ARRIBA NACIONAL
Ancestral Nacional beans reveal an aromatic and floral finesse reminiscent of some of Latin America’s finest cacaos.
Today, pure Nacional cacao has become rare in Ecuador. Kallari is one of the projects continuing to preserve this historic variety within a forest environment rich in biodiversity.
Low-temperature roasting preserves all the natural delicacy, floral richness, and aromatic depth of these exceptional beans.
KALLARI AMAZONIAN CHAKRA
In the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, in the Napo region, the Kichwa communities of Kallari cultivate ancestral Nacional cacao within the traditional Chakra Amazónica system, an agroforestry model rich in biodiversity.
Passed down from generation to generation, this cacao is fermented and dried slowly to preserve all the natural, floral, and aromatic richness of these exceptional beans.
THE GOLDEN AGE
cacao grew naturally in the region in the mid-17th century, when 45,000 trees were under cultivation, rising to 145,000 by 1780.
The first cacao boom (1763-1840) was triggered by the liberation from tariffs that the Spanish crown had maintained during colonial times in its American possessions.
The real cacao boom, the second in history, occurred after 1880, with the expansion of large cacao plantations in Ecuador. At the beginning of the first decade of the last century, two plagues hit Ecuador, decimating production from 170,000 tonnes a year to 10,000 tonnes.
It was the twilight of the golden age of "Grand Cacao". The haciendas eliminated cacao cultivation and turned their efforts to banana production. It took Ecuador around 70 years to once again produce over 170,000 tonnes a year. Arriba" cacao continues to be recognized the world over, but for how long before it disappears altogether?
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