Craft chocolate made in the UK

Uganda Mountains of the Moon

This mixture of Forestero and Trinitario cocoa creates a unique and distinctive blend using beans cultivated at the farm and then fermented centrally. These beans have a rich cocoa flavour with notes of stone fruits (e.g., cherries, apricots, plums etc.) and a punch of various spices. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and glaciers that run into the rainforests below, this cocoa has buckets of potential as it makes both amazing dark and milk chocolate variations. We make a high cocoa solids dark bar and a dark milk bar using this cacao.

Grenada Fine Estate, St Andrews District, Grenada

Grown by around 8,000 farmers on this island the beans are collected by the farmer owned Grenada Cacao Association for processing, Harvest is April to November and the beans are a mix of Trinitario hybrids, Amazon Calabacillo and Venezuelan Criollo beans. Flavour: They have a range of notes including earthen flowers with coffee, woody, dairy, white fruit and grassy notes.

ABOCFA, Sulhum, Eastern Ghana

ABOCFA is a young co-operative comprising 700 farmers across 13 districts. They were the first co-operative to be awarded double fairtrade and organic status and the beans are fully traceable to the farm. The co-operative invests some of the earning back into community and welfare projects including improving local utilities, but also helping to oppose child involvement in the cocoa industry in Ghana. Harvest takes place between September and march. The beans are mostly of Forestero origin with only yellow pods harvested. They are fermented for 7 days and dried for a similar period of time. Flavour: Classic rich deep chocolate, brownie like in character with hints of woody and walnut notes.

Sao Tome Organic

Cacao production on the island of Sao Tome has improved in recent years with re-investment and the development of better cacao. Harvest is march to May and the beans are a blend of Amelonado and Trinitario hybrids. Fermentation is done on banana leaves and drying on wooden tables in the sun. Flavour: Bright fruity acidity, notes of tropical and red fruits, wine, smoked peppers, wood and spice.

 Oko Caribe, Duartes, Dominican Republic

OKO Caribe was founded in 2006. The growers are organised into local associations. The beans are grown alongside other crops including timber, fruit and other crops, making them disease resistant. The main harvest is March to July. The beans are a mix of varieties mostly Trinitario hybrids. They are fermented for 5 – 6 days in wooden crates and turned 3 times before being dried for a similar period of time. Flavour: Strong chocolate base with notes of coconut milk, caramel, vanilla, crème Brulé, lavender and violets

El Tenida, Gigante, Huila, Colombia

Single estate large beans from the Gigante area of Huila Region in Colombia. Unlike previous beans from this region we've used, these have some stronger fruity notes. They are grown and processed by a single family. We are trying these at different cocoa levels with an 85%, 69%, a vegan suitable with Buckwheat at 65% and as a 50% milk.

Lachua, Guatemala

Laguna Lachuá is a large pristine cenote lake deemed a national park in 1976 and a Ramsar site in 2006. The “Eco-region Lachuá” around the lake is home to Q’eqchi’ Maya families, many of whom live off-grid and rely on the production of cacao, honey, cardamom, corn, and other crops for their livelihoods. Cacao farmers are organised into three certified organic community associations, ASODIRP, ASOSELNOR, and K’ATB’ALPOM, each with its own fermentation and drying operation. Lachuá communities have planted over 245 hectares of new cacao since 2014 and improved financial literacy in cacao production through projects supported by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), FUNDALACHUA, and Funda Sistemas, with the shared goal of protecting the Laguna and improving their quality of life. The main flavour notes are of Lemon curd, strawberries and mocha (chocolate and coffee). Source: Uncommon Cacao.

Maya Mountain, Belize

Founded in 2010, Maya Mountain Cacao (MMC) put Belize on the craft chocolate map as a pioneer in the centralized fermentary social enterprise model and the first exporter in the country to produce high-quality, centrally fermented cacao for the U.S. craft chocolate market. MMC works with 350+ certified organic smallholder cacao farming families in the Toledo and South Stann Creek districts, most of whom are indigenous Q’eqchi’ and Mopan Maya and who have been producing cacao for generations. MMC’s 100% Belizean Maya team centrally processes all cacao at a post-harvest facility where three unique stages of sun drying create optimal flavour. The beans carefully produced by the farmers in Maya Mountain Cacao’s network and fermented by our team offer consistent, rich flavour notes of honey, pineapple, raisin, tobacco, and fudge.  Source: Uncommon Cacao.

Papua New Guinea, Kulkul

Grown on the Kulkul Plantation in the Karkar Region of Papua New Guinea , these Trinitario beans are full bodies with flavour notes of fresh fruit, mildly acidic and the smokiness often associated with cacao from this island nation.

Baracoa, Cuba

Cuban cacao is quite special. Grown mostly in the Baracoa region on the northeastern coast, it is loved by chocolate makers across the world. The beans are bursting with flavour, including notes of tobacco, toasted nuts, lightly fruity and a sensational light finish of sweet fruits.