PRESERVING

Unique Cacao

Venezuela is famous for its cacao diversity, and we aim to produce and source a range of unique cacaos while also promoting their conservation.

Perija Cacao Pod

Guasare Harvest

Sur del Lago Cacao Pod

Cacao Pod

Riverside Cacao

Guasare Pod

1/2

Unique Cacao Genotypes

For several years, we embarked on a mission to discover and produce the best cacao for chocolate. The challenges of doing so were great, we knew that one way we could achieve this goal would be to rely on ancient genetic material that we could grow in our very own fermentation center.

Criollo Porcelana

90%

Ocumare 61

67%

IMC 67

10%

Genetic Match Study

Path to Preserve and Develop Unique Cacao

Traceability

Cocoa traceability is an important part of ensuring the supply chain is secure, ethical, and sustainable.

Nursery and Grafting

Cacao is commonly grafted to reduce costs and increase yield.

Genetic Study

Collaborating with international research institutions to develp the best field practices to ensure quality and productivity.

Taste the Difference

The quality of cocoa and the craftsmanship of skilled chocolate makers has led to diverse awards.

The International Chocolate Awards recognizes excellence in fine chocolate, aiming to support companies that make fine chocolate, small companies and artisans who work with fine chocolate.

Preserving Our Natural Resources

Deforestation in the Socuy and Guasare river basins has led to extensive ecological damage, causing the displacement or extinction of many plant and animal species in these territories.

In the upper Palmar, Lajas, and Guasare river basins, between 1989 and 2002, forests decreased by 275 km2, representing a loss of 12.48% of the original cover. In 2007, deforestation eliminated 238 km2, a loss of 13.57%, to finally reach the 35 % reduction of the original cover, 513 km2 of forest, eliminated.

Losing an average of 47 km2/year. The forests in these upper basins have been assigned to the Critically Endangered category.When the water level rises in the reservoir, it can cause flooding in nearby towns. In 2011, the rising water level collapsed the Manuelote dam on the Socuy River, which resulted in serious flooding in towns in the Venezuelan Guajira.

Agroforestry

Agroforestry is an alternative to traditional agriculture and forestry. It makes use of the combined resources of trees and crops, so that fewer land resources are needed for any given output. Agroforestry is a low-impact practice that shows respect for the environment and provides scenic benefits.

We help alleviate the effects of deforestation by making certain that cocoa-growing farmers have viable, long-term income sources and don't migrate to jobs that support mining and extraction activities.

Joining the Alliance pour la Préservation des Forêts (APF), we engage in the initiative of transparency and traceability at the territory level, specifically the planting and preservation of our ancestral criollo cocoa varieties, which have delighted palates in Europe for centuries.

7 Years Building Community

We started this project by discovering the potential of Venezuelan cacao in international markets, a potential paired with the challenges that came with. Big industries installed, ignoring quality and driving down prices to assure more profits from mass production. Soon we realized that cocoa producers were not motivated to invest and sustain their plantations, migrating to alternative crops that require deforestation and mining. Often decimating forest covers in an alarming rate.

Partnering with cocoa growers was the only solution to our business's quality and sustainable goals, including paying growers a premium price above current market, providing training and tools to assure healthy and productive cocoa trees, and providing capital in advance to hire extra help during the crop season.

As a country that produces cacao, we should be mindful of the value of our ancestral cocoa varieties and preserve them as part of our cultural heritage. By doing so, we provide to a market that appreciates unique and rare cocoa beans to support its continued growth.