario CERTIFICATIONS: Ethically and Sustainably Traded ABOUT: This cocoa hails from the Nord region in Northern Haiti, from Limonade and Grande Rivière du Nord. Currently this group works with approximately 500 farmers who average only 60 trees on a quarter hectare. Either whole pods or raw baba (the raw beans direct from the pod) are purchased from farmers and fermented centrally. The company is named after one of the founder’s German hometown “Aschersleben”. In its Latinized form “Ascania,” it connects to the ancient figure Ascanius. Just as Ascanius became the legendary King in Roman mythology, we are sure Askanya will become the Queen of chocolate in her new Caribbean home. ORIGIN: Haiti COOPERATIVE: PISA CERTIFICATIONS: Organic, transparent trade Intercropped: with yam, avocado, citrus and plantains. 45% of the 1104 smallholder farmers are women. A big bean with even bigger plans, PISA’s flavor profile is a perfect storm of chocolate, caramelized sugars, and juicy dark berries. It is a cacao that can be enjoyed by a wide variety of chocolate enthusiasts, making it a delicious scalable bean for growing chocolate makers. Customers who normally shy away from fruity cacao will enjoy notes of blueberry without being affronted by a harsh acidity, while customers who usually prefer fruity cacao will find an appreciation for what caramel and chocolate flavors can do to accentuate fruity notes in a well balanced bar. Bringing an accessible and bold flavor to the cacao world isn’t the only thing Produits Des Iles SA (PISA) is doing. This company is committed to changing the way cacao is processed and exported from Haiti. PISA’s launch of their centralized processing facility in 2012 was a revolutionary change in Haiti’s cacao production system, which was not focused on quality but rather a bulk unfermented commodity. Haiti shares an island with the Dominican Republic, one of the world’s largest producers of high quality organic cacao, and the team at PISA had a vision for Haiti’s cacao industry developing in a similar way as the DR. Now, PISA is providing smallholder farmers access to the specialty cacao market by purchasing wet cacao, centrally fermenting it, and selling it at a higher price for its higher quality. PISA is now poised to bring affordable organic beans to the craft chocolate market with an approachable flavor profile of classic chocolate, blueberries, caramel, and vanilla. We partner with PISA believing that our system of Transparent Trade will contribute to the hard work of their team in developing a specialty cacao industry in Haiti in which farmers are earning significantly more from this important crop, supporting systems change and reducing structural inequities. Now that craft chocolate is a burgeoning industry across the United States and Europe, there is no time like the present to align one’s business with PISA’s mission. |
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ORIGIN: Honduras
REGION/FARM: Wampusirpi
TYPE: Trinatario
CERTIFICATIONS: Uncertified direct trade, uncertified, organically grown and unfumigated
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Elegant and Smooth. Full chocolate flavor surprisingly lacking in bitterness and overt astringency for such a high %. This is Lauren Bacall in a long black gown.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE:
These beans are direct trade and organic. In the first case, that isn’t certifiable and in the second, in this case, they are not certified but organic nonetheless. These beans were sourced with care about the farmer and co-ops, premiums well above the market minimum were paid (nearly double in this case) and only the best beans were accepted. They come from a remote part of Honduras (two days by canoe) where there simply are no chemicals and they have never been used. In addition, these were shipped in and through customs with no fumigation and everything I can find about the Wampusirpi (goodness I love saying that name) district leads to the fact that the whole region is committed to organic. These are box fermented under the supervision of a local gentleman who has been doing so for the last two decades. Per his instruction the beans are checked and turned every four hours.
Origin: India
Type: Estate
Location: Anamalai, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Varieties: Forastero, Criollo
Fermentation Style: 5-tiered wooden boxes
Drying Style: Sun dried on raised beds
Elevation: 293 meters
Harvest Season: June to July & October to December
The Anamalai Farm is a cocoa, coconut, and nutmeg farm located near the town of Pollachi, in a region famous throughout India for its high quality coconuts. The entire area, located at the southernmost foothills of India’s Western Ghats, is covered in coconut plantations. Harish Manoj and Karthi Palaniswamy, who own and operate Anamalai, have intercropped their own coconut palms with cocoa and nutmeg trees to diversify and keep the land healthy. They manage their water use with drip irrigation and keep a small herd of cows for weeding and manure compost. The cocoa is fermented in 5 tiers of wood boxes and sun dried on raised beds. While the majority of the harvest is processed for export, a small portion goes to Harish and Karthi’s local line of bean to bar chocolates, which they are producing to keep up with India’s growing demand for craft chocolate.
Origin: Madagascar
Region: Sambirano Valley
Type: Trinatario
Certifications: Organic
Akesson Single Estate Cacao from the Northern Ambanja region. Cocoa grower Bertil Akesson's father was a Swedish diplomat in Paris before starting a trading company and traveling the world. The family eventually settled in Madagascar in the 1970's and took over plantations on the island. Today, these plantations are controlled by Bertil himself in North West Madagascar where the plantations are divided into four smaller estates.
Type: Estate
Location: Anamalai, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Varieties: Forastero, Criollo
Fermentation Style: 5-tiered wooden boxes
Drying Style: Sun dried on raised beds
Elevation: 293 meters
Harvest Season: June to July & October to December
The Anamalai Farm is a cocoa, coconut, and nutmeg farm located near the town of Pollachi, in a region famous throughout India for its high quality coconuts. The entire area, located at the southernmost foothills of India’s Western Ghats, is covered in coconut plantations. Harish Manoj and Karthi Palaniswamy, who own and operate Anamalai, have intercropped their own coconut palms with cocoa and nutmeg trees to diversify and keep the land healthy. They manage their water use with drip irrigation and keep a small herd of cows for weeding and manure compost. The cocoa is fermented in 5 tiers of wood boxes and sun dried on raised beds. While the majority of the harvest is processed for export, a small portion goes to Harish and Karthi’s local line of bean to bar chocolates, which they are producing to keep up with India’s growing demand for craft chocolate.
