Direct from the blue foothills of the Andes mountains, we are proud to bring you artisanal cacao and chocolate from the world’s rarest, healthiest and most flavourful ancestral seed
Our growing collective champions biodiversity and regenerates the land we farm
We go beyond organic and fair trade by cultivating exceptional cacao while paying living wages, fostering partnerships and restoring our local ecosystem
San Dimas
Named to honour the closest town to the farms and the families from there who work tirelessly here at the farms
The Choco Andino Cloud forest is home to stunning biodiversity, but is threatened by deforestation, grazing and mining
In 2016 Kristen and Juan founded Sueno de Vida a farm based in agroecology principals, they started with a barren plot and have transformed it into a thriving food forest, Kristen also works as the land manager for all the land at the San Dimas farms
In 2019 Robert and Tiffany from Saskatchewan Canada founded Sanctuary Farm on a neighbouring plot of barren land where they have similarly transformed the land into a growing diverse mix of trees, herbs, spices and fruit
They continue to seek out equally dedicated people to grow the project, stewarding more land
tasting notes:
blackberry, lemongrass, lilac, pure dark chocolate
Chocople
Finca Chocople is a family owned farm that has preserved ancient Nacional varieties while embracing innovation. Led by Daniel Loyoga Guerrero, third-generation farmer and first-generation chocolate maker. The farm prioritizes agroforestry, a way of growing cacao accompanied by a wide diversity of trees and plants
Daniel produces his own tree to bar chocolate of exceptional creaminess and rich flavour. By processing onsite, Daniel supports the local community and shares the heritage of Esmeraldas in every bar
tasting notes: jasmine, almonds, nutmeg, coconut
Nueva Esperanza
Nueva Esperanza means “new hope”. For decades the families associated with the tightly knit ASOANE cooperative have been a beacon, protecting the patrimony of Ecuador’s finest cacao
In 2014 Nueva Esperanza/ASOANE received a coveted designation from the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund
The cooperative stands as an example of the power of indigenous growers to organize for the benefit of their community and the surrounding rainforest while protecting and cultivating ancestral seed
tasting notes: orange zest, passionfruit, banana, mocha
farming practices
We know the quality of your chocolate and what you offer to your customers is of utmost importance to you. Certification can be an important component to ensure that quality, but it can also be a gatekeeper for many subsistence farmers using methods that follow stricter ecological standards than most organic certification programs require.
At Choco Estates we are devoted to agroecology, we are farming beyond organic standards and we’re willing to show you. We invite all our customers to visit our farms, we also provide open access to our methods through our social media channels with plans to move even further in transparency in the near future through our packaging and QR codes. We hope our open communication with you begins a dialogue around farming methods and opens doors for dedicated farmers who are devoted to ethical land stewardship and ancestral food preservation
direct trade
Direct trade as a marketing term has shifted to mean many things in the chocolate industry
At Choco Estates what we mean by direct trade is that you are buying directly from the farmers hands, we are not middlemen. The folks who handcraft our products, stand at our booth at a trade show and answer messages online are also the farmers growing cacao and tending to the land. We produce everything at our artisanal facility in Ecuador, we do not use other companies for any of our production. This enables us to give back at higher levels than most to our farmers and the fragile ecosystem that makes it all possible
shipping and pricing
Cultivating real direct trade relationships means we can be up front and transparent with our customers about pricing and shipping. We use a fast, secure air cargo delivery service to send products from Ecuador at preferred bulk rates. In plain words, it costs less per item to ship a heavier box than a lighter one
That means the more you buy, the less each item costs to ship. We give you an estimated price of every product with shipping included
The exact price of your order is calculated when you order and will depend on two things:
- The exact weight in kg
- The USD/CAD exchange rate, calculated for the week
