Ucayali River cacao (URC) is located near Pucallpa in the Amazonian part of Peru. Beans are bought from several farming communities in the Pucallpa and Tingo Maria areas and then transported to a central fermentation and processing station. Most local farmers have 1-2 hectares of cacao trees, but a few farms are as large as 5-6 hectares.

The beans are mainly a blend between the local variety Comun and four other Trinitario clones. With a high natural pulp content they are pre-drained before fermentation. Only fresh cacao opened the morning of pick-up is sourced and loaded into fermentation boxes by nightfall.

URC works together with USAID and Allianza Cacao Peru to give farmers a way out from the Coca industry. URC buys wet beans and pays an additional ten percent premium for an equivalent amount of dry weight cacao. The farmers get a higher pay for less work which has made URC into a popular partner.

We began working with URC in late 2017 and the beans are bought directly from origin. Light and floral notes dominate with a hint of spice and wood to the finish. A truly elegant bean.

THE ORIGIN FACTS