Single Estate Farm

Our farm is located in Atecozol, Izalco, a municipality of Sonsonate at 1,312 feet (400 meters) above sea level. We are near many waterways, and a small stream crosses the farm and fills up the reservoir that we use for irrigation. 

In the early 2000’s JuanRa’s dad, Rafael, started to enhance the ancient cacaotal while also creating a cooperative of fine flavor cacao producers ES-CACAO. He took the initiative to develop a cacao nursery, and to transform the old coffee mill into a modern post-harvest facility where cacao from all the growers in the cooperative is fermented and dried to bring out the best quality the beans can offer. Over the years, we’ve held many seminars on proper agricultural practices at different stages of cacao growing, from planting and grafting to pruning and harvesting. 

Apart from the fact that we helped plant some of the trees that produce these cosmically delicious beans, we are very attached to this farm because of all the wonderful learning experiences we’ve had here. This was where our initial encounter took place with the magical plant of theobroma cacao, and where JuanRa formed precious family memories of going to the farm during the weekend with his grandparents and father ever since he was very little. Fine flavor trinitario acriollado and DNA test-confirmed criollo cacao trees now grow underneath the tropical rainforest canopy, in community with other plants such as mango, banana, star apple, avocados, oranges, tropical flowers, vanilla, and cinnamon. 

Another interesting fact is that the region where the farm is located used to be an indigenous settlement thousands of years ago. While walking or working on the land, you can easily find carved obsidian objects and small pieces of pottery scattered around, left by the people who called this home before we did.

Sensory analysis of the cacao

Aroma: Rum, slightly sweet, with notes of chocolate and caramel.

Flavor: Intense, dark, earthy flavors initially, with upfront bitterness. The flavor notes develop into green and floral notes reminiscent of orange blossom and jasmine.

Single farm in the Biosphere close to the Jiquilisco Bay, El Salvador

Tropical fruit paradise: The Hacienda San Jose del Real de La Carrera is one of the oldest and biggest cacao farms in El Salvador. This farm sits beside the mangroves of Jiquilisco Bay, in the department of Usulutan, on the southeast Pacific coast of El Salvador, a region known for its rich and fertile soil. The cacao trees here were initially planted more than half a century ago, and were at one point left unattended due to civil war and government-imposed land reform. Today, younger generations have done tremendous work to rescue these previously abandoned cacao lands. A natural hybridization of many special trinitario acriollado cacao strains has developed into a unique hybrid found only on this estate. Skilled farm workers complete the post-harvest process onsite by carefully fermenting and drying the cacao. 

To give you additional visuals of the beautiful blue and green landscape: the area where the cacao is planted, at 82 feet (25 meters) above sea level, is surrounded by mango trees. Farther away on the estate, coconut trees border the mangroves,and still farther away on the same property you’ll find plantains and sugar cane. We named this chocolate bar after the Lenca, a Mesoamerican indigenous people who enjoyed a thriving culture for centuries and likely millennia before Spanish invasion, who had frequent contact with Maya and other groups, and who endure and flourish to this day.

Sensory analysis of the cacao

Aroma: fruit cake, fruity, nutty.

Flavor: chocolatey, fruity, floral. A variety of different fruit flavors. It develops into richer banana and dried fruit flavors with an earthy backbone, and ends on green banana notes. The aftertaste is clean with lingering chocolate and banana notes.

Traceability: We source this cacao directly from the farm, working independently to build strong relationships with growers. This approach allows us to ensure full transparency and traceability, from the soil where the cacao is cultivated to the final product. By partnering with farmers who value sustainability and ethical practices, we bring you cacao of exceptional quality with a story worth sharing.

Single Estate Farm

River valley beauty: The cacao in our Tlaloc chocolate bars, and holistic ceremonial cacao comes from a single estate, and we invite you to travel there with us virtually, to imagine the tropical landscape as you taste this terroir! The farm is located in El Salvador’s lush Lempa River valley, in the municipality of San Vicente, at 131 feet (40 meters) above sea level. A smaller river called the Acahuapa flows through the farmland, watering its crops of cacao, coconuts, and plantains. We love the fine flavor cacao that grows in this fertile land crisscrossed with life-giving water, so we named the chocolate bar Tlaloc, after the god of water celebrated by the Aztec and Maya civilizations.

A team of seven plus a supervisor handle the daily tasks on the farm. After harvesting their cacao, a hybrid of trinitario acriollado varieties, they ferment and dry the cacao onsite to ensure the utmost quality. Benedicto, whose family owns the estate, is one of several co-founders of a local cooperative of cacao producers, where we are also members and with whom we have worked since the beginning of our cacao and chocolate projects. It is a pleasure to have witnessed their hard work firsthand throughout the years, and an honor to be the first to bring our dear friend Benedicto’s specialty cacao outside of El Salvador and to share it with the rest of the world! 

Sensory analysis of the cacao

Aroma: Very mild, with notes of subtle milk chocolate, sweet caramel, and dates.

Flavor: Initial rich chocolate kick that develops into more earthy flavors with subtle green notes. Finishes with pronounced nutty flavors and a nutty and chocolatey aftertaste.

Traceability: We source this cacao directly from the farm, working independently to build strong relationships with growers. This approach allows us to ensure full transparency and traceability, from the soil where the cacao is cultivated to the final product. By partnering with farmers who value sustainability and ethical practices, we bring you cacao of exceptional quality with a story worth sharing.

Collective of Cacaoteros: Asociación El Vado, Tuzantán, Chiapas, Mexico
Collected at: Finca La Rioja, Cacahoatán, Chiapas, Mexico

Tuzantán is the name we have given to this cacao, cultivated and handled with great care by the "El Vado" cacao growers' association. This collective consists of 14 cacao-growing families who have formed an alliance with Finca La Rioja. Here, the cacao is graded, fermented, dried, and prepared for export.

Through this partnership, efforts are being made to preserve the natural environment of their territory, reclaim and enhance the value of cacao, which has been a staple in this region since the Olmec era, and provide sustainable job opportunities for the local community.

Traceability: We rely on cacao specialists like Daarnhouwer, who work directly at the farm-gate to source this cacao origin. Their expertise ensures that every purchase is conducted ethically and transparently, guaranteeing both traceability and exceptional quality. By collaborating with trusted partners, we uphold our commitment to sustainability and integrity, even in cases where we cannot be physically present at the farms.