FLAVOUR

Our beans have predominantly fruity notes -  red fruit, berries, apples, plums, tropical fruits, as well as pleasant woody notes, and light chocolate/brownie batter notes. We are happy to work with chocolate makers around custom fermentation requirements. We're constantly experimenting with our protocols to ensure we can get the very best out of our beans!

ORGANIC

Farmers in Kilombero have been practicing organic farming by default for generations - the lack of availability of inorganic inputs for cocoa has meant that the trees have been grown without any pesticides, inorganic fertilisers, or other chemicals. In 2015 we had our first organic audit and passed with flying colours, and have been audited every year since then! We are proud to announce that for the first time, NOP (USDA), EU and JAS certified organic cocoa from the Kilombero Valley is now available! We are happy to offer both certified, and non-certified beans!

GENETICS

Cocoa has a long history in Tanzania, with the first introduction of the tree to the country likely taking place in the 1880s with several re-introductions of material over the past 150 years. Unfortunately, with time, the records of where the trees came from and how they were selected have long been lost, so speculations on the varieties present in Tanzania were just that - speculations. Thanks to the kindness of the Agricultural Research Service at the USDA we were able to submit a sample of Kokoa Kamili's beans for DNA analysis, and the results were fascinating!

Analysis showed that our beans are predominantly a classic Trinitario (Amelonado x Criollo), with the slight presence of Neo-Nacional!