The flavour is unlike anything you’ve experienced. Because cacao has never been cultivated this way before.
SINGLE-VARIETY.
GRAFTED FOR FLAVOUR.
We are honoured to present our masterpiece to the culinary creators of the world, in anticipation of the extraordinary experiences we will create together.
We began our journey in Central America, over 18 years ago and are now distributing our chocolate couverture all around Europe.
For centuries, cacao has been cultivated as a commodity.
Xoco is returning cacao to its rightful place as a living fruit.
Grafting is the original innovation that sets us apart. Dating back to Roman times, this ancient technique is the only method that can replicate a variety, while preserving the exact fruit flavour produced by the mother tree.
Traditionally, chocolate has been made with seed-planted cacao beans from wild cacao. Chocolate producers then over-roast the beans to hide the off-flavour before introducing flavour-altering additives. The result is the overly-sweet, short-tasting chocolate that we are accustomed to today.
This is what we set out to change in 2007. Through our grafting program, we’ve developed three exceptional cacao varieties that have never existed before: Mayan Red, Tuma Yellow and Nica Brown.
Our production process is a science and an art, one we’ve been perfecting for years. From the moment we open the cacao pods, each variety is treated individually to enhance its natural flavour. Everything we do is designed to protect the integrity of the fruit. It’s all part of creating the most exceptional chocolate in the world.
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.
Diana leads chocolate production and has been instrumental in developing the exhilarating flavour of Xoco chocolate.
An artist with a keen flavour sensitivity and an innovative approach, Diana formulated the roasting profile that expresses best the potential of our three varieties.
Diana and her team spent two years developing a cutting-edge, low-temperature roasting program, designed to safeguard and express the nuances inherent to each cacao variety.
Her expertise stems from her time as a former pastry chef and chocolate maker in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico. Her mastery, creativity, and dedication to single-variety cacao make her a key innovator at Xoco.