Tumaco, Colombia 70%

This bar started out as a Limited Release bar, but I decided that I loved it too much for it to go away. So, it’s now part of my regular collection of bars. It is a pure, single-origin dark chocolate made with cacao grown in Tumaco, Colombia. It’s very smooth and floral with notes of cream, nuts, and spices.

I source the cacao for this chocolate through Uncommon Cacao, a great company who works directly with cacao producers (farmers, co-ops, fermentaries, etc.) to ethically import cacao into the U.S. For this cacao, Uncommon partnered with Cacao de Columbia who had existing relationships with the local cacao producers. Uncommon has a great page on the Tumaco cacao here. I definitely encourage you to go read the whole thing, but I wanted to highlight these paragraphs that show how ethical cacao sourcing and production can benefit the local people in cacao-producing areas:

“When Cacao de Colombia first explored the region back in 2011, they found cacao everywhere; drying on any flat surface farmers could find, including the road. The sheer volume of cacao was overwhelming, and the opportunity for quality and systemic improvement was obvious. Cacao de Colombia has worked with three community cooperatives to introduce centralized processing and drying. Because of the introduction of centralized processing and Cacao de Colombia’s expertise in high-quality flavor development, farmers today earn 70% more income from cacao today than they did when selling dried beans to the commodity market supply chain, and have a true sustainable alternative to coca production or involvement in the narco groups.

“Since these cooperatives started buying wet cacao, farmers themselves report improved quality of life due to year-round buying, increased income, and time saved processing cacao themselves. While narcotrafficking is still present in the region (on Emily’s recent trip to visit the groups in Tumaco, boats loaded with coca paste were passing down the river right next to the cacao farmers), the growth of the cacao industry is building power and unity among farmers in the struggle for better, safer lives in Tumaco communities.”

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! –Ben, Chocolate Maker, Potomac Chocolate

Ingredients: organic cacao, organic cane sugar

Weight: 2.12 oz (60g)

Soy, dairy, nut, and gluten free. VEGAN