Reading the cocoa label: yes, but really understanding what is written
We live in a world full of high-sounding words: Single Origin , Cooperative , Federation, Consortium, Single Estate , Cultivar … but what do they really mean?
How many times do we read these words on cocoa and chocolate labels , and are left with more doubts than certainties?
The truth?
Current regulations do not require the exact origin of cocoa to be declared.
If you find at least the country of origin indicated, it is a voluntary choice of the company.
And that may not be enough to truly understand the history of the cocoa you are about to taste.
That's why, as Vaicacao, we want to help you get clarity: because understanding what you're buying is the first step to choosing more consciously. And maybe, support those who grow cocoa, work it, and truly respect it.
SINGLE ORIGIN
Often this wording indicates only the country of origin : Peru, Ecuador, Madagascar, El Salvador .
But be careful: in a single country there can be hundreds of thousands of growers , with genetic varieties, qualities and methods very different from each other. Let's think about Italy and the vast diversity of wines, grapes and vines, it would be a shame to generalise knowing the vast diversity between territories from North to South and on the islands.
So no, it is not enough to talk about real traceability . It is generic information, not necessarily synonymous with quality or short supply chain.
COOPERATIVE
Here too, we are faced with very different worlds.
There are very large cooperatives, which collect cocoa from hundreds of small producers, and smaller ones, made up of around ten people .
In some cases we even talk about second-level cooperatives , that is, consortia formed by multiple cooperatives.
Typically, cocoa is harvested, fermented and dried in the cooperative's own facilities: this means that batches are mixed , and it is often not possible to trace the individual producer .
That said, some cooperatives (not all!) carry out beautiful projects, with a real impact on communities and on the quality of cocoa.
In these cases we speak of geographical transparency , that is, the possibility of tracing at least the area, region or micro-region of origin. It is not individual traceability, but it is a good starting point.
FEDERATION
It brings together various cocoa cooperatives and other agricultural sectors for greater coordination and management of resources and for greater international competitiveness.
SINGLE ESTATE (Single Estate , usually named after a single Finca, Hacienda or Cúltivar )
All these terms mean the same thing.
We are talking about cocoa grown on a single plantation , without blends. In many cases it is also fermented and dried on site , although not always: for this reason, we at Vaicacao specify every detail , because for us transparency comes first.
With the Single Estate you know the exact place and the names with certainty of the people who work there. To give a concrete example, this is the case of our Finca Cuyancúa Cacao , grown by our family in El Salvador, or Atehuàn , coming from Finca San Fernando , a plantation that we have helped to support directly , together with all the others also from El Salvador.
IN CONCLUSION...
Knowing how to read beyond the text is more important than it seems.
Behind certain words lie complex worlds – sometimes clear and virtuous, other times a little hazy.
With this article, we hope we have helped you to clarify things a little.
We, as Vaicacao , work every day to tell you where our cocoa comes from , who grows it , and how we purchase it even when we are not in El Salvador , as in the case of neighboring countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Costa Rica .
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Understanding what we read is the first step to truly changing things.