The « nacional » cocoa variety exists only in Ecuador. It is a Grand Cru cocoa characterized by floral flavours. Chocolate professionals are in search of these aromas.

KAOKA in Ecuador…

Since 2001, KAOKA is committed in Ecuador to build a durable partnership with producers and organize high quality organic fair trade cocoa production.

Initially, it has been essential to organize the value chain that is to say to gather together the producers in associations to strengthen their power.

Simultaneously, we have put in place essential post-harvest infrastructures to produce the best quality cocoa in each associations of producers.

From aging cocoa trees to productive renovated plantations

After ten years of field research, KAOKA has uncovered the original quality of the cocoa. The best trees were selected for both their productive capacities and aromatic flavors.

An important program of renovation of plantations was launched with producers.
With selected strains, KAOKA can denser producers plantations: planting young cocoa trees where old dead trees were never replaced.

Meanwhile, old plantations are renovated. The selected genuine strains are grafted to old cocoa trees to provide a second life and thus, to ensure a sustainable activity producers.

All these KAOKA actions allow producers to improve production and yields of their plantations while maintaining the highest quality cocoa.

Cecao is new and innovative business model created by kaoka in 2013 in which cocoa farmers organization and Kaoka are associated.

Cecao is the accomplishment of a long term partnership between Kaoka and 9 associations grouping a total of 1148 cocoa farmers.

Rosa has been working with KAOKA since the beginning of the adventure in Ecuador. She is now one of the few “cocoalogist”. She is specialist in flavours and aromas of cocoa.

Each week, Rosa husks, roast and grind samples of cocoa beans from all production areas. She tastes cocoa liquor which is obtained and precisely determine its aromatic profile.

Based on these data, as an oenologist, KAOKA assembles cocoas from different areas to produce chocolate second to none.