Madre de Dios
Source: Co-operative
Region: Southern Peru - Amazon
Department: Madre de Dios
Elevation: 300-500m
Yearly Rainfall: ~2450mm (96 inches)
Genetics: Natives, Trinitarios, and Criollos
Harvest Season: Apr - Aug
Tasting Notes: Red and citric fruits with minor floral notes.
Fermentation Style: 6-7 days in Tornillo hardwood boxes; daily bean rotation after first 2 days.
Drying Style: 6-8 days – Sun then shade dried. On tarps and mesh drying racks.
Originating from the Madre de Dios department in the southern Peruvian jungle, where it’s harvested at ~300–500 metres above sea level, this fine-flavoured cacao delivers complex red and citric fruit flavour notes with minor floral accents.
Unlike other parts of Peru, most of the farmers here weren’t indigenous to this department. They migrated here generations ago from the VRAE and Cusco regions, bringing with them native cacaos of those areas. Over the last few decades, those cacao varieties have mixed with the local native varieties creating a wonderfully aromatic mix of Native VRAEs, Local Natives, Criollos, and Trinitarios—a signature of the Madre de Dios origin.
What’s great about the Madre de Dios department is that much of this jungle is protected from clearcutting by various Peruvian governmental decrees in alignment with conservation efforts made by international governments. What that means is that this region favours multi-crop farming in its natural environment, a practice that can provide consistent income for the farmers while bringing harmony to the local ecosystem. All by incentivizing diversity.
We couldn’t agree more with this approach.
The co-op we’re currently supporting (COOPSUR) is quite diverse, harvesting not only cacao, but Copuasu (Theobroma grandiflorum), corn, tapioca root, pineapple, banana, and Brazil nuts. And their workforces are pretty diverse, too. On average they are made up of roughly 35% women.
So, if you’re looking for a fine-flavoured bean that’s well-rounded beyond its flavour profile, this is certainly one of them.
5kg boxes available in our shop. For any other volumes please contact us.