← Back to Pure Expressions

Single Origin

Small-Batch

Bean to Bar

PURE EXPRESSIONS

Madagascar

Sambirano Valley

(Bejofo Estate — Åkesson’s)

70% Dark Chocolate

Bright raspberry and creamy cocoa evolve beautifully as this chocolate ages. In our first batch, we tasted tart raspberry with a subtle yogurt note; after six to seven months of aging, the acidity softened and that creamy character developed into something remarkably reminiscent of raspberry cheesecake.

$7.50

Country

Madagascar

Region

Sambirano ValleyAmbanja District

Elevation

293 m Tropical River Valley

Cacao Identity

Natural HybridTrinitario

Harvest

2023May–June

Fermentation

3-tier cascade wooden boxes, on-estate

Drying

Concrete patios and raised beds, on-estate

Certifications

USDA Organic

Producer

Bejofo Estate — Åkesson’sSourced with Specialty Import Partner

Roast

Balanced

Genetics / Pedigree

Predominantly Trinitario, with a small amount of Criollo

Producer Profile

Grown in Madagascar’s Sambirano Valley near Ambanja, a humid tropical region in the island’s northwest renowned for intensely bright, fruit-forward fine-flavor cacao. Bejofo Estate grows cacao alongside aromatic crops including vanilla and pepper.

Flavor of Place

The Sambirano River descends from northern Madagascar’s mountains into a warm tropical valley near Ambanja. Seasonal flooding renews the valley’s fertile soils, while pronounced wet and dry periods concentrate flavor in cacao grown among pepper, vanilla and other aromatic crops.

This combination of river-fed soil, tropical heat and mixed Trinitario–Criollo ancestry gives Sambirano chocolate its unmistakable brightness. Red-fruit acidity arrives first as raspberry and ripe cherry, then softens into deep cocoa and a naturally creamy finish. Together, those sensations create the remarkable impression of raspberry cheesecake that defines this harvest.

People & Provenance

Bejofo is a historic estate rather than a cooperative. Cacao has been cultivated on this land since the early twentieth century, when Madagascar remained under French colonial rule. The property later passed into government ownership, and by the time Bertil Åkesson reacquired it in 1998, much of its potential had been neglected.

Åkesson’s work centered on preserving the estate’s old cacao populations while bringing consistency to every stage after harvest. Bejofo grows, ferments, dries and sorts its cacao on the estate, using controlled wooden-box fermentation and careful solar drying to protect the red-fruit character for which the Sambirano Valley is now celebrated.

That attention helped transform aging estate plantings into one of the world’s most recognizable fine-cacao origins. Bejofo’s beans became a benchmark for the emerging bean-to-bar movement, demonstrating that Madagascar could produce not merely export cacao, but chocolate with an unmistakable regional identity.

The estate’s significance also rests with the approximately 600 workers documented as contributing to its operation. Alongside employment, reported community initiatives have included land for worker food production, support for local schools and healthcare, and a transition toward solar energy. Bejofo’s story is therefore one of restoration: an inherited plantation history reshaped through preserved genetics, skilled local work and an uncompromising commitment to quality.