Cacao of Excellence: Standardizing Quality to Empower Global Farmers
For most consumers, chocolate is a simple indulgence. But for the farmers who grow the beans and the scientists who analyze them, cacao is a complex agricultural product with an immense amount of genetic variety. For years, the cacao industry lacked a standardized system to compare and rate beans, leaving small-scale producers without a way to prove the superior quality of their harvest.
Enter Cacao of Excellence. Launched in 2009 by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, this program is transforming the industry by applying a rigorous, scientific approach to flavor evaluation. By creating a “common language” for quality, the initiative aims to move cacao beyond a mere commodity and toward a valued specialty product, directly benefiting the livelihoods of farmers in the tropics.
The Science of Flavor: Inside the Perugia Laboratory
The heart of the program’s technical work takes place at a specialized laboratory housed within the Chocolate Experience Museum in Perugia, Italy. Here, chocolate scientist and Programme Manager Julien Simonis and his team employ a meticulous process to ensure that the only variable being tested is the cacao bean itself.
A Standardized Path from Bean to Bar
To eliminate bias and external influence, every sample is processed identically. The rigorous method includes:
- Physical Evaluation: Lab assistants sift through beans to remove defects. A tool referred to as “the guillotine” is used to slice 50 beans in half simultaneously, allowing technicians to verify fermentation levels and identify aromatic potential or internal defects.
- Roasting and Milling: Beans are roasted for a precise amount of time to “awaken” the flavors. The shells are then separated to reveal the “nibs,” which are milled into a paste.
- Tempering and Molding: The milled cacao is mixed with a precise amount of cocoa butter and sugar, then tempered and poured into small molds to create uniform chocolate samples.
Once processed, these samples are evaluated by a panel of 15 trained professional tasters. They use a standardized flavor wheel to rate the chocolate’s acidity, bitterness and astringency. This ensures that a bean from Hawaii and a bean from Peru are judged by the exact same rubric, revealing distinct personalities—such as the fruitiness and hints of cardamom found in Hawaiian cacao, or the creamy, raisin-like notes of Peruvian varieties.
Bridging the Gap Between Quality and Income
The primary goal of standardizing cacao evaluation is not just scientific curiosity; it is economic empowerment. In many cacao-producing regions, particularly in the Ivory Coast and Ghana—which together produce more than half of the world’s cacao—farmers often live below poverty limits in remote, inaccessible areas.
Turning Quality into Opportunity
When buyers and sellers can use a harmonized way of describing a product, it allows high-quality cacao to be priced and valued according to its actual merit rather than a flat commodity rate. This shift encourages consumers to pay a premium for superior chocolate, with a portion of that value returning to the origin.
The impact is already visible on the ground:
- Increased Revenue: The Juan Laura farm in the forests of Peru reported a 30% increase in sales following its involvement with the program.
- Global Visibility: Small-scale producers, such as Roong Kumpan of TinTin Chocolate in Thailand, have used the program’s awards and technical guidance on fermentation and drying to increase their international recognition.
- Social Dignity: Beyond the financial gains, farmers like Rosaura Laura note that the program helps “dignify the laborers” and change societal perceptions of farming in their home countries.
Key Takeaways: The Cacao of Excellence Model
- Standardization: Provides a global rubric for tasting and rating cacao, similar to wine sommeliers or coffee Q graders.
- Capacity Building: Offers training and certification for producers and traders to improve their processing techniques.
- Accessibility: While certifications have a cost, the program provides free access to resources, including step-by-step processing guides and the official flavor wheel.
- Recognition: The Cacao of Excellence Awards celebrate the finest cacao and the farmers behind them, creating a competitive “level playing field.”
Looking Ahead: A Sustainable Future for Cacao
By linking science, research, and capacity building, Cacao of Excellence is working to establish partnerships in every cacao-producing country in the world. As the industry moves toward more sustainable and regenerative practices—often growing cacao alongside other perennials—the ability to prove quality through standardized data remains the most powerful tool for farmer resilience.
the program is about more than just tasting notes of nutmeg or citrus; it is about ensuring that the “food of the gods” provides a sustainable and dignified living for the people who grow it.