Also from the Same Region
Maker
Amedei TuscanyAmedei Tuscany a gourmet Italian chocolate brand was founded by Cecilia Tessieri, the world's first female master chocolatier. From Tuscany, Italy, Tessieri started making confections in tiny 480 square foot space with just one employee, until she realized that not everything was made completely by her. Tessieri spent 24 years traveling around the world, working with chocolatiers in a male dominant field and visiting cacao plantations in search for the best chocolate. Tessieri created Amedei, named after her grandmother in 1990. Amedei uses only the best ingredients and Tessieri carefully overseeing each step the cacao beans go through to ensure fine quality chocolate. Only 1% of the beans harvested are deemed worthy to create Amedei’s chocolate. Amedei evolved as one of the world’s premier luxury chocolate makers and is a six time winner of the Academy of Chocolate’s “Golden Bean” award (equivalent to the Academy Award for chocolatiers, according to Tessieri.


Cacao Region
Aragua, VenezuelaAragua State is located squarely in northern Venezuela, along the central coast. The region encompasses a variety of climes, including beaches, plains, and jungles, the latter of which is home to one of the state’s many industries: cacao farming. The municipalities of Choroní, Ocumare, and Chuao are some of the most famous & historic cacao-growing areas of Venezuela, as well as the home of— arguably— its most beautiful beaches. In Ocumare the main industries are fishing and cacao production, while Chuao is famously close to the capital city of Caracas, but difficult to get to. The village is only accessible by travelling via boat from nearby Choroní, and then trekking a few miles inland.
Cacao Strain
ChuaoChuao, is named for the isolated Venezuelan village in which it’s grown. Chuao is one of the cultivars of the the Criollo group. Chuao cacao is said to be a carefully-fermented representation of the best varietals from Venezuela, rich with berries and a sharp cocoa base, finishing heavy. Differentiating a cacao as “chuao” is not to necessarily name it a pure criollo, but to clarify that it comes from the coastal village of Chuao, an area isolated to the point that its cacao has developed its own unique blend of flavors.