From October 28 to November 1, 5 national samples of fine cocoas will represent Guatemala at the Cacao of Excellence Awards 2023, which will be held within the framework of the Chocolate Show in Paris, France, indicated the Quality Promotion Team del Cacao de Guatemala and the National Organizing Committee of the Fifth National Cocoa Competition of Excellence.
How were the 5 samples selected?
During the Fifth National Cocoa of Excellence Competition, the global quality evaluation was carried out on 26 participating samples of cocoa beans, from which the 5 fine cocoas were chosen, coming from the departments of Izabal, Alta Verapaz, Suchitepéquez, and Quiché.
Who are the 5 representatives?
- KAMPURA farm (Livingston, Izabal).
- ITZAM KAKAU Producers Association (Santa María Cahabón, Alta Verapaz).
- ASODIRP Producers Association (Lachuá Ecoregion, Alta Verapaz).
- MARACUYÁ Corporation, S.A. (Suchitepéquez).
- FICCI Cooperative, R.L. (Ixcan, Quiche).
Which countries consume fine Guatemalan cacao?
Guatemala belongs to the select group of countries that produce and export this type of differentiated cocoa with the higher economic value due to its quality, aroma, and flavor. The main countries that consume this product are the United States, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, and Canada.
Related note: Guatemala accumulates US$878 million by exporting to Central America.
“As the National Organizing Committee for Cocoa of Excellence 2023, we are very satisfied with the participation of the different producers, including farms, companies, cooperatives and producer associations that attended the call; due in this edition we received 26 samples of Guatemalan cocoa beans, from the departments of Alta Verapaz, Quiché, Izabal, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Quetzaltenango, Retalhuleu, Suchitepéquez and Escuintla; which increases the representativeness of the sector”, commented Erick Ac, Coordinator of the CoEx 2023 National Organizing Committee.
For the Cocoa and Chocolate Committee of the Guatemalan Exporters Association -AGEXPORT-, the participation of Guatemalan fine cocoa samples contributes to the positioning of the exportable supply in specialized niches of the international market, where exports of differentiated or Fine and aroma cocoa from Guatemala are being competitive.
