ECUADOR PROGRAM

Variety: Nacional cocoa
Aromatic profile: cocoa with fruity and floral notes

Program created in 2000
1,496 partner growers in 2022

ECUADOR, THE COUNTRY WHERE GOLDEN FRUIT TREES GROW

When we create a program in a country, it is important that we consider its history and adapt to its political and cultural context.

Nacional cocoa, a traditional variety that only grows in Ecuador, is recognized worldwide for its typicality and aromatic intensity. However, when we arrived in Ecuador in 2000, we quickly made the sad observation that Nacional cocoa, part of the country’s authentic heritage, was under threat.

Cacao-nacional-filiere-equateur-sauvegarde-variete-kaoka.

Nacional cocoa, an exceptional variety worth preserving

In partnership with voluntary growers, KAOKA decided to strive to preserve the Nacional variety.

Years of investment in both human resources and funding have enabled us to develop innovative agricultural techniques. The aim? To enable growers to grow Nacional cocoa efficiently and sustainably, and thus move away from growing the CCN51 hybrid variety.

The conservation programme is taking shape, and an overall improvement in quality and productivity continues year on year. This programme has played a vital role in the conservation and promotion of Nacional cocoa in Ecuador.

It was in Ecuador that we launched and developed our plantation renewal programme. Given its resounding success, we have rolled it out across our other cocoa programs.

CECAO, a unique joint ownership model

Building on this joint project, the cooperative evolved in 2013 to form CECAO: an export organisation in which cocoa grower associations are shareholders alongside Kaoka. The result of a strong, long-standing partnership!

Over 20 years of fair partnership with cocoa growers in Ecuador Through robust guarantees, Kaoka supports high-quality farming that provides a genuinely profitable livelihood for Ecuadorian growers.

Building this cocoa program has been an incredibly enriching experience! Its history is a blend of socio-economic complexity and agronomic challenges: how can we save the Cacao Nacional variety whilst ensuring growers maintain a certain level of income through sufficient harvests? Over the years, together, we have found practical solutions: pre-financing of harvests, with Kaoka purchasing 100% of the crop to guarantee a guaranteed market, selecting the best cocoa trees, setting up nurseries to propagate them, training growers, and so on. It was also in Ecuador that we realised it was essential to centralise the fermentation and drying of fresh cocoa to achieve optimal and consistent quality. Together, we have overcome many challenges and we are proud of this.

Read the story of Don Vitaliano, a cocoa grower who has been working with us for over 20 years. He was there when we first set up our cocoa programs in Ecuador and was one of the first to believe in our plantation renewal project.

‘When Kaoka arrived, they gave us a fixed price, better prices and, above all, long-term cocoa export contracts. In other words, with Kaoka, we became cocoa growers, processors and exporters. We would never have achieved this without the chocolate company Kaoka.’ Don Vitaliano

The Nacional cocoa variety: an exceptional flavour profile Renowned as one of the oldest varieties, this cocoa is exceptional: it stands out for its rich aroma, offering indulgent notes of dried fruit and subtle floral aromas. Balanced and complex, Nacional cocoa has a beautifully long finish on the palate. A treasure trove of flavours to be cherished...

Top notes

Citrus (lemon-orange)

Fresh fruit (apple-pear) and Nuts (almonds-hazelnuts)

Floral (jasmine-rose)

Heart Notes

Cocoa & chocolate balanced

Base Notes

Woody (liquorice)

Warm tobacco note

Caramel

WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT THE HISTORY OF OUR ECUADOR PROGRAM:

A journey through the Nacional cocoa plantations, which traces the human adventure that we have shared with our partner growers for more than 20 years.