Osella | Valrhona Chocolate

Ecuador

Guayaquil
2°10’37.9”S
79°49’48.7”W

Cocoa growing in Ecuador

In the fertile valleys bordering the majestic Guayas River, one of the world's most prized cocoa varieties flourishes: Cacao Nacional.

With its floral and roasted nut notes, it's way more than just a culinary ingredient. It's a symbol of heritage, a tangible link with the past, and an essential part of the economic future. We are proud to shine a spotlight on this Nacional cocoa, a treasure of nature, to ensure its quality and to share it with the whole world.

However, our responsibility toward Ecuadorian cocoa goes beyond its production. We are firmly committed to promoting sustainable, ethical cocoa farming that respects the environment and local communities. We work hand in hand with producers to ensure responsible farming practices, while preserving the region's biodiversity.

A long-term partnership

Valrhona first met with Osella’s director, Mr Jacinto Andrade, in 2017. After several exchanges about our respective approaches, covering cocoa quality and our views on building long-term relationships, as well as sample analyses, field visits and meeting producers, we decided to start a commercial relationship in 2018.

All of these exchanges focused on "Nacional" cocoa, Ecuador's emblematic variety.

Following this first collaboration, a partnership was signed in 2019, in order to build our relationship and develop our strategy to benefit the sustainability of the cocoa "Nacional" sector.

5years Partnership

Partnership signature : 2019, for 5 years

Private company Type of organization

287 producers

and 44 employees

Our social and environmental actions together

Since 2019

We have funded a producer support program led by Osella with the help of a team of technicians

This project covers 8 provinces across the country and aims to improve producers’ agricultural practices, from pruning, fertilizing and renovating plots, to improving fermentation and drying. This project is focused on the preserving the national treasure that is the "Nacional" cocoa variety

The impact

296 producer beneficiaries

1,920Ha impacted

Incomes improved

for producers via quality premiums

Find OSELLA cocoa in

Sweet Spices

Single Origin

Alpaco 66%

Alpaco 66% cocoa, Single Origin Ecuador* is a Valrhona Grand Cru chocolate with sweet spice notes and a nutty, woody taste. The *cocoa beans are sourced from 9 terroirs: Vinces, Quinindé, Simon Bolivar, La Union, Mata de Cacao, Ricaurte, San José del Tambo, Naranjal, and Lagarto (Ecuador).