Chililique

Thanks to a small break at the lowest point of the Andes, called El Paso de Porculla, the

Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañón Amazonian cultures were able to make their way to the arid northern coast of Peru where they traded their cacao and other goods with coastal communities. Over millennia, amid tough growing conditions, these coastal communities helped cacao adapt and thrive throughout various areas of the department of Piura—each area creating its own unique cacao bean origin.

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One of those areas is home to the bean known as Chililique, named after the zone in which it grows within the district of Chulucanas in the province of Morropón. It’s an exceptional cacao harvested at an elevation of

~100-400m that will surely take your chocolate making to the next level.

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Typically made up of ~25% white beans, Chililique is a mix of Native Piura Criollos with medium acidity that exudes nutty and red fruit tasting notes. This bean is also extremely low in tannins, likely because these cacao trees didn’t need to ward off all the pests that come with more humid climates, like Witch’s Broom.

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It is precisely this bean’s geographic location and rare growing climate, along with its uniquely evolved genetics, that have given it its unparalleled flavour profile and made it a premium cacao that has been commercialized for thousands of years. Many of the scientific theories today, supported by well-known researchers like Dr. Evert Thomas and Dr. Juan Motamayor and Bioversity International, are that cacaos in Central America likely came from Peru—through naval trade with coastal communities in this area that obtained their merchandise from the Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañón Amazonian cultures.

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Suffice it to say, this bean origin has a history of making its buyers happy. And we’re certain you’ll be one them.

 

 

5kg boxes available in our shop. For any other volumes please contact us.