cacao origins
COLOMBIA
Santander Department - San Vicente de Chucurí & EL Carmen de Chucurí
San Vicente de Chucuri & El Carmen de Chucuri are two small municipalities located in the North of the Santander Department (near the Venezuela border), with a high concentration of coffee and cacao farms. The municipalities, rich in art and architecture set the cacao prices with the farmers, before their product gets exported to chocolate businesses like ours. To preserve the fertility and the PH of the soil, Cacao trees grow in permaculture, amongst mandarin, avocados, bananas, plantain, coffee & lime trees. The jungle soil and climate allow for 2 large harvest seasons a year. in 2019, cacao from San Vicente de Chucuri won the award of "Best Cacao in the World" at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris.
TANZANIA
Kokoa Kamili Fermentery
Kokoa Kamili is located within the Kilombero Valley, in Morogoro Region and works with nearly 3000 smallholder farmers, most of whom farm between 0.5-2 acres of cocoa. Kokoa Kamili pays a premium 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.
NICARAGUA
Ingemann Fine Cocoa
Ingemann Fine Cocoa serves as the access to market for more than 1000 small cocoa producers in Nicaragua, directly benefiting over 5000 workers and their immediate family members.
To maintain a sustainable model and encourage producers to continue cultivating fine cacao instead of more productive trees of lower quality, Ingemann is paying a premium to the producers of 25% on top of the commodity market and provides producers training in good agricultural practices and business management. They receive regular visits from Ingemann technicians free of charge. Ingemann and their cocoa producers have planted more than 1,000,000 cocoa trees adding in the reforestation of Nicaragua.
LEARN MORE ABOUT INGEMANN FINE COCOA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Zorzal Cacao
Zorzal Cacao is an agroforestry project of Reserva Zorzal a 1,019-acre private bird sanctuary and 130-acre organic cacao demonstration farm in the northern mountains of the Dominican Republic where they produce fine flavoured, organic cacao. Reserva Zorzal sets aside 70% of its land to be forever wild and is committed to reducing climate change through a collaborative approach to conservation and reforestation.