What are Single Origin Fine Chocolates,

Slave Free & Tree to Bar?

By Luciana Ferreira Centeno, Ph.D.

The term "chocolat d'origine" (French), which translates into "origin chocolates", began to be used by European chocolatiers to designate chocolate made with cacao beans of specific origin, which carry the personality and bouquet of flavors and aromas of the region where beans are produced, its terroir.

The word terroir comes from French, derived from the word "terre", or soil, and is related to environmental and cultural factors of geographical locations that affect the characteristics of a culture. The word was popularized in the gastronomy field in relation to the cultivation of grapes for the production of wines possessing different properties according to the location and methods through which fruits had been grown and processed. The term, however, applies to other plant species and is being used for coffee, and, more recently, to cacao in order to obtain specialty chocolates, which contain the identity of their terroir.

The term "fine chocolate" refers to two important concepts in chocolate making. One is the use of cacao beans obtained through specific methods aiming for the highest quality of the basic raw material for chocolate. Such methods include, among others, cacao fruits being harvested while still on the tree only when fully mature and ripe, without perforations, cracks or diseases. All harvested fruits must be broken at the same time, allowing homogeneous fermentation of cacao beans. The fermentation process should then be monitored by parameters such as temperature, acidity and flavor development, which will have a crucial role in the formation of the chocolate flavor precursors. Finally, cacao beans must be dried appropriately for stabilization during transportation and storage.

The second important concept to obtain fine chocolates refers to the series of quality standards which must be met during the process of transformation of cacao beans into chocolate. These include criteria such as roasting time and temperature; time of conching and final particle size of the chocolate mass, crucial to the melt-in-the-mouth properties of the chocolate; and parameters for tempering, moulding and storage, all of which characterize a chocolate signature conferring it distinguished appearance, luster, aroma, sound (snap), superior texture and flavor for an unforgetable sensory experience.

Tree to Bar is a novel concept for chocolates not only made with carefully selected cacao beans from specific source, but above all, chocolates that are manufactured in the region of origin of the beans, which promote sustainable development to cocoa producers and the entire production chain installed locally for obtaining chocolate. It is a chocolate made by manufacturers who develop an ethical and close relationship with suppliers of raw materials. NAYAH chocolates are made from Amazonian beans and are manufactured by Amazonian hands at Amazon. Thus, all the way Tree to Bar.

Finally, the term Slave Free means that cacao sourcing does not use slave or child labor, commonly present in the primary processing of cacao beans sourced by regions of the world where unethical relations of production to obtain cacao still prevail.

NAYAH Sabores da Amazonia manufactures fine single origin chocolates from 100% Amazonian cacao (theobroma cacao) and cupuassu (theobroma grandiflorum) beans produced in the state of Pará carrying the authentic taste of Amazon terroir. As a company participant of the Venture Incubator Program of  Federal University of Pará, it is its mission to develop innovative products for the verticalization of cacao production chain in the Region valuing communities, raw materials, local professionals and culture.

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Single Origin Fine Chocolates from Amazon