THAILAND

WHERE CACAO FINDS ITS FLAVOUR EDGE

THAILAND DOESN’T DO ‘STANDARD’. NEITHER DO WE.

Three lots. Three regions. Three completely different flavour directions.

Thailand cannot be reduced to a single flavour profile — and that is exactly the point.

What makes it compelling is not uniformity, but diversity: different soils, different climates, and different hands shaping post-harvest in real time, while the genetic base remains broadly similar across all of Thailand’s main cacao-growing regions.

THAILAND – A LAND OF FLAVOUR IN MOTION

Thailand is still a young origin in cacao — small in volume, but impossible to ignore.

What draws chocolate makers in isn’t scale, but character: evolving flavour profiles, experimental post-harvest approaches, and farmers willing to push beyond convention.

From southern coastal zones to inland valleys, cacao expresses itself differently at every step -shaped by climate, soil, and human precision.

This is not a finished origin.
It is an origin in motion.

SILVA’s APPROACH

At Silva Cacao, we don’t follow established origins — we work where flavour is still being defined and developed.

Where farmers experiment.
Where post-harvest evolves.
Where identity is still in motion.

We don’t stop at 1 origin or 1 flavour profile.
We select expressions.

This is how we raise the bar.
Not by volume — but by precision.

SILVA’s LOCAL PARTNERS WHO PUSH THE EDGE

We are proud to introduce three new microlot cacao qualities in Silva Cacao’s Special Selection category, in partnership with ECOSHIFT & CHUMPHON COLLECTIVE.

ECOSHIFT – Frontline Flavours

ECOSHIFT is our origin partner, creating transparent specialty cacao supply chains, founded by Linda Chevrier to connect smallholder farmers with the specialty cacao market. Their mission is to structure responsible agricultural supply chains, ensure traceability, regulatory compliance, and quality alignment — currently focused on the emerging Thai cacao sector.

Farmer partnerships are central. ECOSHIFT works directly with smallholders to improve cacao quality and secure direct, fair, premium market access. Agroforestry and biodiversity are non-negotiable, with cacao grown alongside tropical fruit trees such as durian, mangosteen, rambutan, and other crops that maintain soil health and climate resilience.

Quality development is a continuous process. Post-harvest practices are guided to ensure that specialty-grade cacao reaches the right buyers, forming the foundation for flavours that are as intentional as they are distinct.

Traceability is on point. Every ECOSHIFT lot is mapped from farm to post-harvest using satellite mapping, QR codes, fermentation logs, and production insights. Not complexity — clarity. When flavour becomes traceable, creativity becomes intentional.

These two ECOSHIFT AWARD WINNING microlots ARE READY TO SHINE:

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT – COEX 2025 Gold Medal Winner

Flavour Profile
Balanced and grounded — low acidity, low bitterness, with notes of roasted nuts, caramel, dried fruits, delicate floral undertones, and a clean chocolaty finish.

Why it matters
A benchmark (COEX 2025 Gold Medal Winner) expression of Thai cacao, built on precision post-harvest control and consistent smallholder coordination.
Produced in Southern Thailand by Ms Maam (featured in the image below, on the right) of Taluang Cocoa, this lot reflects disciplined farm management and structured quality oversight across 38 smallholder farms.
The terroir is shaped by mineral-rich red soils, humid tropical conditions, and diversified agroforestry systems, forming a stable and refined flavour foundation.

Lot Size
Micro lot of 1 MT

Traceability
Fully mapped from individual farm plots to post-harvest, including satellite mapping, QR codes, fermentation logs, and detailed production insights — ensuring complete visibility of every bean’s journey

Nakhon Si Thammarat Cacao – Cacao Identity Card

PEN THAI PHATTHALUNG – International Chocolate Awards 2025 – Asia-Pacific Bronze

Flavour Profile
Bright and gently sweet — low acidity, medium bitterness, notes of yellow fruits, dried fruits, nuts, and soft chocolate tones

Why it matters
A clean and expressive cacao, awarded International Chocolate Awards 2025 Asia-Pacific Bronze, shaped by wetland ecosystems and careful smallholder fermentation practices across 17 family farms. Ms Pen (featured in the images below) controls the entire process from tree to bean.
Located in the Thale Noi basin, this lot reflects a biodiverse agroforestry system where cacao grows alongside tropical crops such as durian, mangosteen, rambutan, and rubber trees. The result is a lifted, fruit-forward profile — shaped by humidity, water influence, and controlled post-harvest processing (5–6 days box fermentation with sun drying adapted to weather conditions).

Lot Size
Micro lot of 1 MT

Pen Thai Phatthalung Cacao – Cacao Identity Card

CHUMPHON COLLECTIVE – ‘By Farmers, for Farmers’

Chumphon Collective is a farmer-driven organisation built to strengthen cacao communities in Southern Thailand through transparency, direct trade, and consistent quality. Their approach is simple: empower farmers, control post-harvest, and let flavour speak with clarity.

Farmer ownership is central. The collective works with a wide network of family farms, ensuring direct payments without credit terms — supporting immediate financial stability and long-term resilience. Community is not an add-on, but the foundation.

Production is grounded in scale and structure. With cacao sourced across southern provinces, including the Petchdang family farm, combining volume and precision to support consistent quality development. Rehabilitation is also supported through cacao seedlings, young trees, and grafting services provided at no cost to farming communities, strengthening farms and ensuring long-term continuity across the region.

Post-harvest is where things move — in a region defined by heavy rainfall, fermentation and drying are continuously adapted to shifting weather conditions. Not fixed processes, but responsive ones, ensuring consistency and protecting flavour integrity.

Innovation is part of the mindset. The collective experiments with post-harvest techniques to push flavour expression further, drawing parallels to evolving practices in coffee. Not to standardise — but to explore what each lot can become.

Social impact is built in. From fair wages and employment to free art and cacao education programs for children, the collective invests back into the communities that grow the cacao.

This characterful CHUMPHON COLLECTIVE microlot is READY TO SHINE

NA-NOD CHUMPHON 1 – Farmer-Led Adaptive Expression

Flavour Profile
Expressive and dynamic — bright lemongrass and green apple acidity layered with balsamic depth, caramelised banana, yellow fruits, and a persistent nutty undertone.

Why it matters
A farmer-led cacao system built on adaptation and resilience in one of Thailand’s most climate-challenging growing regions.
Sourced from family farms in Na Nod, Southern Thailand, this lot represents a diverse agroforestry system of cacao intercropped with banana, durian, mangosteen, coconut, rubber, palm sugar, and local herbs.
With operations led by Mr. Chok Petchdang (pictured below), a producer and community leader within the Chumphon Collective, who oversees farmer coordination, fresh pod collection, and quality control across the southern provinces, including Phatthalung.
In Na Nod, fermentation and drying are continuously adapted to shifting weather conditions to preserve flavour integrity and consistency — cacao shaped in real time, where craft is actively managed through experience.

Traceability
Farm-level sourcing across extended family holdings with structured production tracking and documented post-harvest adaptation, ensuring clarity from harvest to drying.