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Single Origin

Small-Batch

Bean to Bar

PURE EXPRESSIONS

Mexico

Chontalpa

(Tabasco)

70% Dark Chocolate

Rich cocoa takes center stage before unfolding into notes of roasted cacao, warm caramel and a naturally sweet finish reminiscent of dates. A remarkably balanced chocolate you'll find yourself reaching for again and again.

$7.50

Country

Mexico

Region

TabascoChontalpa region

Elevation

Approximately 20 m · Tropical river plain

Cacao Identity

Mixed / Documented GeneticsTrinitario hybrids, local Criollo & INIFAP selections

Harvest

2023

Fermentation

Centralized Wooden-Box Fermentation

Camino Cacao purchased fresh cacao from its network of smallholders and fermented it in wooden boxes at its local processing facility.

Centralized processing allows cacao from many small farms to be combined into batches large enough for more consistent fermentation. Detailed records covering fermentation duration, box dimensions, turning intervals, temperature development, and batch composition were not retained for this lot.

Drying

Sun-Dried

Following fermentation, the cacao was dried in the sun. Detailed information about the drying surface, duration, turning schedule, weather conditions, and final moisture target was not retained for this lot.

Certifications

Direct Trade

Producer

Camino Cacao producer networkSourced with Chocolate Alchemy

Roast

Balanced

Genetics / Pedigree

A Diverse Chontalpa Population

Retained sourcing documentation describes this cacao as a mixture of Trinitario hybrids, local Criollo material, and INIFAP selections. Historical product records also reference traditional Amelonado cultivated within the Chontalpa cacao population.

This is therefore best understood as a mixed regional population rather than a uniform cultivar. No lot-specific DNA analysis or percentage breakdown was provided.

Producer Profile

Camino Cacao works with approximately 235 smallholders cultivating about 370 hectares of cacao near Chontalpa, Tabasco. The network purchases fresh, unfermented cacao—locally described as cacao en baba—and manages fermentation and drying through its local processing facility.

Many participating farms are more than sixty years old and face declining yields. Camino combines centralized post-harvest processing with technical assistance in syntropic agroforestry, helping producers improve farm productivity while supporting greater biological diversity and long-term environmental resilience.

This 2023 lot was purchased by Wesley’s through Chocolate Alchemy.

Why We Chose This Source

Tabasco is part of one of chocolate’s ancestral landscapes, but history alone cannot ensure cacao’s future. Aging farms, declining yields, deforestation, and uncertain markets place pressure on producers to abandon the crop even where cacao has grown for generations.

We chose this lot because Camino Cacao is working to make cultivation viable again—not only by improving fermentation, but by investing in the farms and people behind it. Its agroforestry work recognizes that better cacao begins with healthier soil, more resilient farms, and growers who can see a future in the crop.

The chocolate gives that work a compelling voice: deep cocoa, dates, warm caramel, and clean earth, expressed with remarkable fullness and balance.

Flavor of Place

Chocolate Shaped by Water and Forest

In the tropical lowlands of Chontalpa, Tabasco, cacao grows across a warm river plain only about twenty meters above sea level. Water, fertile soils, and persistent humidity support layered gardens where cacao shares the landscape with shade trees and tropical fruit.

That environment gives this cacao a broad, generous character. Deep cocoa and roasted cacao form its foundation, followed by dates, soft earthy tones, and a sweetness reminiscent of warm caramel. The acidity is present but rounded, keeping the chocolate lively without disturbing its smooth, satisfying finish.

Chocolate Shaped by Water and Forest — Cacao growing within the tropical lowlands of Chontalpa, Tabasco.

An Ancestral Homeland

Where Ancient Cacao Meets a Living Crop

Mexico is one of chocolate’s ancestral homelands, and Tabasco remains one of the country’s most important cacao-growing regions. Cacao here is not simply an agricultural commodity; it belongs to a much older food culture shaped by generations of cultivation, selection, and use.

The farms supplying this lot contain a mixed genetic landscape that includes local Criollo ancestry, Amelonado material, Trinitario hybrids, and INIFAP selections. Rather than representing a single uniform cultivar, the cacao reflects the accumulated history of the region—old trees, natural crossings, and newer selections growing together within working farms.

That diversity contributes to a chocolate with both strength and balance: deeply cocoa-forward, naturally sweet, and complex without becoming difficult.

Where Ancient Cacao Meets a Living Crop — Cacao growing within the genetically diverse farms of Tabasco.

People & Provenance

Renewing Farms Through Agroforestry

Camino Cacao was founded to address declining cacao yields, deforestation, and the limited economic opportunities available to many of Tabasco’s small producers. Its network purchases fresh cacao from approximately 235 smallholders farming about 370 hectares near Chontalpa, then ferments and dries the cacao at a local processing facility.

Many of the producing parcels are more than sixty years old and face declining productivity. Camino cofounder Carlos Azcuaga and collaborating consultants have provided thousands of hours of field training in syntropic agroforestry, helping farmers approach cacao as part of a diverse and regenerative agricultural system.

The goal reaches beyond producing better beans. Healthier farms, stronger yields, and centralized post-harvest processing can create more dependable livelihoods while protecting the landscape that makes Tabasco cacao possible.