The fresh cocoa harvest from Uganda has just arrived in the port of Antwerp and is ready to be shipped and turned into delicious chocolate! The start of 2022 is a great moment to introduce you to these brand new cacao.
As Silva team we are sending our warmest Christmas wishes your way. We hope your home will be filled with happiness. Because we want to thank you for the great partnership, lovely encounters, and delicious chocolate, we get one step ahead of Santa Claus and give you a little something already: a tree in the Dominican Republic!
DNA fingerprinting makes it possible to pinpoint specific plant traits and accurately identify cacao genetics. Let's discover what DNA fingerprinting of cacao learned us upto now.
Did you know “Kamili” means ABSOLUTELY in Swahili? Synonyms of absolutely are precise, exact, unconditionally, unquestionably... All those words expresses what Kokao Kamili means to us!
CHUAO: A BEST-IN CLASS CACAO Chuao is known as the most mythical, famous and expensive cacao worldwide. We are thrilled to take you on a journey to discover the name, fame, and flavour of Chuao.
We often get inquiries from chocolate makers whether we have Criollo beans in our range. The first question we ask ourselves is "why do customers specifically want Criollo beans?" Are they looking for unique beans? Complex flavors? White beans? Because of the fascination many people have with Criollo beans, we thought it would be a good idea to take a closer look at the origin of Criollo, the typical associations that are often made with Criollo (think delicate, expensive, super aromatic, etc.) , and why we prefer to talk beyond genetics.
Despite perfect climatic conditions and abundant fertile soils, cacao arrived relatively late in Congo DRC. The first trees were planted in the late 19th century, when Congo was a colony of Belgian's King Leopold II. Commercial cacao plantations sprung up along the Congo River in western Congo in the 1920-30s. After independence in 1960 the cacao industry slowly disappeared, only to make a comeback some twenty years ago. Today, the centre of the cacao industry moved from west to east Congo, especially Kivu and Ituri. This used to be a coffee growing area, but in the late 1990s the coffee plants were affected by a serious disease, and farmers started to look for an alternative. And in came cacao! Silva Cacao, together with a team of specialists, helped to develop specialty cacao in the Ituri Province. Each cacao quality has a unique flavour profile, and a great story about improving the livelihood of smallholder farmers, conservation and protection of forests and wildlife, and increasing safety through mobile banking.
If you are interested to read more about our cacao origins (of course, all have perfect humidity), read on!
If you are interested to read more about our cacao origins (of course, all have perfect humidity), read on!
Looking at the climatic and geographical conditions of the Philippines you would think it is a major producer of cacao. However, this is not the case. Let’s take a closer look at the cacao landscape of the Philippines.