Projects
Cacao Talks
República del Cacao promotes knowledge exchange among its entire community of farmers, producers, allies, collaborators, chefs, and chocolate lovers. República del Cacao's Cacao Talks were born in 2019 as a space for dialogue, sharing, and inspiration within the community, after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
The “Cacao Talks” project emerges as a space that aims to promote dynamic dialogues through which our allies and we can share valuable perspectives on sustainable development topics and transmit ideas for change across all actors in our value chain.
For República del Cacao, becoming a B Corp is not the end, it is only the path, and its objective is to continue fostering knowledge exchange, creating platforms that promote the discussion of transformative ideas, and thus involve more actors in society on the path towards sustainability.
Meet my Farmer
We work with our direct suppliers, promoting transparency and traceability of our ingredients, ensuring they are obtained responsibly and sustainably. Our partnerships also include the social and environmental well-being of the communities in which we operate, which is why all our suppliers adhere to our Responsible Supplier Code, and we provide transparency about what goes into our sourced ingredients.
Fact Sheets:
Chef to Farm
CHEF TO FARM was born as a project based on an exchange with added value between those who create the raw materials for our products and the Chefs who transform them, both linked through chocolate.
The initiative began during the pandemic, where eleven allied chefs developed different creations with our chocolate, which were then sent to our allied farmers in Vinces and Turucucho, as a thank you for their perseverance and resilience during the pandemic quarantine.
In this way, Chef to Farm evolved into a constant project, through which we have developed more gastronomic exchanges full of purpose and impact, where chefs and the countryside connect in a unique way, and which in 2023 we have taken up again with renewed vigor alongside more allied chefs and academic institutions such as the San Isidro Institute of Cuenca.
Good Food
We believe that it is fundamental to develop spaces where knowledge exchange is encouraged to strengthen the cocoa and chocolate chain in a transversal and integral manner.
With the goal of contributing to inclusive and responsible food, we have created the “Comida Buena” project, which seeks to foster the development of social enterprises through gastronomy and chocolaterie workshops taught by allied Chefs.
In these workshops, different foundations we work with receive training in various culinary areas, such as chocolate making and pastry. These workshops allow social entrepreneurs to learn techniques and recipes, as well as connect with people in the industry and build relationships.
Field Schools
Sustainable Boutiques
At República del Cacao, we see sustainability as a continuous improvement process, a long-term commitment to optimize resources and reduce environmental impact. Last year, we began this transition in our chocolate boutiques, where we set a goal to have more conscious stores. Every detail was designed with the environment in mind, ensuring that the materials used are responsible.
This is how the woods used in our chocolate boutiques are planks and natural laurel wood veneer (FSC certified) and ecological lacquers. In the lower parts of cellars, MDF is used, which is a medium-density fiberboard reconstituted from salvaged wood pieces or parts, or wood from planted pine forests. The surfaces of counter furniture are covered with poly aluminum panels, which are a compacted material that presents an ecological solution for the recovery of plastics and tetra-pak packaging, and which meet quality standards for working with food.
We have planters with natural vegetation, planted on a bed of pine bark to help with drainage and moisture retention. We use hanging baskets made of natural coconut fiber, avoiding plastic pots.
Upholstery textiles are made from recycled PET fibers (plastic bottles). We use natural wicker fibers in lamps and product display gondolas hand-woven by Ecuadorian artisans.
We save up to 84% of water by using aerators in our faucets and water-saving toilets. And finally, all of our lighting is LED.
All of these details reinforce the sense of origin and the new look and feel in our boutiques, creating a positive impact. It's a demonstration of how we act responsibly, that we are a brand that rescues the origin and work of the community. And that's what sustainability is all about for us: the sum of the efforts that make everything we do coherent with our values and the core of the business.