Acará-Açu - 75% Cocoa
Geographical coordinates of the cocoa harvesting site:
01° 47' 23.0" S | 48° 17' 35.8" O
Acará - Acará River - Pará - Amazon – Brazil
Harvested by the Acará-Açu community, located on the banks of the Acará River, in Pará, the cocoa beans from this lowland forest have different sensory characteristics due to the complexity of the soil and the region's microclimate. They are pre-processed by a community of agro-extractive riverside dwellers, whose community leader Zeno Gemaque , an expert carpenter, is responsible for the pattern of the cocoa fermentation and drying troughs used by De Mendes.
More than a hundred families from a dozen riverside communities on the banks of the Acará River are part of the network of small cocoa producers, whose processing base is the land of one of the community leaders of the Acará-Açu community: Zeno Gemaque . Skilled carpenter, serene entrepreneur and perfectionist, he found in the César De Mendes chocolatier a partner to exchange knowledge and experiences, reaching the maximum quality in the almonds used in this chocolate bar.
After years of living together, the duo improved the protocols for harvesting, transport, fermentation, drying and storage, making the processing structure of the Acará-Açu community today considered a reference for the brand.
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Photo Valter Ziantoni
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Photo Valter Ziantoni
These bars embody respect for the personality of the territory, expressed in every detail: the troughs are made from the wood of trees fallen in the forest, the pre-processing of the almonds uses an intuitive and unique technique that preserves the microorganisms essential to life, while careful fermentation and drying processes enhance the sensory aspects coming from the forest. As a result, a more aromatic, subtle chocolate with less acidity.
The gentle and refined handling of cocoa by the riverside people of this Amazonian community preserves not only the region's natural resources, but also fosters a sense of cooperation, justice and solidarity, essential in building an integrated production chain in balance with the environment. “The importance of this project is to improve people's quality of life, without causing any type of aggression to their culture and way of life. We can be a channel and give voice to those who live here”, says Zeno .
SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
More than 100 families are impacted by the cocoa production chain, in a forested area with a wide variety of plant and animal species. Social entrepreneurship is present in De Mendes' joint work with community leaders in the region, fostering the training of riverside people through a partnership relationship and based on responsible, solidary and socioeconomically fair processes.
OTHER INGREDIENTS AND SUPPLIERS *
- Brown Sugar: supplied by COPAVI – Cooperativa de Produção Agropecuária Vitória, located in Paranacity, in the northwest of the state of Paraná. Founded in 1993, from the Santa Maria settlement, with just 236 hectares and 61 inhabitants, COPAVI is the longest-running experience in collective and solidary production in Paraná.
* possible changes in the supplier may happen due to the availability of the product.