- Homepage
- The Maison Pierre Marcolini
- Our growers and their plantations
Our growers and their plantations
These regions are known as the "Cocoa Belt".
Our 8 bean origins are found in small plantations with unique and traditional expertise.
The Maison maintains close relationships with each plantation to ensure the longevity of their partnership and guarantee beans of unrivaled quality.
The four principal cocoa bean varieties
Criollo: Native to Venezuela, these were the first cocoa beans to be discovered by the ancient Olmec civilisation and were later introduced to Mexico and Guatemala. The rarest and most precious variety, the Criollo represents less than 3% of global cocoa production.
Forastero: Native to Brasil, the home of cocoa. Colonists named this variety “foreigner” in Spanish.
Trinitario: Originating in Trinidad and the result of human intervention. In the 17th century, the Forastero variety was introduced into the area and formed a hybrid with the indigenous Criollo.
Nacional: Unique to Ecuador.
Our growers
China - 1st use of these beans outside China
Region: Hainan Island, Southern China
Variety: Trinitario
About the bean: An extremely exclusive bean, Pierre Marcolini is the first international chocolatier to have access to these beans to produce chocolate. This exclusive partnership provides the Maison with beans from this special location. Hainan Island boasts rich biodiversity and benefits from a tropical climate and monsoons – an ideal environment for the cocoa trees planted in the past century.
Cuba – highly exclusive origin
Region: Baracoa – a small coastal town perched on the eastern tip of the island, bordered by beaches on the Caribbean Sea and verdant mountains.
Variety: Traditional Caribbean Trinitario
About the bean: Baracoa cocoa beans retain their centuries-old flavour thanks to the geographic seclusion of the region. Growers have not been pressured by lobbies to excessively increase production and as a consequence, have avoided the introduction of hyper-productive genetically modified varieties.
Only 2 or 3 chocolatiers in the world have the fortune to use these beans.
A scheme is currently under way to secure organic certification for the Baracoa region.
India
Region: Pollachi, state Tamil Nadu
Variety: Amelonado
About the bean: Ellen Taerwe and Luca Beltrami are two passionate young adventurers who founded the agro-forestry centre GoGround in 2015. They grow native cocoa species in two neighbouring regions: Idukki and Kaithapara. 200 farming families at the “Green Hills” of Idukki cultivate certified organic cocoa beans. All beans are treated the day of harvesting in the Udumbannoor processing centre where they undergo five days of fermentation.
Indonesia
Region: Bali, Jembrana
Variety: Trinitario
About the bean: Kalimajari Cooperative is a non-governmental organisation that supports local enterprises: it comprises 600 families who together form 38 groups of growers that cultivate cocoa in harmony with the environment.
Madagascar
Region: Ambanja, in the north-west of the island
Variety: Trinitario
About the bean: Bejofo is a family-run farm in a cocoa region that has existed since 1920. Both Criollo and Trinitario varieties grow there. Each tree is labelled and the cocoa pods are harvested separately.
The plantation is a fine example of polyculture and ylang-ylang, coffee and pepper can be found growing alongside the cocoa trees.
Peru
Region: Piura
Variety: Grand Nativo Blanco
About the bean: Peru is believed to be one of the birthplaces of wild cocoa. Cocoa from the Piura region is commonly called “Grand Blanco” owing to the cocoa beans’ whiteness, which gives this tablet a lighter colour. These beans come from the Norandino Cooperative that began cultivating cocoa in the El Alto Valley in 2007. The beans are often tended to by the same communities that cultivate coffee at higher altitudes.
Sao Tome & Principe
Region:Guadeloupe, from the centre of the island
Variety: Amelonado
About the bean: The “Chocolate Islands” is an archipelago that has preserved its astounding biodiversity. The organic São Tomé cocoa comes from a project coordinated by Satocao and titled ‘Villager Project’. This initiative aims to promote the development of exceptional plantations cultivated by autonomous villagers.
Established in 2011, the project has created over 3000 small commercial growers.
Venezuela - The rarest beans
Region: Chuao
Variety: Criollo Primitif
About the bean: The region is accessible only by sea and its beans have a Designation of Origin certificate unique to the region. Production is limited to just 25 tonnes/year. The Empresa Campesina is the cooperative that harvests the “Chuao” cocoa bean and owns the plantation on which they grow. Methods of processing the harvested beans remain unchanged for 400 years and have been passed down from generation to generation.
Commitment to sustainable chocolate
These plantations, alongside the Maison, are pledging to respect three fundamental ethical criteria in order to protect the planet and its people.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Be the first to hear the latest news from the Maison Pierre Marcolini.
By subscribing to our newsletter, you agree to our confidentiality policy.
You can also follow us on