Origin: Madagascar
Region: Sambirano Valley
Type: Trinatario
Certifications: Organic
Akesson Single Estate Cacao from the Northern Ambanja region. Cocoa grower Bertil Akesson's father was a Swedish diplomat in Paris before starting a trading company and traveling the world. The family eventually settled in Madagascar in the 1970's and took over plantations on the island. Today, these plantations are controlled by Bertil himself in North West Madagascar where the plantations are divided into four smaller estates.
Origin: Mexico
Region: Tabasco
Certifications: direct trade, organic
Type: Trinitario and Amelondo "Mexicano"
Agrofloresta Mesoamericana is a cooperative working to bring back agro-forestry (food-forest) They work with around 180 farmers from different communities, 3 communities have indigenous backgrounds and they surround a protected area, thus cacao acts as a biological corridor. Agrofloresta provides the farmers many advantages: wet pickups save them a lot of work, maintain a close relationship with them and provide technical assistance. 60 farmers are already organic certified through Agrofloresta, and last but not least the farmers are paid a fair price normally about 40-60% above the market price for wet cacao. Taking good care of the cacao in the fermentation center, they measure temperature, ph and brix in order to deliver optimal fermentation and then sun dry in covered tunnels.
Agrofloresta is focused in restoring the land from cattle to agroforestry systems, and to date have helped directly to turn 300 has. of pasture to agroforestry, and many more indirectly.
Origin: Mexico
Region: Chiapas, Sonconusco
Type: Trinatario
Certifications: Organic Uncertified
The Chiapanecan origin comes from Soconusco from a cooperative named Organizacion de Productores de Cacao Sostenible Rayen founded in 2016. The core "group" consists of around 30 members. With the help of the University they are devoted to the rescue of the heirloom varieties of local cacao under threat by the introduction of highly productive and pest-resistant "clones" as is the case in most cacao growing countries. They do so by researching the varieties already present in their lots (which can be over a hundred years old) and by propagating the ones that are more productive/tastier/healthier. Cacao in the region is typically a polyculture: in the cacao orchards you can find other fruits such as mamey, lemon, coconuts, pineapples, mangoes; timber-yielding trees (shade trees of the cacaos) like ceibas and cedars and tropical flower, amoung them hibiscus, ginger and heliconias. The cacao is organically grown, however not certified as such (too expensive).
Origin: Mexico
Region: Tabasco
Type: Almendra Blanca (White Almond)
Certifications: Direct Trade
Chocolate Makers Notes: Peanuts, almonds, & butterscotchy, oh my!
IAbout: This bean, reasonably delicate in nature, turns out a chocolate light brown resembling milk chocolate, hence the White Almond description. It is a very soft flavor, and lingers with a malty sweetness.
Almendra Blanca is a Mexican variety of cocoa, coming from the Chontalpa region in Tabasco Mexico. They come from around 30 farmers supported by Maxiterra’s Cocoa Program and based on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Sustainability and Fairtrade thru FAO’s Farmers Field Schools model (FFS).
Region: Tabasco
Certifications: direct trade, organic
Type: Trinitario and Amelondo "Mexicano"
Agrofloresta Mesoamericana is a cooperative working to bring back agro-forestry (food-forest) They work with around 180 farmers from different communities, 3 communities have indigenous backgrounds and they surround a protected area, thus cacao acts as a biological corridor. Agrofloresta provides the farmers many advantages: wet pickups save them a lot of work, maintain a close relationship with them and provide technical assistance. 60 farmers are already organic certified through Agrofloresta, and last but not least the farmers are paid a fair price normally about 40-60% above the market price for wet cacao. Taking good care of the cacao in the fermentation center, they measure temperature, ph and brix in order to deliver optimal fermentation and then sun dry in covered tunnels.
Agrofloresta is focused in restoring the land from cattle to agroforestry systems, and to date have helped directly to turn 300 has. of pasture to agroforestry, and many more indirectly.
Origin: Mexico
Region: Chiapas, Sonconusco
Type: Trinatario
Certifications: Organic Uncertified
The Chiapanecan origin comes from Soconusco from a cooperative named Organizacion de Productores de Cacao Sostenible Rayen founded in 2016. The core "group" consists of around 30 members. With the help of the University they are devoted to the rescue of the heirloom varieties of local cacao under threat by the introduction of highly productive and pest-resistant "clones" as is the case in most cacao growing countries. They do so by researching the varieties already present in their lots (which can be over a hundred years old) and by propagating the ones that are more productive/tastier/healthier. Cacao in the region is typically a polyculture: in the cacao orchards you can find other fruits such as mamey, lemon, coconuts, pineapples, mangoes; timber-yielding trees (shade trees of the cacaos) like ceibas and cedars and tropical flower, amoung them hibiscus, ginger and heliconias. The cacao is organically grown, however not certified as such (too expensive).
Origin: Mexico
Region: Tabasco
Type: Almendra Blanca (White Almond)
Certifications: Direct Trade
Chocolate Makers Notes: Peanuts, almonds, & butterscotchy, oh my!
IAbout: This bean, reasonably delicate in nature, turns out a chocolate light brown resembling milk chocolate, hence the White Almond description. It is a very soft flavor, and lingers with a malty sweetness.
Almendra Blanca is a Mexican variety of cocoa, coming from the Chontalpa region in Tabasco Mexico. They come from around 30 farmers supported by Maxiterra’s Cocoa Program and based on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Sustainability and Fairtrade thru FAO’s Farmers Field Schools model (FFS).
Origin: Mexico
Region: Tabasco, Chontalpa
Type: Mix of local varietals
Certifications: Direct Trade
Chocolate Makers Notes: Black forest cake - tart cherry.
