WE MAKE CHOCOLATE THAT PROTECTS THE AMAZON
Slash-and-burn practices started most of the fires that have destroyed over 4 million hectares of forest in Bolivia.
Madidi National Park, home to 14% of the world’s 9,000 bird species and one of the five most biodiverse nature reserves in the world, is under pressure. Do you want to help us support its conservation?
We buy cocoa directly from the Amazonian communities, at a higher price than that offered by intermediaries, ensuring greater income for producing families, eliminating the need to clear woodland to ensure their livelihood.
José Guillermo Campos, manager and founder of Mó Acá In, whose experience includes working for the chocolate company Ferrero in Italy as the chief chemist, has been working over the past 5 years to accomplish the objective of producing bean-to-bar chocolate made with quality cocoa that grows wildly along river banks in remote areas of the Madidi National Park. The region is known for its abundance of wild cocoa. These cocoa plants have experienced almost no human intervention and the rainforest has preserved a high genetic variability.
We want to increase the suppliers base from 57 to 300 families in the surrounding areas of cocoa collection.
THE BEST ARTISAN CHOCOLATE IN BOLIVIA WITH SWISS TASTE
With support from Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, the traditional and familiar nature of cocoa collection and processing has been enriched with technological innovations: the bean is fermented in wooden crates and dried in the sun on tables also made of wood. The result is a unique combination of aromas and flavours that the beans release during the roasting process.
The support paid off. In 2015, an association of cocoa producers representing the Carmen del Emero Tacana indigenous community won the prestigious Cocoa of Excellence International Cocoa Award at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris, France, acknowledging the first-category nature of the cocoa produced.
Mó Acá In Amazonía showcases this unique story through gourmet chocolate products, highlighting the wild-harvested cocoa as main ingredient, and celebrating the flavours that can be found in Bolivia: chocolates with maracuya from the Amazon forest, coffee from the Yungas, and even salt from the salt flats of Uyuni.
As part of the Helvetas project, 500 farming families have begun planting home-grown cocoa trees in the forest. The object is to create 500 hectares of ecologically sound agroforestry and produce 100 tons of high-quality cocoa.
ENJOY EXCLUSIVE QUALITY CHOCOLATE FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Cocoa harvesting represents for the community members their main source of income.
Carmen del Emero supplies exclusively to Mó Acá In. We in return pay a higher price per bag compared to the spot price of conventional cocoa in the country. We offer as well technical assistance on site, with the purpose of maintaining the quality of the raw material during harvest and fermentation.
The 60’000 CHF we want to collect through this campaign will allow us to increase our supply base four times to 300 families. We will also be able to provide cash advances, so the families can even-out the cash flow from the cocoa season.
Our bars are not (yet) sold in Switzerland, but you can enjoy them exclusively as a reward for your contribution to our project.
