Fine-flavour cacao from Manabí and Esmeraldas
For many original cultures of the Americas, cacao was not a simple sweet ingredient but a sacred plant that accompanied rituals, ceremonies and moments of inner connection. Sumak Terra works so that this way of seeing it is not lost. That is why we do not produce industrially: every bar depends on the cycle of the tree and the harvest season, not on the market calendar. That scarcity is not a limitation; it is how we respect the origin.
Trees over a hundred years old
Sumak Terra cacao comes from ancestral trees in Manabí and Esmeraldas, on the coast of Ecuador, grown by generations of smallholder farmers. They are trees over a century old, of the Nacional variety: the fine-flavour cacao Ecuador is known for.
The chacra system
In the chacra, cacao does not grow alone. It lives among fruit trees, timber trees and shade plants, and takes on their aromas. It is a slower, more diverse way of growing than monoculture, and it is why two bars of the same percentage taste different depending on the zone.
From pod to bar
Fermentation and drying are done in small lots. The chocolate is made in Quito, roasted by batch and sweetened with panela in the 25 g bars, with no added flavourings. Each bar has few ingredients, so the character of the tree comes through.
Manabí and Esmeraldas
Manabí gives floral and nutty profiles; Esmeraldas, a sharper fruity acidity. The bars in the collection are identified by that zone of origin, not only by the cacao percentage.
10% to origin
10% of every purchase goes to the cacao-growing communities of Manabí and Esmeraldas.