Tumaco, Colombia ORIGIN CACAO

CACAO IN THE TUMACO, COLOMBIA

One of our close friends has spent years combating narco trafficking in Tumaco, Colombia, and updating us on his work. So when we had the opportunity to begin sourcing beans from this area in 2018, we were all pretty excited — especially because these are some of our most delicious, balanced cocoa beans. The farmers make all the difference.

For example, Blanca Vivera, a second-generation farmer, grows cacao amid other fruit trees like plantains, and in her free time, she makes chocolate with her own beans from scratch.Blanca and 585 other farmers (and 309 other female farmers) belonging to four cacao cooperatives work with local organization Cacao de Colombia, which buys wet beans from each and then ferments and dries them itself at a central fermentary. Uncommon then finds a home for these beans with chocolate makers looking to pay higher prices for higher-quality beans.

These great flavors and consequently higher prices mean that farmers now earn 70 percent more income from cacao than when they were selling dried beans through the commodity market, offering a sustainable alternative to the coca and narco world.

Colombia Tumaco Dark 85%

A bold dark chocolate with nostalgic notes of brownie, butterscotch, and blackberry.