Our Story
In 2010 AROMAZ began making chocolate with Fino de Aroma cocoa produced on our own farm and by small local producers in Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador.
Our cocoa comes from the same region where cocoa originated.
Source: Scientific Magazine Nature.
Article Published: 29 October 2018
The use and domestication of Theobroma cacao during the mid-Holocene in the upper Amazon
Abstract
Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is an important economic crop, yet studies of its domestication history and early uses are limited. Traditionally, cacao is thought to have been first domesticated in Mesoamerica. However, genomic research shows that T. cacao’s greatest diversity is in the upper Amazon region of northwest South America, pointing to this region as its centre of origin. Here, we report cacao use identified by three independent lines of archaeological evidence-cacao starch grains, absorbed theobromine residues and ancient DNA-dating from approximately 5,300 years ago recovered from the Santa Ana-La Florida (SALF) site in southeast Ecuador. To our knowledge, these findings constitute the earliest evidence of T. cacao use in the Americas and the first unequivocal archaeological example of its pre-Columbian use in South America. They also reveal the upper Amazon region as the oldest centre of cacao domestication yet identified.
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Tree to Chocalate
Tree to Chocolate It begins on our farm with the harvesting of the cocoa pod, fermentation and drying of the cocoa bean in the appropriate time until achieving unique and delicate aromas, with floral tones and a high content of Linalool.
Our production process is artisanal, with local staff who have extensive knowledge and great patience, prioritizing excellence in production and high quality of Fine Aroma Cocoa from Ecuador.
From its starting AROMAZ aimed to focus on high-quality chocolate made with Fine Aroma cocoa produced on our farm in Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador.
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Fair Price
To meet product demand, AROMAZ buys from small producers in the region, especially cooperatives of entrepreneurial women, paying a fair price for the cocoa beans.
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