CRIOLLO, FORESTERO,
TRINITARIO OF RED RATZUM
Red Ratzum is grown in the mountainous Alta Verapaz region by Tuq'Tuquilal, close to Guatemala's famous Semuc Champey waterfalls.
55 families are currently involved in this agroecology and soil reclamation project. On average, each family cultivates one hectare of land.
Criollo cocoa is a type of cocoa that the families grow on a smaller scale. Around 36% of the plots are covered with Criollo, but of the total number of cocoa trees on the productive plots, less than 50% are Criollo.
An alternation of Forastero & Trinitario varieties completes the picture.
LANQUIN - ALTO VERAPAZ
Lanquín is a small and peaceful village surrounded by hills.
It is located at the gateway to the famous Semuc Champey Natural Park in central Guatemala.
Lanquin is also home to a beautiful project called Tuq'tuquilal. It is both an eco-center, a community post-harvest space, a place for soil reclamation and agro-ecology, but above all a wonderful human adventure.
This cooperative of more than 55 families shares a common vision focused on permaculture and the transmission
of agricultural, cultural & ancestral knowledge.
An initiative that we support since 2018 by buying beans at a price 2 times higher than the local "farmgate" as well as through the sale of their own ceremonial cacao production.
TUQ'TUQUILAL
Tuq tu'quilal captures and stores the cultural knowledge of local Mayan traditions, which are rapidly eroding, it is a physical place where they can be propagated and reseeded.
Tuq tu'quilal is inspired by Gandhi's concept of the "village technology center"-a model for a localized self-reliance strategy, integrating the traditional and the modern.
It is a demonstration of alternative paths to development rather than a meaningless race for profit.
CAHABÓN - ACOPIO
Cahabón is a tropical region in the heart of the department of Alta Verapaz, in north-eastern Guatemala. It is in this area that the "Acopio" post-harvest center, managed by Cacao Verapaz, was built in 2022.
The center serves several historically cocoa-producing communities such as Santa Monica, Pinares, Sacta and Rubeltzul. Today, it brings together more than 300 cocoa-producing families, all certified organic according to European and USDA NOP standards.
The aim of Acopio is to structure a rigorous post-harvest chain in a region where producers previously sold their raw cocoa to intermediaries.
The varieties grown, such as clone UF-667, have been selected for their bean size and adaptation to local conditions.
LACHUÁ
Nestled in the northern Alta Verapaz, the Lachuá region is home to a lush ecosystem of karst hills and dense forests. At the heart of this preserved territory lies Lake Lachuá, a natural cenote classified as a RAMSAR site since 2006.
Around this national park live communities of Q'eqchi' Maya families, organized into cooperatives. Two of them, ASODIRP and KATBALPOM, work closely with Cacao Verapaz to develop an exceptional cocoa grown in agroforestry.
These associations have joined forces with other cardamom and chilli producers to create biodiverse buffer zones around the lake, protecting the region from the expansion of palm oil and other forms of intensive agriculture.
Lachuá's cocoa grows in a unique terroir of limestone soil, in recent plantations combining trees selected locally for their performance and organoleptic qualities.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us behind the scenes & discover healthy everyday recipes,
our articles on indigenous botany, art, plant alchemy,
traditions and ancestral practices.
We respect the inner sanctum that is your email box,
we only send one newsletter per month.
JOIN THE MOOJO FAMILY !