Original Beans Esmeraldas 42% Milk Chocolate

From the Maker:  Ecuador's ‘Arriba' cacao is appreciated for its superior fine flavour, but its existence is being threatened by the propagation and promotion of the industrial cacao hybrid CCN51. Original Beans' conservation effort in alliance with small producer cooperatives in the Esmeraldas region is aimed at conserving the authentic Arriba cacao and protecting the rainforests in which this original bean thrives.

It must have been a poet who offered the name Esmeraldas, and it was a biologist who called it the Western Ecuadorian Moist Forest biome. But both referred to the same region of intensely humid rainforests who meet the Pacific Ocean in the Northwestern corner of Ecuador. The union of ocean and rainforest is, we say, the reason why we add a hint of sea salt to our Esmeraldas Milk. But salt also is a traditional ingredient of the hot cacao which the local people of three ethnic groups – mestizo, Afro-Ecuadorian, and the indigenous Chachi – drink. Each of these groups has a distinct relation with the original criollo cacao bean, the Arriba. The Afro-Ecuadorian community tells perhaps the most fascinating tale: how they took cacao from the Caribbean islands on their flight from slavery.

42% cocoa with milk and fleur de sel

Ingredients:  Raw cane sugar*, cacao butter*, whole milk powder*, cacao mass*, fleur de sel 0,1%.
Milk solids: 20% minimum, cacao solids: 42% minimum.
*Certified organic.

Original Beans’ Story:

As a trendsetting and responsible company, Original Beans does not want to outsource important controlling tasks - with respect to fair trade, farmer trainings and reforestation - to third parties. Original Beans’ cacao is produced in long-term partnerships with indigenous communities and small farmer cooperatives. 

With our cacao conservation leaders “on the ground”, we can guarantee full traceability and the implementation of our conservation principles. Original Beans is a member of the Direct Cacao Organization, which brings together bean-to-bar chocolate makers who buy quality fine cacao directly from farmers and pay much more for their cacao than the Fairtrade standard.

Original Beans’ Value Chains

To increase the value-add at farmer level, we source directly, at premium prices, ensuring a living income while supporting farmers in cacao growing matters like quality improvements, yield increase, and income diversification. For us, direct trade means sourcing directly at farmer or village level through a local partner. Next to long-term partnerships, the Original Beans field team has a direct connection to the farmer communities by working on the ground.