Duarte is a northern Dominican province producing over two-thirds of the nation's exported cacao, with fertile clay loam soils and lush tropical rainforest. The Cibao Valley region supports fine-flavor production, with specialty cacao from the eastern edge of Duarte earning a denomination of origin in 2012. Öko-Caribe's central fermentation facility anchors quality processing.

Zorzal Cacao is an agroforestry project of Reserva Zorzal, a thousand-acre private bird sanctuary and 130-acre organic cacao farm in the northern Dominican Republic. Zorzal is actually the Spanish word for “thrush,” referring to the Bicknell’s Thrush, a migratory songbird which spends winters in the tropical forests of the preserve. Reserva Zorzal is even more unique in the world of cacao, as they have set aside seventy percent of the preserve’s land to be forever wild. They’re part of a carbon-offset project with thirteen other landowners, employ local wildlife monitors, and serve as a model for the integration of conservation & sustainable agroforestry. The cocoa trees are shade-grown to promote wildlife habitat and biodiversity, and all Reserva Zorzal cacao is certified organic.