Ecuador Zamore Chinchipe Cacao
We all trying to do our best in combating global warming, be it by eating less meat, recycling or leaving the car at home. But how good would it be if you could contribute extra to protecting the environment by eating chocolate?
This is possible with our Ecuador Zamora Chinchipe Organic cacao. The more you eat the better for the environment! Maybe dreams do come true after all?
The Birthplace of Cacao
Most people know that cacao originates from the Amazon forests. Less known is that domestication of Theobroma cacao and its earliest use can be traced back more than 5,000 years ago to the Zamora-Chinchipe region in the southeast Amazon region in Ecuador. Recent archaeological findings link cacao to the ancient Mayo-Chinchipe culture in which farmers have been using the Chakra system for centuries.
Cacao Grows in the Traditional “Chakra” System
Chakra’s are biodiverse agroforestry systems that mimic the forest’s natural composition. This traditional method of farming has been used primarily by the indigenous Amazonian farmers, and mostly by the Saraguro and Shuar women of the area. They are believed to hold the wisdom of the Chakra cycle and also the cultivation of all crops and plants. By using the Chakra system, they intercrop cacao with a multitude of other trees and plants that all interact with each other. It provides not only subsistence crops and food security, but it is also an extension of forest habitat for rainforest flora and fauna. This sort of cultivation forms a landscape that resembles to a mosaic, which is economically productive and ecologically friendly to the biodiversity of the area. Today farmers are still applying this ancient technique that has been passed on for generations from the traditional indigenous communities.
A Biodiversity Hotspot and Carbon Sink
The fact that 50% of Ecuador is covered with native forest, makes it one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. In the Amazon region over 5,000 different plant species and 4,800 reptile and amphibian species have been identified. In addition, Ecuador is also considered to have great potential to provide ecosystems necessary to maintain local livelihoods, such as forests. However, as many people know, Ecuador’s Amazon is under threat due to oil industry, logging, and agricultural expansion. To make the cause more precise; 99% of the deforested area in Ecuador has been transformed into agricultural areas. Hence it is of great importance that the knowledge and application of the traditional “Chakra” system is preserved. Using the chakra system for cultivating cacao is a great option for carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. In fact, the carbon content in the air and root biomass show that cacao chakra systems contain 89% more carbon than monocultures. This system can even be integrated into wildlife corridors, connecting dispersed areas of primary or secondary forests. The Chakra system is thus an excellent way for the communities to give back while having productive, healthy land.
Forest Change Mapping Based on Technology and Science
Even if cacao grows in agroforestry, it is very difficult to know if it really has a positive impact on CO2 sequestration. To be sure, it is required to track changes in forest cover, and carbon sequestration over time. So we decided we better go for a solid and scientific-based system.
We team-up with PRO-Amazonia – the Amazon Integral Program for the Forest Conservation and Sustainability of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador, implemented with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). This program aims to promote the transition from traditional monoculture systems to sustainable agroforestry systems. They focus on four agricultural commodities that are seen as the main causes of deforestation, of which cocoa is one.
All farms are mapped in a Geographic Information System, and changes in forest cover are monitored through satellite imagery. The first results have already come in: there are more trees on the farms! Apart from being deforestation-free, Zamora Chinchipe cacao is also organic certified and thus free from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. I think it’s not an overstatement to say that eating chocolate has never felt so good!
Discover the Flavours from the Ecuadorian Amazon
And last but not least, we present you the cacao farmers with whom we work. They decided to give their association a long name: “Association of Small Organic Exporters from the South of the Ecuadorian Amazon”, to keep it easy: “APEOSAE”. APEOSAE was founded in 2006 with the aim to increase family income through improved farming and growing of cash-crops. They unites 180 farmers and their families, of which 53 woman, and many indigenous Saraguro and Shuar. The farmers grow nacional hybrids (or neo-nacional clones), and dully control their post-harvesting process. This results in a balanced flavour with chocolaty base complemented with roasted nuts, tropical fruits, green banana and a pleasant hint of coffee.
Our pioneer Chocolatemakers
A special thanks goes to the pioneer chocoaltemakers working with these specialty beans.
From the first shipments we received, our amazing chocoalte-partners believed in the quality of the beans and the forest conservation work we are doing. We highly recommend to taste the delicious chocolates. And don’t forget, the more you eat of this deforestation free, and even carbon positive cocoa, the better for the environment! Maybe dreams do come true after all?
