This family-run farm grows organically cultivated cacao of the “Arriba Cacao” genetic variety in the coastal town of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Historically, a large amount of the cacao grown in Ecuador was the CCN-51 government subsidized variety known for being high-yielding, disease-resistant, and produced for the commodity chocolate industry.

Hacienda Victoria, however, does not grow CCN-51 and instead focuses on fine flavor cacao produced for the highest quality chocolate making. They manage the entire production process, from the cacao tree seedling to the final product for export. On approximately 500 hectares of land, the family operation oversees the planting of the trees, the harvesting of the cacao pods, and the post-harvest processing such as fermentation and drying.

This cacao is grown by Pedro Pablo Bolivar on a farm that had long been in his family. An exceptional farmer, he tends to his crops with meticulous care in grafting, pruning and harvesting.

Historically, this region has been plagued by economic and political instability that has for long prevented economic activity to thrive. Illicit business operations have often stumped the development of the area. In more recent years, a growing interest in craft cacao has led to an increase in organized cacao growing and trade initiatives in Tumaco. The region is largely inhabited by Afro-Colombians, where cacao grows in abundance.
Their cacao trees are grown among other fruit trees, beans, corn, and timber. The farmers are able to earn a much higher wage by selling cacao and being part of supply chains that strive to reward farmers fairly.

Historically, this region has been plagued by economic and political instability that has for long prevented economic activity to thrive. Illicit business operations have often stumped the development of the area. In more recent years, a growing interest in craft cacao has led to an increase in organized cacao growing and trade initiatives in Tumaco. The region is largely inhabited by Afro-Colombians, where cacao grows in abundance.
Their cacao trees are grown among other fruit trees, beans, corn, and timber. The farmers are able to earn a much higher wage by selling cacao and being part of supply chains that strive to reward farmers fairly.

This cacao is grown by an indigenous tribe called the Arhuacos in the remote jungles of Colombia. They, along with two other indigenous groups preserve the biodiverse sanctuary in which they live and farm. They practice an immense reverence for their natural environment and believe in caring for every living being with equal respect.
Their cacao trees are grown among other fruit trees, beans, corn, and timber. The Arhuacos Tribe diligently safeguards the land upon which this cacao grows. On our visit, the chief of the Tribe, Mamo Camilo, offered us his blessing to produce this bar and tell the story of the Arhuacos outside their territory.

Over the past year, we have been working with the COCANO co-op based in Northern Haiti to improve the quality of their cacao and create new revenue streams for farmers. We've traveled to the north of Haiti several times to provide training and the Haitian farmers are on the path to export fine quality cacao. We work closely with their team of producers to provide post-harvest training so that one day they can sell premium cacao to us and many other factories.
COCANO has mainly focused on coffee production until recently, when farmers wanted to explore cacao cultivation. We launched a milk chocolate bar infused with their coffee beans that Panther Coffee has helped them grow.

Cacao in Haiti has largely been sold unfermented for very little to speculators from the commodity market. PISA changed the scene when they introduced one of the country’s first cacao processing facilities focusing on fine flavor and quality.

Since 2014, they have been sourcing from 1,500+ farmers in the Acul-du-Nord region and fermenting in a centralized facility to control flavor outcomes of a repeatable and meticulous fermentation and drying system. The cacao grows primarily alongside mango, avocado, citrus, yam, and plantain trees. They produce an especially fruity cacao with notes of tart cherry and dried fig. The majority of the cacao comes from small plots of land also used for subsistence farming, which promotes agroforestry systems that help preserve Haiti’s limited forest cover.