Peruvian VRAE Cacao Paste

Peruvian VRAE Cacao Paste

Organic | Direct Trade | Lightly Roasted | 227g & 454g

Whole cacao beans gently roasted, cracked and winnowed and then ground into paste.
Floral with unique fruit and herbal notes and minimal bitterness.

Cacao from the VRAE region of Peru — the Valley of the Rivers Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro — home to exceptional native cacao.

Harvested by small farmers at 400–1300 m elevation, the beans are fermented for 6–7 days in hardwood boxes, then sun-dried and shade-finished on farm.

Directly traded from farmers and cooperatives at above fair-trade pricing.

Use: Add to smoothies, elixirs, baking, or use in chocolate making. This 100% pure cacao paste is ideal for drinking chocolate or ceremonial cacao.

The Story: VRAE cacao is a blend of exceptional native varieties—VRAE-15, VRAE-99, Chuncho, Criollo, and Trinitario—grown at 400–1300m. It offers a floral profile with notes of soursop, mandarin, custard apple, and subtle herbs.

Carefully fermented in neutral hardwood boxes for 6–7 days and slowly dried, these beans develop a clean, expressive flavour.

Sourced from Peru’s VRAE region (Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro rivers), this cacao is part of a long-term shift toward sustainable farming. Through cooperative support, farmers gain stable income and improved growing practices.

Produced by the El Quinacho co-op—255 farmers, including 89 women—this is cacao that delivers both exceptional flavour and meaningful impact.