The Beni River Valley in northern Bolivia is home to the river of the same name, north of the Bolivian capital of La Paz. Upstream, far beyond the main cities, cacao grows wild along the upper part of the Beni River, there called the “Alto Beni.” Locals often travel along the water in boats, stopping every once in a while to collect fresh pods from the trees; that practice has earned Alto Beni’s harvest the nickname “wild cacao.” This is one of the southernmost places that cacao is grown in the Americas.

El Ceibo, committed to protecting their native rainforest, became the first certified-organic cocoa cooperative in the world in 1988. Utilizing a tiered cultivation system, El Ceibo works to protect against the degradation of their lands using natural and organic methods. Today, El Ceibo farmers grow an estimated 70 percent of the total organic-certified cocoa cultivated in Bolivia. The cooperative’s farmers proudly grow their cocoa without using chemical pesticides or fertilizers, and strive to continue expanding their operations.

The native wild-grown cacao of Bolivia, Beniano is perhaps better known as nacional de Bolivia or even cacao silvestre. That’s because this strain grows wild along the upper part of the Río Bení in northern Bolivia; locals collect pods via canoe, as they ripen. The further south you go, the more indigenous genetic material the fruits tend to contain. Beniano have relatively small pods, meaning less yield per fruit, and a sweet, nutty, and fruity flavor. The overall rich and balanced character of the beans means that even slight changes in fermentation or roasting can cause a huge difference in the final taste of a product, resulting in an overall crowd-pleasing cacao.