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CACVRA Wins Cacao Competition |
By Dary Goodrich, Chocolate Products Manager
On July 7-8, cacao farmers across Peru participated in the III Concurso Nacional del Cacao Peruano, a national cacao competition. A panel of international judges evaluated 54 cacao samples submitted by the participating producer organizations. As part of their work to increase the quality and visibility of their cacao, the competition also included quality training for producers.
Peru’s national cacao competition is unique. Unlike the coffee world’s Cup of Excellence annual competitions to grade and select the best coffees in many of the coffee-growing countries, there is nothing quite like this in the world of cacao on an international scale.
We were excited (but not surprised) to learn that CACVRA (the Agrarian Coffee Co-operative of the Apurimac River Valley) won first place in the competition. We want to send them a big congratulations for this accomplishment and all of the hard work behind it! Get a taste of their outstanding cacao beans in any of our chocolate bars (except, of course, the Organic Panama Extra Dark bar!).
Founded by indigenous farmers in 1969, CACVRA was originally a coffee co-operative. The co-op and surrounding communities were devastated by the social and political conflict in Peru in the 1980s. During that time, the price of coffee and cacao fell on the world market and many families shifted to farming coca leaves. In 2004, CACVRA participated in a UN project to promote cacao production as an economic alternative to coca production. They have invested heavily in sustainable farming methods and growing high-quality cacao in recent years – which has obviously paid off! Click here to learn more about CACVRA.
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