PERU PROGRAM

Variety: Trinitario cocoa
Aromatic profile: sweet cocoa with fruity and cocoa notes

Program created in 2015
425 partner growers

Peru, amazonian cocoa

Building up the Peruvian cocoa program presented a new challenge for Kaoka:

to establish, in an area formerly controlled by drug traffickers, a cooperative in partnership with a community of growers, united by a desire to produce high-quality cocoa and to preserve the endemic ecosystem known as ‘La Colpa de Loros’.

THE BIRTH OF A BEAUTIFUL COOPERATIVE

Between 2013 and 2015, we were looking for new partners to grow fine cocoas and this group of growers was looking for stable outlets to sell their cocoa. Quite naturally, a synergy developed. we decided to invest in this particular project. Em 2015, a cooperativa Colpa de Loros (que leva o nome do ecossistema no centro desta iniciativa) surgiu deste maravilhoso encontro.

RESTORING DETERIORATED SOILS: A MAJOR CHALLENGE FOR GROWERS

In these cocoa programs, the plantations are young and do not require renewal, unlike in Ecuador or São Tomé. However, another problem arises: the poor condition of the soil, caused by years of intensive coca cultivation. The lack of soil fertility on plantations is causing an alarming decline in cocoa yields, and consequently in growers’ incomes.

In light of this, Kaoka is rolling out an ambitious soil restoration programme in partnership with growers: promoting agroforestry through the planting of legumes that enrich the soil, restoring pH balance, adding organic matter, setting up a composting plant, and so on. A complex and fascinating subject!

As with our other cocoa programs, we are committed to finding effective and sustainable solutions for our partner growers.

Despite the difficulties encountered, we are proud to witness the progress of this great cooperative.

Six years after the first meeting between Kaoka and local growers, 1,050 tonnes of fair trade organic cocoa were exported by Kaoka, compared to 25 tonnes in 2015. This rapid growth has made the cooperative the country’s 11th largest exporter since 2018.

The Trinitario cocoa variety from Peru: a smooth and well-balanced cocoa The Trinitario cocoa varieties grown in the Ucayali region of the Amazon are characterised by their smoothness, complemented by spicy and woody notes. Their fragrant aromas of citrus and red berries lend them a very pleasant elegance on the palate.