A revolution
you can taste

Cacao is a fruit. And as such, we believe in cultivating it for flavour. Our quest began 18 years ago, with an expedition to find our first mother tree. The fruits of this tree have a flavour that embodied the rich complexity and explosive flavour we had been dreaming of.

We finally found it deep in the jungles of Central America. This flavour would become the origin of the Xoco Universe, and the source of our three unique varieties.

We are the only chocolate couverture producer that grows their own fruit and grafts it for flavour. Our bespoke process replicates the specific plant DNA that determines Xoco’s unique flavour signature.

Since 2007, our three nurseries in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras have raised 1M+ trees. This means our flavour signature is guaranteed for the future. Thanks to our proprietary grafting technique, our fruit’s DNA and flavour remain unchanged, no matter where our cacao is planted.

We carefully manage our trees’ growth so all their energy can go into producing exceptional fruit.

Each tree produces roughly 22 to 30 fruits or cacao pods. Once processed, they will yield about 1 kg of the finest chocolate couverture.

Once the fruit pods are harvested, their pulp and beans are fermented by variety at our onsite facilities in Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Our post-harvest quality manager oversees fermentation, drying, and quality control. Each variety is fermented under the precise conditions required to develop its flavour. For example, our Mayan Red variety requires 5.2 days of fermentation, whereas Tuma Yellow and Nica Brown require 6.5.

Once fermented, we dry each variety separately to keep the flavours pure. Our beans are systematically exposed to sunlight and rotated by hand for up to 14 days, until any extra moisture has been removed. They will remain sheltered until they’re ready for roasting.

Throughout our entire production process, we take samples and monitor the flavour of our beans to protect the integrity of the cacao fruit.

In the pursuit of exceptional flavour, we will only accept exceptional beans: ones that are flavour-dense and large enough to withstand roasting without burning. If that means sacrificing 5% of our harvest, so be it.

As part of our R&D, we’ve developed custom-made roasting parameters for each variety of cacao. Compared to the industry standard, our temperatures are 30% lower and our roasting times are 50% shorter. This level of precision ensures the optimal expression of each variety’s flavour.

To protect the natural flavour of our roasted cacao, we’ve developed a new approach to the integrated refining and conching process. The temperature and the time are decreased by 20%, reaching 19-20 microns and ensuring a perfect level of viscosity.