Originally from the Amazon, the cupuaçu harvested by the Association of Rural Workers of the Municipality of Belterra , in Pará, is planted in an agroforestry system. Based on the ancestral knowledge of the peoples of the region, the cupuaçu seeds are treated in a traditional way, which allows the permanence of the fruit flavor during the manufacture of the cupulate. The creaminess stands out on the palate, in addition to the citrus and fruity flavor of this bar.
Cupulate is made from the cupuaçu almond (Theobroma Grandiflorum), a typical fruit from the Amazon and of the same genus as cocoa (Theobroma Cacao), so its name is similar to the famous chocolate. Despite having a flavor, texture and caloric composition similar to chocolate, cupulate offers a unique sensory experience, typically Amazonian.
In 2018, César De Mendes got to know AMABELA - Association of Rural Women Workers of the Municipality of Belterra, in the region of the Tapajós River (Pará), starting to experience the culture of the group and also the different personalities of the women of the organization, who came together around common issues, such as female empowerment and workers' rights, and is maintained through the sale of surpluses from agroforestry production.
The contact with the cupulate drink that the women produced aroused enormous interest in the chocolatier. The traditional technique of treating cupuaçu seeds, passed on for generations, preserves the flavor and freshness of the fruit in the making process, being essential for the almonds to develop their characteristics that will soon be presented sensorially in the cupulate.
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From the close exchange of knowledge with the fierce women of the association, the bar produced with very high quality cupuaçu almonds, harvested in small islands of forests, in the midst of large soy plantations emerged. From their productive backyards, these women symbolize female creative power and resistance to social and environmental pressures. “We rural working women came together to be a beautiful brand, a slogan, to publicize our work. That's why the name: AMA of loving, women, and BELA de Belterra, of beauty. Love and beauty, in a highly recognized work”, explains Selma Ferreira da Costa .
The creamy and citric cupulate bar carries the struggle of these tireless workers, who combine agroecological practices with feminist agendas, expressing respect for origins and the forest with lightness and poetry. “If we can plant, produce and sell the product, we will also be able to see in our land, in our territory, a more dignified life and a happier future”, concludes Selma .
SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The commercialization of cupuaçu almonds is just one of AMABELA's activities, which has in the backyards of the association's women the basis of a social revolution, gender and protection of natural resources from the region's agroforestry products. Aware of its role, the association aims to raise awareness and positively impact the local community, strengthening the financial independence, freedom of thought and action of rural workers.
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.
* eventual changes in the supplier may happen due to the availability of the product.
Cupulate Amabela - 65% Cupuaçu
Geographic coordinates of the cupuaçu harvest site: 1° 09′ 12″ S | 48° 14′ 29″ W
Belterra - Tapajós River - Pará - Amazon - Brazil