Cocoa route: 5 Peruvian chocolates you should try

These brands represent the richness of Peruvian cocoa. In addition to their delicious flavor, these chocolates also contribute to the support of local communities in the Amazon and Peruvian mountains. In this note, which are the chocolates that you should not miss trying.

Inkao:

Naner Reynoso, a food industry engineer by profession, says that the idea of ​​opening a chocolate brand was inspired by her grandfather. In 2017, she decided to start a project that revalues ​​cocoa in the VRAEM area (Valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers). ““I always wanted to work with chocolate, with organic chocolate”Add.

The engineer tells Provecho that her grandfather was a farmer and that inspired her to want to work with cocoa. Currently, she works with more than 20 farmers who make up a cooperative in the VRAEM area, who plant and harvest organic cocoa instead of coca leaves.

The engineer is always innovating and looking for new products. With organic cocoa it also offers dragees with quinoa and aguaymantos. And recently, he achieved one of his great goals: to be able to export organic chocolate to the United States.

Currently, it has two lines of organic chocolate. The first is for direct consumption: tablets of 50% to 70% cocoa, and sweetened with panela. The second is for fine, healthy and gourmet pastries. In addition, it has vegan white chocolate, an innovative and unique product on the market.

The Iberian:

For more than 100 years, an Arequipa family has been producing chocolate using Peruvian chuncho cocoa. La Ibérica, full of tradition and flavor, has the “Superior Taste Award 2022″. They have a wide variety of chocolates, among which stand out: pecan chocolates, mint fondy, gaufrette chocolates and pisco chocolates.

“Our brand has been recognized since 1909 as the sweetest tradition of the city of Arequipa, founded by Juan Vidaurrázaga Menchaca, who together with his father Vicente Vidaurrázaga, decided to bet on chocolate“, indicates Bernardo Suárez, general manager of La Ibérica.

Achieving good cocoa implies that there is constant communication between the farmer and the company that makes chocolate. “We work from the tree with the farmer, training him, giving him the necessary tools, and they deliver the cocoa to us in a processing center that we have in Quillabamba where we receive the cocoa to ferment it and work it in the correct way and then send it to our plant in Arequipa. We do not replace cocoa butter with substitute fats that lower its cost. We work with top quality ingredients and meet the highest quality standards”he indicates.

Tamshi:

This sustainable cocoa production brand was born in 2018 in the town of Tamshiyacu, Loreto. Its purpose is to promote the production of excellent cocoa and at the same time contribute to preserving native cocoa, which is part of the genetic heritage of Peru.

“Our history emerges with a clear vision: to establish a sustainable company that generates positive social and environmental impact, and produce the best cocoa in the world, placing Loreto on the world map of the highest quality cocoa.”explains Florencia Ballesteros, representative of TAMSHI.

“The decision to embark on this path was motivated by the passion to create products of high quality and origin, which at the same time generate a highly positive and significant social and environmental impact in our area of ​​influence, thus contributing to the sustainable development of the Peruvian Amazon.” , Add.

Their chocolates have unique sensory and organoleptic characteristics, with both chocolatey and fruity notes. “In addition, due to the conditions of the place, its birthplace, it is not necessary to use agrochemicals and its cadmium levels are minimal, which represents a big problem in many other regions of the country. This makes it an attractive product for the most sophisticated markets, such as Europe.”, indicates Ballesteros.

“The key to success in determining the quality of a cocoa lies in the good agricultural practices used during its production process. Traceability, the non-use of agrochemicals, the monitoring and interpretation of data, as well as the creation of customized protocols, are the fundamental elements to guarantee homogeneous, consistent and high-quality cocoa. These factors are what have allowed us to achieve the level of excellence that we maintain today”he concludes.

Chocolates Element:

The Elemento chocolate brand has already won several international awards and seeks to promote fair payment to the communities of Awajún, in the Amazon jungle. “Element chocolates was born from the love of nature of the founding partners. In the exploration of the world of cocoa, an ideal began to be conceived, to make chocolates of the highest quality, which would not only reflect the natural processes of cocoa in their bars, but also transmit the history of the producers of this grain, dignifying their work and creating a social impact that will benefit them through fair trade“, indicates Miguel Alonso Marrou Osores, partner and general manager.

“In collaboration with the binational plan in the Tajimat project, Elemento Chocolates developed a work format in which the producers themselves could add value to their processes within the communities through the modernization of post-harvest. By installing processing plants and training producers, the company has managed to triple the annual income of more than 300 Awajun producers and their families.“, Add.

“Our chocolates differ in tasting notes due to the different roasting profiles, formulations and inclusions with which we work, always having as their main axis the authentic flavor of cocoa, given by the genetic varieties and the territory in which it lives.Add.

They have two lines, one for direct consumption and another specialized in fine pastries. Within its product catalog you will find chocolates with more than 52% cocoa, with panela, light, medium and intense roasting. In addition, they offer 60%, 70% and 80% cocoa coverage, perfect for gourmet pastries. “TWe have chocolates suitable for vegans, healthy, with inclusions, pure and also with milk. We have a product for every taste”he concludes.

Ukaw:

This chocolate brand from Pucallpa, winner of several international competitions, arrived in Lima almost two years ago. “Ukaw chocolate means Ucayali cocoa, we were born in 2010 as a small business making chocolates with Ucayali cocoa in the kitchen of my house, little by little we grew until we acquired our equipment for chocolate production (brean to bar) from the bean to the bar. In 2019, Ukaw restaurant was born where we offer all our chocolates and food and drinks based on Ucayalino cocoa. It is a gastronomic experience of cocoa and Ucayalino chocolate”adds Gianina Flores, founder.

At its location in Miraflores, it offers unique chocolates such as camu camu, aguaymantos, aguaje, coffee and banana. In addition, their maras salt truffles and cocoa nibs are other diner favorites.

“Us. We work directly with cocoa producers in Ucayali, with organic cocoa. In addition, our plant has GMP, PGH certification, and we have won four medals; two in 2019 for the Internacional Chocolate Awards Peru, a medal for the Internacional Chocolate Awards De Las Américas in the United States and a silver gourmet at the AVPA awards in France.a”, he ends.