

Also from the Same Region
Maker
RaakaRaaka is one of the few chocolate makers that does unroasted chocolate right. Not roasting the beans presents an interesting challenge to chocolate makers and the flavor is a unique departure from traditional methods. Raaka is based in the Red Hook district in Brooklyn, NY. Raaka has a great collection of unique and fun chocolate bars that are also vegan friendly and sugar free. They focus on telling stories through their bars that highlight the region where the cacao is from, the conditions they were grown in, and how it was processed. Raaka is all about a transparent trade. They ensure that receive their cacao beans through direct trade, with organizations that promote quality, sustainability and premium pricing for their farmers. Raaka also provides complete transparency on their purchasing of all their cacao beans. The name Raaka means ‘raw or unfettered’ in Finish


Cacao Region
Duarte, Dominican RepublicDuarte is a northern province of the Dominican Republic, named after Juan Pablo Duarte, the founder of the country. The province is located in the eastern portion of the Cibao Valley, and finds its economic base in both commercial industry & processing, and agriculture. Duarte grows over two-thirds of the Dominican Republic’s exported cacao, as well as ~60% of the rice consumed within the country; other crops include coffee, tobacco, and bananas.
Cacao Estate
Reserva ZorzalZorzal 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.
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