Chontalpa Cocoa Beans are a mix of varieties of Criollo and Trinitario coming from the Chontalpa region in Tabasco Mexico from more than 3,500 small farms supported by Maxiterra’s Cocoa Program. Based on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Sustainability and Fairtrade thru FAO’s Farmers Field Schools model (FFS)
Process: Cocoa beans are fermented during 3-4 days (1+1+2) in wooden boxesand slowly sun dried to obtain 6.5%-7.5% moisture content.
Traceability: Every production batch or lot number is set on the daily income of raw cocoa coming from plantations, which contains details on farmer’s name and location, volume purchased and price paid, and general data on technical assistance, training and agricultural practices executed on every farm.
Region: Tabasco, Chontalpa
Type: Mix of local varietals
Certifications: Direct Trade
Chocolate Makers Notes: Black forest cake - tart cherry.
Chontalpa Cocoa Beans are a mix of varieties of Criollo and Trinitario coming from the Chontalpa region in Tabasco Mexico from more than 3,500 small farms supported by Maxiterra’s Cocoa Program. Based on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Sustainability and Fairtrade thru FAO’s Farmers Field Schools model (FFS)
Process: Cocoa beans are fermented during 3-4 days (1+1+2) in wooden boxesand slowly sun dried to obtain 6.5%-7.5% moisture content.
Traceability: Every production batch or lot number is set on the daily income of raw cocoa coming from plantations, which contains details on farmer’s name and location, volume purchased and price paid, and general data on technical assistance, training and agricultural practices executed on every farm.
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ORIGIN: Philippines
REGION/FARM: Malagos TYPE: Trinatario CERTIFICATIONS: direct trade, Malagos Chocolate Here, the rich soil and favorable climate throughout the year give us ideal conditions to produce our cacao beans. We grow Trinitario clones — a cross between the Criollo and Forastero varieties. The beans we grow are considered as fine flavor beans. These beans are manually harvested then fermented on the farm to further enhance naturally the complex flavor of cocoa. These carefully nurtured beans deserve to be handled using processes that preserve and bring out their best qualities. Our beans are dried in covered solar dryers to protect them from the rain and debris. The Puentespina’s venture into cacao growing started in 2003 when founders, Roberto and Charita Puentespina, leased a cacao farm in Malagos, Baguio District, Davao City. A farmer at heart, Charita Puentespina rehabilitated the trees and soon after harvested the cacao pods. She now operates a 24-hectare cacao farm in Malagos and employs around 80 in-house farmers both in Malagos and on cacao farms outside of the Malagos area. (These are farmers whose passion is farming but unfortunately do not have their own lands to till). The Puentespinas also built a training facility on the farm to teach farmers good cacao growing practices. They provide farm inputs & run an Extension Service to those who need further assistance. |
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Origin: Peru
Region: Maranon Canyon
Type: Pure Nacional
Pure Nacional, once thought to be extinct, has been rediscovered in Peru. Pure Nacional, with its complex fruit and floral flavors, once dominated the fine chocolate market worldwide. In 1916, diseases struck the Pure Nacional population in Ecuador and within three years 95% of the trees were destroyed. The prized chocolate was thought to be lost, until now. The chocolate has been rediscovered growing in Peru. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the world’s foremost genetics laboratory for the DNA testing of cacao, confirmed this discovery and after two years of hard work chocolate is being produced from these precious plants.
Late in 2007, Dan Pearson and Brian Horsley were sourcing fruit in Peru’s Marañón Canyon when they discovered cacao trees growing on small isolated farms in a remote horseshoe-shaped canyon surrounded by 6,000-feet canyon walls. The trees were growing football-shaped pods filled with a rare mix of 40% white beans and 60% purple beans in the same pods, or in some cases, the pods were completely filled with white beans. Familiar with only purple beans, they were curious about the rare white beans and sent leaf samples to the USDA for testing. “When they called with genetic test results and asked, ‘Are you sitting down?’ I knew we had found something special,” said Pearson.
Dr. Lyndel Meinhardt, Lead Researcher and Dr. Dapeng Zhang, Lead Geneticist from the USDA Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, analyzed the genetic structure of the beans and found that they were Pure Nacional plants native to Peru. “The international cacao database has 5,300 entries. None are Pure Nacional with white beans. Cacao pods with 40% and 100% white Pure Nacional beans are an unprecedented discovery,” said Meinhardt. They tested random leaf samples from various trees throughout the Marañón Canyon and confirmed that the Pure Nacional plants were growing throughout the valley. Dapeng said, “We are excited about this confirmation. It means that these cacao trees were indigenous to Peru. They are not exotic introductions from somewhere else.”
The high canyon walls in the Marañón Canyon created a unique microclimate for the trees. The trees thrive at some of the highest altitudes ever reported for cacao, between 3,500 and 4,100 feet. Horsley lives with the farmers and worked with them to turn the unique cacao into chocolate. The beans needed to be transported first by foot, then burro, then motorcycle and finally by all-terrain vehicle. Horsley said, “The small farmers and I had to learn quality practices together. White beans must be fermented and dried differently than purple beans, but it is unknowable in advance which is which,” said Horsley. After two years, several site visits by fermenting and drying specialists, independent laboratory testing and 81 fermenting and drying trials, they found the answers to processing the rare beans and founded Marañón Chocolate.
Origin: Peru
Region: Oxapampa
Farm: Cacao Ecologico Fundo El Triumfo Palcazu
Type: Criollo/Trinatario
Chocolate Makers Notes: Sweet and creamy with bright tangy notes.
Region: Oxapampa
Farm: Cacao Ecologico Fundo El Triumfo Palcazu
Type: Criollo/Trinatario
Chocolate Makers Notes: Sweet and creamy with bright tangy notes.
