Cocoa Bean To Bar
Craft cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate-making, on an artisan basis, is a long and painstaking process with numerous steps, many of them involving a scientific approach. Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby is ranked as one of the '25 Best Chocolatiers in the World' and awarded 'Best Chocolatiers & Confectioners in America'. As Canada's only artisan science-based cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate-makers, we produce locally sourced chocolate in Richmond (Greater Vancouver area) and work closely with the University of BC in Vancouver on various research projects relating to the science of chocolate-making within Wild Sweets® micro-batch laboratory settings and small-scale machinery.
Farms we source our cocoa beans from....

COSTA RICA MALEKU
COSTA RICA MALEKU: The name Maleku comes from a population native to the northern plains of Costa Rica, between the Arenal Volcano and Costa Rica’s border with Nicaragua. Nahua works closely with 240 smallholder cocoa farmers in the area, sourcing pods from native trees, which tend to be a mix of Trinitario and Criollo. Many of the plantations are quite remote, the oldest of which lie along the banks of rivers that flow into Lake Nicaragua.
Region: Guatusco and Upala, Alajuela
Variety: Trinitario, Criollo
Harvest Season: June-July & November-December
Fermentation: 5-6 day ferment in wood boxes
Drying Style: Raised wooden beds
Flavour Notes: Plum, molasses, spice
Certification/s: Direct Trade

ECUADOR CAMINO VERDE
ECUDOR CAMINO VERDE is a privately owned fermentary located in Duran, just minutes outside Guayaquil, Ecuador. They have built a passion for impeccable quality and consistency in beans, as well as an understanding of the applied science in cocoa fermentation that pushes the boundaries for new-age methods of cocoa post harvest processing. Camino Verde’s owner, Vicente Norero, has years of experience in microbiology, which brings a unique approach to cocoa processing.
Region: Guayaquil
Variety: Neo-Nacional
Harvest Season: April-June, October-December
Fermentation: Efficient microorganism / inoculant controlled. Bag fermented in temperature/humidity controlled room
Drying Style: Sun dried and mechanically dried if necessary
Flavour Notes: Rounded chocolate, almond
Certifications: Direct Trade / USDA Certified Organic

TANZANIA KOKOA KAMILI
TANZANIA KOKOA KAMILI is a Cooperative that currently works with approximately 1,500 small shareholder farmers, most of whom farm between 0.5-2 acres of cocoa. Kokoa Kamili pays a premium – well above the market rate – to farmers for their ‘wet’ cocoa, and conducts its own fermentation and drying. By taking over the fermentation and drying process, Kokoa Kamili can produce more consistently higher quality cocoa beans. This method gives farmers a reduced workload, along with greater compensation, and the farmers are paid immediately after the cooperative receives its wet beans.
Region: Mbingu Village, Morogoro Region.
Variety: Trinitario/Criollo
Harvest Season: June to November
Fermentation: in locally sourced and constructed eucalyptus three tier boxes for 6-days with turns on days three and five.
Drying style: 100% sun dried on raised drying tables with combination of direct and indirect sunlight.
Flavour Notes: Cherry, coffee, lemon
Certification/s: Direct Trade / USDA Certified Organic

TRINIDAD GRAN COUVA
TRINIDAD GRAN COUVA - Montserrat is a farmer-owned and run cooperative whose primary goal is helping to revitalize the local cocoa industry and improving the quality of life for its farmers through its higher bean price. The co-op began in 2009 when 5 farmers and grew to its current pool of 48 large and small farmers. In 2016 the co-op became the first organization in the English-speaking Caribbean to receive certification from Rainforest Alliance. This is a significant step in the evolution of this farmer-led effort and its goal to produce a large quantity of beans that are high in quality and overall standards of operation.
Region: Gran Couva
Variety: Trinitario
Flavour Notes: Marshmallow, Cedar, Brown Fruit
Certification/s: Direct Trade

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ÖKO CARIBE
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ÖKO CARIBE is a fermentary founded in 2006 by Gualberto Torrejon and Adriano Rodriguez, two cacao professionals with extensive experience in cacao production throughout Latin America. Öko Caribe purchases wet beans, pre-selected for quality protocol and delivered to the fermentation center in less than 6 hours from harvest, from about 165 smallholder farmers, which are then fermented and dried within their own centralized processing facility.
Region: El Cibao Region, Duarte Province
Variety: Hispaniola* - Trinitario, Criollo, Nacional
Harvest Season: March to July
Fermentation: 5-6 days in 4 tiers of wooden boxes
Drying Style: Solar tunnel drying beds to ± 7% moisture
Flavour Notes: Mango, Honey, Red grapes
Certification/s: Direct Trade / USDA Certified Organic
*Note that there are two grades of cacao in the Dominican Republic: Sanchez, which refers to unfermented cacao sold to commodity markets, and Hispaniola, which refers to cacao that has been treated to controlled fermentation.

MADAGASCAR BEJOFO ESTATE
MADAGASCAR BEJOFO ESTATE is an organic cacao orchard that makes up one part of the 2000-hectare Akesson Estate in northwest Madagascar’s Sambirano valley where the soil and climate are ideal for growing high quality cacao. Akesson’s Estate is divided into four smaller estates--Madirofolo, Menavava, Bejofo, and Ambolikapik. It is managed by Bertil Akesson, who has specialized in growing fine cocoa for many years. Bejofo Estate produces 300 tons of cocoa a year or about 10% of the country total production.
Region: Sambirano Valley, Ambanja District.
Variety: Trinitario
Harvest Season: October to November & May to June
Fermentation: 3-tiered wooden boxes
Drying Style: Concrete patios and raised beds
Flavour Notes: Citrus, Ripe red fruit
Certification/s: Direct Trade / USDA Certified Organic

UCAYALI RIVER CACAO
UCAYALI RIVER CACAO is a central fermentary that works with around 400 smallholder cocoa farmers (1-to-3 hectares of land each) along the sandy clay soil of the Ucayali River outside of the Peruvian city of Pucallpa. Ucayali River Cacao buys wet cacao at a premium price – most are Trinitario clones as well as what the locals call “comun”, which is a varietal similar to Trinitario, but lower in bitterness and astringency – that are then fermented and dried within their own centralized processing facility using techniques learned under Daniel O’Doherty of Cacao Services.
Region: Ucayali River, Pucallpa
Variety: Local Trinitario ancestors, ICS, TSH
Harvest Season: April to August and November to December
Fermentation: Wooden boxes
Drying Style: Sun dried on elevated racks in a greenhouse
Flavour Notes: Mocha, Cedar, Tangy
Certification/s: Direct Trade
If you're in the Vancouver, BC area, please feel free to drop by our Cocoa Bean Experience Lab and/or Factory Store The Atelier located only 28 minutes away from downtown Vancouver by car. Or shop for our products online: