Colombia Arauca – Bonajuto Bean to Bar

The cacao for our Colombia Arauca – Bonajuto Bean to Bar comes from Arauca, one of Colombia’s 32 administrative regions in the Llanos Orientales, the broad plains of the Orinoco River bordering with Venezuela to the north east. This border coincides with the eponymous Arauca River. Ancient hybrid plantations in this area aim to safeguard the genetics of the Criollo variety with a time-honoured approach. We have chosen a micro-batch of Saravena cacao, an Arauca cultivar with a large yellow pod and a slender tip.

The sweet, creamy cacao has hints of strawberry and pear and a pleasing touch of acidity which helps create a unique, enveloping and complex profile. The fresh beans are large and purple in colour. 

Credit for production of these two varieties is down to ELIZABETH AGUDELO, a third-generation cacao grower who took over her father’s land in 2011. She has since breathed new life into the company, and gone on to produce cacao of the very highest quality. As well as being an expert in her field, Elizabeth is fostering social enfranchisement in the area (which remained undeveloped in the past owing to Colombia’s armed conflict). She hopes to achieve this through cacao production by local farmers, who she helps with constant support and training. 

Our traditional method of processing the cacao at low temperatures affects this particular hybrid ingredient, resulting in an unusual, surprising chocolate.