Origin: Tanzania
Region/Farm: Kokoa Kamili
Type: Criollo/Trinatario
Certifications: Direct Trade, Kokoa Kamili Cooperative, Organic
Chocolate Makers Notes: Orangey, Lemon shortbread cookies finishing with a lingering soft bittering spice note.
About: Kokoa Kamili currently works with approximately 1,500 small shareholder farmers, most of whom farm between 0.5-2 acres of cocoa. Kokoa Kamili pays a premium--well above the market rate--to farmers for their ‘wet’ cocoa, and conducts its own fermentation and drying. By taking over the fermentation and drying process, Kokoa Kamili can produce more consistently higher quality cocoa beans. This method gives farmers a reduced workload, along with greater compensation, and the farmers are paid immediately after the cooperative receives its wet beans. The cocoa is fully box fermented in locally sourced and constructed eucalyptus three tier boxes. The typical fermentation length is 6 days with turns on days three and five. The beans are 100% sun-dried on raised drying tables.
The Area: The catchment area borders the Udzungwa Mountains National Park, an area known for its abundance of bird and mammal wildlife. It is most famous for the eleven different primate species, bird life, and is one of three remaining sites that support Savannah Elephants in a mountainous environment. Current estimates of 2,000 elephants reside in and around the Udzungwa area.
Social Impact: Prior to Kokoa Kamili’s Cooperative a single buyer dominated the area – the local arm of one of the world’s largest soft commodity trading houses. A sole buyer meant it had the power to set the price for cocoa, and farmers had little alternatives. Historically, farmers in the Kilombero Valley received some of the lowest prices for cocoa in the country. In Kokoa Kamili’s first year alone Kilombero farmers received the highest prices in Tanzania for their cocoa.
Origin: Trindad, La Reunion
Type: Estate
Location: Centeno
Tasting Notes: S’mores, Passion Fruit
La Reunion Estate is managed by the Cocoa Research Section (CRS), which is a research division of Trinidad’s Ministry of Agriculture. The La Reunion Estate, located not far from Trinidad’s international airport, is a 200 hectare estate that serves as both a commercial enterprise and a research farm. In addition to fields that are populated with many different commercial and research-based cacao varieties, the estate also houses a processing facility for the beans harvested from the numerous fields. Fermentation is done in cedar boxes arranged in an ergonomic cascade system and the beans are then dried on a perforated bed using artificial drying methods. The facility also has traditional movable rooftop drying houses, but these are used only when absolutely necessary due to work scheduling constraints.
The CRS has a long research history that is tied to one of the most productive and successful breeding initiatives that the local and international cocoa industry has ever known: development of the Trinidad Select Hybrids (TSH). These varieties are well-known for resistance to black pod and witches’ broom diseases, and also important traits that matter to producers and buyers alike, inclusive of high bean weight and bean number per pod, as well as excellent flavour profiles. Field and lab-based evaluations of the many varieties located at the La Reunion estate are always ongoing since the Ministry has a mandate to supply farmers with the best materials possible. Improvements in performance and quality of cocoa varieties are therefore always expected from this estate. When varieties are approved for commercial purposes, they are then replicated through various propagation methods and sold in large numbers to the cocoa farmer population here in Trinidad and Tobago.
Origin: Trinidad
Type: Central Fermentary
Location: Rio Claro
Tasting Notes: Berry pie, complex, earthy
Varieties: ICS
Farmers in Network: 50
Drying style: Alternate sun drying with a greenhouse-style solar drying house
Harvest Season: November - May
Rio Claro House of Cocoa is a central fermentary owned and operated by a young farmer named Gewan Gangaram. Gewan grew up with cocoa—his family’s estate was bought in 1982. At the time, this was a huge investment for the family, but his parents saw the potential in the land; the cocoa trees were flourishing with beautiful cocoa pods from ICS varieties, together with banana and lumber trees.
In the early years of work on the estate, beans were fermented in bags and sun dried and polished in a traditional cocoa drying house. They would later be bagged and sold to one of very few existing buying agents. Unfortunately, like many beans coming from Trinidad, the small producers who contributed to these larger exports and subsequent chocolate formulations remained practically invisible. As Gewan got older he sought to carve out his own niche, and bring added value and recognition of his efforts. After crossing paths with one of the country’s long-standing and wellrespected cocoa agronomists, Mr. Kamaldeo Maharaj, Gewan came to understand the impact of better agronomic and post-harvest practices on securing better yields and prices. He threw himself into a flurry of research to be able to implement various best practices. His first round of sales of wet beans at a higher price gave him the incentive he needed. It fueled his pride in what he did, and this allowed him in turn to keep selecting the best and doing everything according to best practices.
As the demand for high quality beans increased, he was encouraged to purchase from neighboring farms at a higher price per kilo, and then process the beans himself. Together with the help of his area’s expert cocoa field officer, Roger Poliah, he was able to target farmers with prime material. Many farmers responded quite well because they were now seeing more money for their harvest—money that was surely helping to improve their standard of living.
Gewan is now in the process of installing infrastructure to increase his production, minimize labour cost and maintain his level of consistency.
Tamana Mountain
Farm owners: Martin & Jacqueline Matthew. They have 2 teenage sons, Oshun and Zary.
Estate location: Tamana, Trinidad
Estate size: ~10acres
Cacao varietals: Mixed Trinidad Selected Hybrids (TSH) of varying ages
The estate: 10 acres of mixed planting (cacao, various fruit trees, timber trees)
Supplementary bean material for their small centralized processing operation comes from select farmers in their Tamana estate area.
