The village of Mono Bravo
In Ecuador's Esmeraldas province, within the Mache Chindul Ecological Reserve, lies a very remote village, lost in the heart of the tropical forest: Mono Bravo. It was while seeking to fund a project to protect the reserve, threatened by deforestation (due to slash-and-burn agriculture and illegal timber harvesting), that the company Original Beans encountered this community. Far from the rest of the world, Mono Bravo's Arriba Nacional cocoa has been spared the frenzy around foreign and modern cacao trees like the CCN-51 hybrids. In Mono Bravo, the traditional and ancient Arriba Nacional has been cultivated for generations. It is characterized by intense cocoa notes and more subtle hazelnut notes. This fine and rare cocoa is highly appreciated for its taste and purity.
Mono Bravo and responsible cocoa farming
Thus, Mono Bravo and Original Beans, a partner of Cacao Latitudes, one of our bean suppliers, joined forces. Since 2012, Mono Bravo farmers have received regular support. Over the years, new infrastructures have emerged in the village, including nurseries for young cocoa trees, fermentation and drying centers, and individual sanitation facilities to improve the living conditions of all community members. To produce high-quality cocoa while respecting their forests, they receive local training in organic agroforestry, forest conservation and monitoring, nursery work, pod harvesting, post-harvest processing, and quality control. Cocoa sourcers have helped them finance their organic certification and participate in the preservation and restoration of their traditional cocoa forests. Mono Bravo's family farms, spread over 280 hectares of cloud forests, have also entered into agreements for the protection of their lands, biodiversity hotspots. The Mache Chindul Ecological Reserve, covering 120,000 hectares, is home to endangered mammals: the jaguar, jaguarundi, oncilla, giant anteater, and mantled howler monkey. Thus, 200 hectares of protected forests and 80 hectares for their culturally significant cocoa coexist harmoniously.
Post-harvest processing of Mono Bravo beans
Harvest takes place between August and November and amounts to approximately 15 metric tons each year. The beans are then hand-sorted and fermented in bags that the farmers cover with banana leaves. This practice reduces the acidity of the beans while preserving their organoleptic richness. Mono Bravo farmers prefer to ferment their own beans for 3 to 5 days, depending on the season. Afterwards, the beans are sun-dried on cement or wood in village infrastructures managed collectively by the farmers' association. When the moisture content of the beans falls below 7%, the dried beans are packaged in 69 kg bags. As Mono Bravo is a remote village within a reserve, there are no roads. Young and old from the village then load their horses with bags of beans and cross streams to reach the sourcers. There, they deliver organic specialty cocoa beans, rich in history and flavors, which will delight the taste buds of a few fortunate individuals around the world.
Sources
CACAO LATITUDES, 2023b. Mono Bravo | Cacao Latitudes. Cacao Latitudes [online]. December 14, 2023. Available at: https://cacaolatitudes.com/fr/product/mono-bravo/
ORIGINAL BEANS, October 2023. Esmeraldas Ecuador | Tree Tracker. [online]. Available at: https://tree.originalbeans.com/esmeraldas-ecuador-tracker/
ORIGINAL BEANS, October 2023. Esmeraldas Ecuador Timeline | Tree Tracker. [online]. Available at: https://tree.originalbeans.com/esmeraldas-ecuador-timeline/