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Single Origin

Small-Batch

Bean to Bar

PURE EXPRESSIONS

Uganda

Semuliki Valley

(At the Foot of the Rwenzori Mountains)

70% Dark Chocolate

This is a deeply chocolate-forward bar with the richness of warm fudge and a lingering figgy-pudding finish. Notes of date, toffee and cinnamon emerge as it melts, balanced by gentle acidity and almost no astringency.

Familiar enough for someone who simply loves great dark chocolate, yet distinctive enough to demonstrate what careful fermentation and roasting can reveal, it has become an enduring customer favorite.

$7.50

Country

Uganda

Region

Bundibugyo District, Western UgandaSemuliki Valley, Bumate

Elevation

915 m · Rwenzori Mountain foothills

Cacao Identity

Mixed / Documented GeneticsAmelonado & Trinitario blend

Harvest

2024

Fermentation

Paired Eucalyptus-Box Fermentation

Fresh cacao is hand-sorted before entering paired eucalyptus boxes with removable shutters for turning. Fermentation temperatures are recorded three times daily, with total fermentation lasting approximately 5.5–6.5 days.

Cut tests begin on the fifth day. Beans are evaluated again before drying and after final sorting so that fermentation quality and consistency can be assessed before batches are blended.

Drying

Protected Drying at Bumate

The cacao is sun-dried at the Bumate facility, where the drying area is designed to capture available sunlight while protecting the beans from heavy rainfall and runoff.

Beans are repeatedly sampled, cut, and sorted during finishing. Lower-grade material and inconsistently fermented beans are separated before the completed lot is assembled.

Certifications

USDA Organic
Direct Trade

Producer

Semuliki Forest CacaoSourced with Chocolate Alchemy

Roast

Balanced

Genetics / Pedigree

A Blend Built for Depth

This lot is composed primarily of Trinitario and Amelonado cacao, with documentation also noting some Upper Amazon influence. Amelonado contributes the deep, familiar chocolate foundation, while the broader genetic mixture helps provide sweetness, spice, acidity, and aromatic complexity.

Because cacao from numerous small farms is combined during processing, this is best understood as a documented regional blend rather than a single cultivar or uniform genetic population.

Producer Profile

Semuliki Forest Cacao, operated by Latitude Trade Company, works with more than 500 contracted smallholder farmers across Uganda’s Bundibugyo District. Most participating farms contain one or two hectares of cacao, frequently divided among several plots.

Fresh cacao is collected near the farms on the day of harvest and brought to the company’s facility in Bumate for centralized fermentation and drying. This model allows cacao from many small farms to be processed with consistent standards while giving producers a dependable buyer and prompt payment for their harvest.

Why We Chose This Source

This cacao brings together two things we deeply value: an unmistakable sense of place and the careful human work required to reveal it.

Hundreds of small farms contribute to this lot, but their harvests do not disappear into anonymity. Through coordinated collection, immediate payment, seasonal incentives, and exacting post-harvest work, Semuliki Forest Cacao turns many individual contributions into something coherent and exceptional.

We chose this source because its richness is more than a flavor. It reflects farmers tending cacao beneath the Rwenzori Mountains, a local team protecting quality through every stage of fermentation and drying, and a supply chain designed to give that work a reliable path to market. The finished chocolate lets us share that collective achievement in every bar.

Flavor of Place

Where Rainforest Meets Mountain

Along Uganda’s western border, the Semuliki Valley rests beneath the Rwenzori Mountains near Semuliki National Park and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Warm tropical conditions, abundant rainfall, and the surrounding forest create a lush environment for cacao.

The region’s cacao produces a deep chocolate foundation layered with figgy sweetness, date, toffee, and cinnamon. Gentle acidity keeps that richness lively, while a clean earthiness gives the finished chocolate remarkable depth.

Where Rainforest Meets Mountain — The humid Semuliki Valley beneath Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountains.

People & Provenance

Many Small Farms, One Exceptional Lot

Semuliki Forest Cacao works with more than 500 contracted smallholder farmers across communities in Uganda’s Bundibugyo District. Most cultivate only one or two hectares, often divided among several small plots.

Fresh cacao is collected from established points near the farms on the day it is harvested. Farmers are paid immediately, with additional seasonal bonuses tied to volume and the consistency of their deliveries. Bringing these many harvests together creates dependable access to market while providing the fresh, carefully selected cacao needed for a more consistent fermentation.

Many Small Farms, One Exceptional Lot — Smallholder farmers throughout Bundibugyo supply fresh cacao to Semuliki Forest Cacao.

From Harvest to Character

Precision After the Pod Is Opened

The character of this cacao is shaped not only in the forest, but through unusually thoughtful work after harvest. Fresh cacao is hand-sorted before entering paired eucalyptus fermentation boxes, where temperatures are recorded three times each day and the beans are turned for even development.

Cut tests begin during fermentation and continue after drying, allowing each batch to be evaluated before the final lot is assembled. At the Bumate facility, repeated sorting and careful protection from the region’s heavy rains preserve the cacao’s clarity.

That discipline transforms cacao from hundreds of small farms into a cohesive expression: deeply chocolatey, generously sweet, and remarkably balanced.