Cacao Beans

Peru is the world’s ninth largest cacao producer and the world’s largest organic cacao producer. 60 to 70 percent of its cacao is exported, as cacao bean and increasingly as cacao derivatives. More than 50,000 Peruvians earn a living through the cultivation and production of cacao. Peruvian farmers have an average farm size of 2 hectares that make up the 40,000 cacao hectares mainly in the Eastern Andes and Peruvian Amazon rainforest. The yield per hectare varies from 1 to 2.5 metric tons.
Chocolatiers and artisan chocolate producers have used Peruvian cacao to create the world’s finest chocolate products. Peru’s cacao products are used for the best chocolate in the world
Peru cultivates mainly Trinitario, Forastero and Criollo cacao varieties. Criollo beans are a soft and pale pink in color and their taste is delicate and complex. Criollo beans are famous for their richness in secondary flavor notes, long flavor duration and a greater and more complex fat content. Because Criollo is lower in classic chocolate flavor, the beans are often mixed with Trinitario and or Forastero to create a delicate fine chocolate.