When cocoa buyers, chocolate makers and consumers read Ecuador as a place of cacao origin, they have high expectations in terms of quality and flavor. However, this millennial reputation is now in danger: the most flavorful cacao variety in Ecuador called Nacional (or Arriba, or Arriba Nacional) is rapidly disappearing.

If we step aside from chocolate products and mentally travel to the tropical fields where cacao grows, we understand that cacao pollination is truly a miracle process. The cacao tree produces 250,000 flowers every year, but only 10% of them gets pollinated. WHY? Let's take a deep dive!

Growing cocoa can contribute to the richness of the soil, air cleaning, a thriving wildlife and a more reliable income for the people who grow it. Unfortunately, instead of a virtuous cycle, cocoa is currently trapped in the vicious cycle of deforestation.

Growers of single-variety cacao choose a scientific approach to this raw material. Processing the same variety of cacao allows for an extraordinary consistency in both flavors and processes, together with a detailed optimization of fermentation and roasting.

The land where cocoa grows is definitely responsible for the amazing flavors delivered in our delicious chocolate. But here is one crucial detail that has been always overlooked: what happens at origin is much more than just terroir.