Farm and family story: The Matthew family is unique in so many ways and is without doubt the most easy-going I have ever met. Their approach to keeping life simple, uncomplicated, and filled with honest, relationship-building activities always impresses me deeply. Though they have not been involved in cacao and chocolate for very long, they certainly have learnt fast and expanded their operation beyond the scope of many others farming cacao. Oddly enough, they actually fell into cacao production and value-added cacao products quite without a plan! They just knew that they wanted to try something new – having made a conscious decision to no longer contribute to corporate business for someone else. They also knew that with their desire to improve their quality of family life, they needed to do something different. Something that brought greater meaning to their lives. Working with the land and sharing their knowledge with everyone who comes to them is now an inextricable part of their daily life. Their willingness to learn and share what they know and have is also perhaps their greatest gift to everyone around them. And it has brought them considerable recognition both locally and internationally. They have won awards for their cacao beans at The Cocoa of Excellence Awards in Paris (2019, 2021) and locally they have won an award for their cacao wine.
It is safe to say that they are now deep into their own chocolate and cacao products story in their village known as Talparo, and their cacao and wider farm tours have become quite the local activity for many local and foreign tourists because of the amount of knowledge shared through their storytelling and food, as well as the unique and sometimes quirky things they’ve collected for display in their antiques museum.
In the last couple years, their home/farm space has become quite the destination for visiting students and their professors from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. They also have quite the presence at farmers’ markets and other pop-up shops for special events across the country. Their drinking chocolate and cacao wine are huge local favourites, but they also sell chocolate bars, cocoa butter soaps and creams. (I personally am quite hooked on their cacao butter creams for slathering on my skin for midnight repair!)
All that they do now in their farm and home space has led them to create some pretty amazing changes in their daily lives – and that spills over most generously to all who meet them. You enter as a visitor, but end up leaving with a feeling of being part of a family, having been welcomed with open arms and hearts, having been fed delicious homemade food with much of it coming from their farm, and definitely having consumed either hot chocolate or eaten some chocolate bonbon, bar or other chocolate-based goodness.
Their sons Oshun and Zary are now increasingly involved in the family cacao processing operation. In 2021, Oshun started his apprenticeship training with Sarah (thanks to a bank-funded project with cacao farmers) to help increase his understanding of both the science and practice of cacao fermentation and drying. The ultimate aim is to have him begin to provide technical help to other farmers in the cacao space. Through Oshun’s personal example, this is sure to inspire more young people to become involved in the cacao sector in ways they have not previously envisioned.
The Rancho Quemado Estate, Palo Seco
Farm operations owner: Daniel Brash
Estate/Processing location: Palo Seco, Trinidad
Family-owned estate size: 47 acres with a central fermentary operation located at the Rancho Quemado Estate
Additional farm suppliers: surrounding farms in the Palo Seco area. They select which farmers they work with in order to maintain a high quality of wet bean at the start of processing
Bean processing setup: combination cascade-lateral wooden boxes, drying in both their traditional drying house (rolling roof, stationary wooden floor) and their solar drying facility with raised mesh tables.
Farm/Processing story: This is best related by Isabel Brash, the sister of Daniel Brash who has her own specialty chocolate company. Isabel has the honour of being the first person in Trinidad to work with chocolate at an artisan level. Her interests essentially paved the way for the many other chocolate and cacao value-added makers that Trinidad now sees in large numbers. It is important to note that usually, beans that are exclusively from the Rancho Quemado Estate are never, ever sold to anyone but Cocobel.
However, in 2021, Meridian Cacao, via Sarah’s unrelenting desire to take on new challenges, was able to land itself the most exclusive and hard-earned microlot of cacao beans that Sarah had ever worked on. Because of it, her working relationship with the Rancho Quemado team, as well as with Isabel Brash and her Cocobel team, have led to a beautiful partnership in Spanish and English, that will only help to serve Rancho Quemado Estate and the wider farming communities in Trinidad even better than before. We’re grateful to Isabel for letting us have some of her exclusive beans, and wish for her now to tell you her story of Rancho Quemado…….
My journey with cacao really started with a grocery bag of dried beans from Rancho Quemado Estate.
It was in 2008 and the recession in the states (USA) had trickled down to Trinidad. I was a practicing architect at the time and work was slow - my creative mind and curious hands started to itch and discovering cocoa became the antidote.
(A question mark was planted in my brain years before when I purchased a Valrhona bar at a food festival in Trinidad with a local estate house drawn on it and named after a place in Trinidad - I assumed it was made here and bought it out of pride, then later to read it was made in France - I didn’t understand then - or rather I should say I was totally ignorant about the industry and how it worked at that time in my life - but I believe that little question mark is what fuelled my first interest into making chocolate from our cocoa trees - how could I do it? Why aren’t people doing it? How can it be done? …So it was very much driven by a purpose of local industry but also my natural desires to always make something beautiful from earth to end.
I had started my research into chocolate making online, ordered some small machinery, guided by the original online chocolate making sage, the Alchemist, and then all I needed were the beans.
I am a pure-bred Trinidadian, 6th generation callalloo of ancestry (i.e. hybrid), but I did not have the experience of growing up on or close to a cocoa estate. I grew up drinking Milo every morning, not cocoa tea, and although my grandfather was in fact a processor of tonka beans and cocoa beans, this history was not known to me until after I started dabbling in the dark arts of cacao!
I mentioned to my brother whose business is in Palo Seco, in the Deep South as we call it - that I was going to try to make chocolate but I just needed to get my hands on some cocoa. He then tells me he could bring me some from “the estate” - this estate was neighbouring their business and the owner convinced my brother to purchase it a couple years before. I did not know it existed - but guess what? My brother serendipitously was the owner of a somewhat abandoned cocoa estate with drying shed and all and had just been maintaining the outskirts and raring ducks or some other kind of fowls in the meantime as the previous owner had been doing as well.
