Norandino 70%

Tumbes is one of Peru’s more famous and established growing regions, hugging the border with Ecuador and sharing the latter country’s long history of cacao cultivation. Many of the varieties grown in Tumbes are the same as those grown in Ecuador – specifically Nacional, a white-seeded variety long prized for its delicate and exceptionally mild chocolate flavor. The cacao in this bar represents the combined efforts of 123 producers in six communities in the Tumbes region—Uña de Gato, Papayal, Cuchareta, La Palma, Casa Blanqueada, and Pampas de Hospital—all of whom export through the Norandino co-operative. These producers claimed a major prize in 2015, when their cacao was named among the 50 best in the world at the Cacao of Excellence competition. The cocoa and nut flavors in this chocolate make it exceptionally well-suited for baking and other culinary uses (mole, anyone?). Bean Origin: Tumbes region (communities of Uña de Gato, Papayal, Cuchareta, La Palma, Casa Blanqueada, and Pam