Wild Child favorite: cacao from the Dominican Republic

17 November 2021

We both have traveled the world learning about and tasting different kinds of cacao. Eva went on a cacao discovery in Central and North America for two years. Malou fell in love with chocolate in Costa Rica, where she lived for a year.

Our cacao journeys continued in the Netherlands. Amsterdam is one of the biggest harbors of cacao beans in the world and gives us a beautiful range of choices!
Guatemalan beans, Mexican, Peruvian, African… Indian… We are always on the lookout for something different. Rich in experience, fine in flavor. And the importance of ethic sourced cacao is key!

The fine flavor cacao from Öko-Caribe, certified organic cooperation in the Dominican Republic is our all time favorite and Wild Child classic. Malou works with this Caribbean cacao for years and for a good reason.

The cooperation is known for their high-quality cacao and the farmers are very well supported. From technical training to offering loans for cacao and community needs.

The farmers are paid 4 times the market price of cacao, which makes them able to earn a sustainable income for themselves and their families.

They hand-select the cacao and do a fantastic job at fermenting! We prefer to work with fermented cacao since this gives cacao the rich, full, rich tastebud experience.
These abundant lands are full of mountains and surrounded by ocean. We love the biodiversity of the cacao farm. Cacao trees grow in between coconuts, cassava and avocado trees, which have a big influence on the taste. (Experts say ‘strawberry-coconut oil-honey-nutmeg’. :))

The tropical island origin gives us a very different feel than other beans we have tried…. Relaxing, colorful, vibrant, wild… We dream of a visit…. One day!