I came home from work one day and there was a Hi-Lo bag of beans sitting on the counter in the kitchen in my parents apartment. I wish I could smell those beans again, knowing what I know now - a time before documentation of every moment of breathing - I think I remember the smell in my innocent, ignorant, inexperienced mind - but my feeling attached to what I remember is excitement and curiosity - now surely it would be different. My father came in shortly after I did my first roast “Oh gad, yuh smellin’ like meh faddah” and so the stories of my long departed paternal grandfather began.
Rancho Quemado Estate is 45 acres but about 25 acres is what has been rehabilitated to this point. Not even six months after I began dabbling in the dark arts (ha!), my brothers made the decision to start rehabilitating the land and see what can come of it. Within a year the production had tripled and over the last 12 years Rancho has been seeking to make improvements, increase production and expand - hoping to become a premium cocoa processing hub for that Deep South region of Trinidad.
Having Rancho Quemado Estate chosen by Meridian through Sarah Bharath’s guidance (understatement)for this year’s microlots has been a true gift (THANK YOU!)(second understatement). The farmers of Rancho Quemado have a new energy and desire to bring the best out in their beans and I sense a re-invigorated pride in their work when they present me with the batches they have been producing recently. This has made me sooooo happy and in turn my pride in Cocobel’s sibling, Rancho Quemado Estate, has grown tenfold! The quality has certainly improved and I can taste the love now, the sincere care they are putting into these babies.
(I have had the unique opportunity of learning how to make chocolate from a completely naive beginning, with only one estate for several years before I ever tested another - so it has been an invaluable experience/relationship, to get to learn the language of Rancho Quemado Estate, through good times and bad, riding the waves, understanding where they go wrong, when I go wrong and not abandoning but pushing through and improving together.)
Cocobel and Rancho Quemado Estate have been growing up together these last 13 years. I would say we are both in the early adolescent phase right now haha - lots still to learn and always ways to tweak and improve ourselves. Though it is Cocobel’s joy and purpose to eventually explore and taste and experience and share the entire Trinidad and Tobago cocoa-scape, Rancho is the HEARTBEAT of our existence and we will always consider it HOME.
Origin: Uganda, Esco
Region: Bundibugyo district
Type: Mostly Trinitario and Amelonado
Certifications: Direct Trade, Certified Organic
A bit about Esco Uganda: "Nestled between the Congo border along the Lamia river and the northern reaches of the formidable Rwenzori Mountains is Bundibugyo. Esco Uganda's main cocoa activity is here where we work with more than 12,000 farmers. As well as our main Bundibugyo factory we also have our smaller Bumati factory. Here we process organic certified or specialty cocoa, which needs to be kept separate from conventional cocoa. Beyond our farmer training and employment at our sites and stores we have built a town library, the only one in the Bundibugyo and surrounding districts. A large part of our community engagement is driven by Esco staff and we are proud that in recent crisis such as the 2019 floods our team formed part of the town emergency response effort donating time, food and household essentials generously."
Virtually all of Uganda's cacao is grown in the Bundibugyo district located in the western region close to the DRC border. Previously a big coffee producing region, a devastating disease wiped out much of the production many years ago. The emergence of cocoa in recent years has brought new found prosperity to the region and a steadily growing source of income for farmers. Esco Uganda has played a vital role in developing the Ugandan cacao industry by providing continued support and resources to its growing farmer base. Education is at the heart of the model as the company prides itself on training farmers, logging face to face trainings to ensure continued quality control and sustainable practices.
ORIGIN: Uganda
REGION/FARM: Rwenzururu - Semuliki Forest
TYPE: Mostly Trinitario and Amelonado
CERTIFICATIONS: direct trade, uncertified organic
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Surprising panela-like sweetness with a clean and balanced brightness. Reminiscent lemon notes. Silky chocolate base and nuance of fresh rose petals with a lively and lasting finish. BTW, so far I'm the only one who notices rose petal - but then again, not many people eat roses.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE: The Rwenzururu sub-region of Uganda sits at 3,000 feet above sea level and borders the DR Congo, the Rwenzori Mountain range and Semuliki National Park. The climate is tropical with over 1,000mm of rainfall which typically occurs in 2 seasons, March to April and September to January. The region suffers from recurring conflict between cultural and rebel groups straddling the DR Congo border. Bundibugyo district likely accounts for more than 70% of cocoa production in Uganda.
The fermentation facility and store is located in a converted B&B in the village of Bumate at the base of the hills leading into the mountains. With a shortage of available land in the district, the site is designed to take advantage of all possible available sunshine while limiting runoff from heavy rainfall.
Region: Bundibugyo district
Type: Mostly Trinitario and Amelonado
Certifications: Direct Trade, Certified Organic
A bit about Esco Uganda: "Nestled between the Congo border along the Lamia river and the northern reaches of the formidable Rwenzori Mountains is Bundibugyo. Esco Uganda's main cocoa activity is here where we work with more than 12,000 farmers. As well as our main Bundibugyo factory we also have our smaller Bumati factory. Here we process organic certified or specialty cocoa, which needs to be kept separate from conventional cocoa. Beyond our farmer training and employment at our sites and stores we have built a town library, the only one in the Bundibugyo and surrounding districts. A large part of our community engagement is driven by Esco staff and we are proud that in recent crisis such as the 2019 floods our team formed part of the town emergency response effort donating time, food and household essentials generously."
Virtually all of Uganda's cacao is grown in the Bundibugyo district located in the western region close to the DRC border. Previously a big coffee producing region, a devastating disease wiped out much of the production many years ago. The emergence of cocoa in recent years has brought new found prosperity to the region and a steadily growing source of income for farmers. Esco Uganda has played a vital role in developing the Ugandan cacao industry by providing continued support and resources to its growing farmer base. Education is at the heart of the model as the company prides itself on training farmers, logging face to face trainings to ensure continued quality control and sustainable practices.
