In a way, each bar of chocolate that we make is a collaboration. The process ends in our factory, but it begins with the hard work of producers, cooperatives, and fermentaries all over the world. In our production space on Valencia Street, it’s easy enough to get a sense of where our beans come from and why that’s important, but we’ve never collected and published all of that information in one place online. Now, we have!

In our website’s new section, “Our Beans,” you will now find information about all of the sources whose beans we are currently making into bars. You can read about how Maya Mountain Cacao Ltd. is changing the Belizean cacao industry and raising the price floor for cacao. Behind the Madagascar button, you’ll find the details around what makes our Ambanja bars so tart and delightfully acidic. Click on Camino Verde, and learn about how Vicente Norero is pioneering new approaches to fermentation in Ecuador.

Vicente Norero on his farm in Ecuador.

Making great chocolate depends on finding quality beans, but it also relies on building good, lasting relationships. We travel to origin as frequently as possible to learn more about our partners’ practices and techniques, as well as to find ways we can work together to ensure or improve quality year after year. The life of cacao begins far away from San Francisco, in dozens of countries clustered near the Equator, and we’re doing our best to bring that story closer to you. For any questions, don’t hesitate to contact beans(at)dandelionchocolate.com.