ORIGIN: Uganda
REGION/FARM: Rwenzururu - Semuliki Forest
TYPE: Mostly Trinitario and Amelonado
CERTIFICATIONS: direct trade, uncertified organic
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: Surprising panela-like sweetness with a clean and balanced brightness. Reminiscent lemon notes. Silky chocolate base and nuance of fresh rose petals with a lively and lasting finish. BTW, so far I'm the only one who notices rose petal - but then again, not many people eat roses.
ABOUT THE FARM/REGION/PEOPLE: The Rwenzururu sub-region of Uganda sits at 3,000 feet above sea level and borders the DR Congo, the Rwenzori Mountain range and Semuliki National Park. The climate is tropical with over 1,000mm of rainfall which typically occurs in 2 seasons, March to April and September to January. The region suffers from recurring conflict between cultural and rebel groups straddling the DR Congo border. Bundibugyo district likely accounts for more than 70% of cocoa production in Uganda.
The fermentation facility and store is located in a converted B&B in the village of Bumate at the base of the hills leading into the mountains. With a shortage of available land in the district, the site is designed to take advantage of all possible available sunshine while limiting runoff from heavy rainfall.
ORIGIN: Vietnam
REGION/FARM: Mekong Delta - Tien Giang
TYPE: Trinatario
CERTIFICATIONS: direct trade, Marou
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: caramel, raisin, sweet heirloom tomato, with nutty nibs. Rich and unusual - in a really good way.
Flavor note from chief taster Bruce, commenting after a moment of contemplation: “tastes like when you are riding your motorcycle through delta lowlands on a warm summer day and you ride through a warm pocket of air that smells like the soil and the water and the grasslands and trees; that’s what this chocolate tastes like.” indeed this chocolate comes from the Mekong Delta, grown among the coconut groves.
ABOUT MAROU
Marou was founded in 2011 to support the Vietnamese cacao industry and has been tremendously successful at putting Vietnamese cacao in the international spotlight with their line of bean-to-bar chocolates. Besides crafting award-winning chocolate, Marou works directly with family-owned cocoa farms across Vietnam to bring their fine cocoa to markets. They provide these farms with technical support and financial assistance, purchasing the cocoa well beyond Fair Trade cocoa prices. Marou sources from a variety of regions throughout Vietnam. In each region, they partner with cacao groups of 30-40 members. Each group has a leader who, besides having a farm of 2-3 hectares, also buys wet beans from the others in the group and ferments them in wooden boxes at their farm. Marou has a very hands on approach to quality control; each bag is tested at selection, and farmers received feedback and technical assistance throughout the harvest season.
CACAO IN VIETNAM
Cacao arrived in Vietnam in the late 19th century. It remained a small crop until about 15 years ago, when development organizations began encouraging the planting of seedlings in the Mekong Delta region. While this dramatically increased the amount of cacao grown in Vietnam, it still remains a tiny share of Vietnam’s agriculture compared to its massive rice, cashew, and coffee industries.
REGION/FARM: Mekong Delta - Tien Giang
TYPE: Trinatario
CERTIFICATIONS: direct trade, Marou
CHOCOLATE MAKER NOTES: caramel, raisin, sweet heirloom tomato, with nutty nibs. Rich and unusual - in a really good way.
Flavor note from chief taster Bruce, commenting after a moment of contemplation: “tastes like when you are riding your motorcycle through delta lowlands on a warm summer day and you ride through a warm pocket of air that smells like the soil and the water and the grasslands and trees; that’s what this chocolate tastes like.” indeed this chocolate comes from the Mekong Delta, grown among the coconut groves.
ABOUT MAROU
Marou was founded in 2011 to support the Vietnamese cacao industry and has been tremendously successful at putting Vietnamese cacao in the international spotlight with their line of bean-to-bar chocolates. Besides crafting award-winning chocolate, Marou works directly with family-owned cocoa farms across Vietnam to bring their fine cocoa to markets. They provide these farms with technical support and financial assistance, purchasing the cocoa well beyond Fair Trade cocoa prices. Marou sources from a variety of regions throughout Vietnam. In each region, they partner with cacao groups of 30-40 members. Each group has a leader who, besides having a farm of 2-3 hectares, also buys wet beans from the others in the group and ferments them in wooden boxes at their farm. Marou has a very hands on approach to quality control; each bag is tested at selection, and farmers received feedback and technical assistance throughout the harvest season.
CACAO IN VIETNAM
Cacao arrived in Vietnam in the late 19th century. It remained a small crop until about 15 years ago, when development organizations began encouraging the planting of seedlings in the Mekong Delta region. While this dramatically increased the amount of cacao grown in Vietnam, it still remains a tiny share of Vietnam’s agriculture compared to its massive rice, cashew, and coffee industries.
ORIGIN: Vietnam
REGION/FARM: Mekong Delta - Lam Dong
TYPE: Trinatario
CERTIFICATIONS: direct trade, Marou
From Marou: "ACT 1: FRANCE’S CHOCOLATE-COVERED FAILURE
French missionaries and luminaries brought cacao to Vietnam in the 19th century.
The famous Dr. Alexandre Yersin (disciple of Louis Pasteur, discoverer of the bubonic plague bacillus and formidable presence in Indochina until 1943) is said to have tried his hand at cacao farming Vietnam.
Let’s just say it might not have been his most successful enterprise. That or the records disappeared.
We know with a bit more certainty that a missionary, Father Gernot, planted cacao trees in Ben Tre in the late 1800s.
Administrative records from the early 20th century reveal the Lieutenant General rescinded subsidies to cacao farmers after just 17 years.
“It seems, effectively, useless to encourage this culture which has, until now, not yielded any satisfying result,” he noted in a decree dated January 24, 1907.
A few trees nevertheless remained in the Mekong Delta, where the fruit was mostly eaten fresh.
Without any significant investment or know-how, cacao remained a marginal product in Vietnam’s colonial days.
ACT 2: COCOA FOR THE USSR
The second act of the Vietnamese cacao story takes place in the bleak hours of the 1980s, when a meager trade with the USSR (and a few other Eastern Bloc states) kept the Vietnamese economy afloat. Soviet chocolate experts and their Cuban friends tried heir hand in Vietnam, but by the time the first cacao trees were yielding pods, the Berlin Wall had fallen and Russian buyers had vanished.
Once again, the farmers had no customers and cut back all but a handful of trees.
ACT 3: VIETNAM’S CACAO RENAISSANCE
Following the end of the US Embargo, International commodity traders, NGOs and foreign development programs (USAID’s Success Alliance program, in particular) saw Vietnam as a possible boon for the world’s growing chocolate appetite.
As wallets and waistlines grew in nearby China, corporate candymen hoped to cut significant cost by making MARS bars out of cacao pods grown in nearby Vietnam.
Academics like Dr Phuoc of the Nong Lam agricultural university helped create programs that supported the effort of small farmers in a number of provinces.
Government collectives threw the shrub everywhere to see what stuck. The idea, of course, was volume. Experts estimate that cultivation boomed with a peak at five-thousand tons in 2010 only to shrink as farmers turned to more lucrative crops like pepper or pomelo.
During that time, however, many of the country’s aging farmers saw cacao as a stable and promising alternative. They could inter-crop the shrub with coconut and other low-maintenance products. They could also earn extra money by harvesting, fermenting and drying their own beans.
Marou now works closely with farmers who are passionate about cacao, whose hard work is making Vietnam one of the most exciting new producers of cacao in the world.
In 2016 Vietnam was recognized as a fine-flavored origin for cacao seekers. Thanks, in no small part to the free advertising offered by Marou, cacao junkies began showing up in Vietnam looking for its distinct and spicy beans.
THE FUTURE?
Slowly but surely, Cacao cultivation is ticking up again in areas where it has managed to survive boom and bust.
It faces some formidable challenges.
Climate change has limited freshwater supplies in the Mekong Delta and created vicious cycles of drought and storm in the highlands. We’re experimenting now with a sustainable, low-impact crop grown inside a mountainous native forest.
As the first artisan chocolate maker based in Vietnam, we’re committed to finding a sustainable path forward for the farmers we now consider family."
REGION/FARM: Mekong Delta - Lam Dong
TYPE: Trinatario
CERTIFICATIONS: direct trade, Marou
From Marou: "ACT 1: FRANCE’S CHOCOLATE-COVERED FAILURE
French missionaries and luminaries brought cacao to Vietnam in the 19th century.
The famous Dr. Alexandre Yersin (disciple of Louis Pasteur, discoverer of the bubonic plague bacillus and formidable presence in Indochina until 1943) is said to have tried his hand at cacao farming Vietnam.
Let’s just say it might not have been his most successful enterprise. That or the records disappeared.
We know with a bit more certainty that a missionary, Father Gernot, planted cacao trees in Ben Tre in the late 1800s.
Administrative records from the early 20th century reveal the Lieutenant General rescinded subsidies to cacao farmers after just 17 years.
“It seems, effectively, useless to encourage this culture which has, until now, not yielded any satisfying result,” he noted in a decree dated January 24, 1907.
A few trees nevertheless remained in the Mekong Delta, where the fruit was mostly eaten fresh.
Without any significant investment or know-how, cacao remained a marginal product in Vietnam’s colonial days.
ACT 2: COCOA FOR THE USSR
The second act of the Vietnamese cacao story takes place in the bleak hours of the 1980s, when a meager trade with the USSR (and a few other Eastern Bloc states) kept the Vietnamese economy afloat. Soviet chocolate experts and their Cuban friends tried heir hand in Vietnam, but by the time the first cacao trees were yielding pods, the Berlin Wall had fallen and Russian buyers had vanished.
Once again, the farmers had no customers and cut back all but a handful of trees.
ACT 3: VIETNAM’S CACAO RENAISSANCE
Following the end of the US Embargo, International commodity traders, NGOs and foreign development programs (USAID’s Success Alliance program, in particular) saw Vietnam as a possible boon for the world’s growing chocolate appetite.
As wallets and waistlines grew in nearby China, corporate candymen hoped to cut significant cost by making MARS bars out of cacao pods grown in nearby Vietnam.
Academics like Dr Phuoc of the Nong Lam agricultural university helped create programs that supported the effort of small farmers in a number of provinces.
Government collectives threw the shrub everywhere to see what stuck. The idea, of course, was volume. Experts estimate that cultivation boomed with a peak at five-thousand tons in 2010 only to shrink as farmers turned to more lucrative crops like pepper or pomelo.
During that time, however, many of the country’s aging farmers saw cacao as a stable and promising alternative. They could inter-crop the shrub with coconut and other low-maintenance products. They could also earn extra money by harvesting, fermenting and drying their own beans.
Marou now works closely with farmers who are passionate about cacao, whose hard work is making Vietnam one of the most exciting new producers of cacao in the world.
In 2016 Vietnam was recognized as a fine-flavored origin for cacao seekers. Thanks, in no small part to the free advertising offered by Marou, cacao junkies began showing up in Vietnam looking for its distinct and spicy beans.
THE FUTURE?
Slowly but surely, Cacao cultivation is ticking up again in areas where it has managed to survive boom and bust.
It faces some formidable challenges.
Climate change has limited freshwater supplies in the Mekong Delta and created vicious cycles of drought and storm in the highlands. We’re experimenting now with a sustainable, low-impact crop grown inside a mountainous native forest.
As the first artisan chocolate maker based in Vietnam, we’re committed to finding a sustainable path forward for the farmers we now consider family."
