World Chocolate Day
Loved around the world, chocolate comes from an Amazon fruit - cocoa. Brazil is among the top global producers, having produced 252 million tons of cocoa in 2019. The chocolate value chain is one of the most important for the Amazon. In Pará state alone, it generates around 300.000 jobs, according to the state’s Agricultural Defense Agency.Cocogenerates around R$787,5 million in revenues a year.
Native cocoa extractivism and production in agroforestry systems have the potential to generate economic gains while preserving biodiversity. However, there are still few initiatives that aim to add value to Amazon's production, utilizing its socio environmental impact potential. The Partnership Platform for the Amazon’s (PPA) Acceleration and Investment program has three such companies - De Mendes, Cacauway and Na’kau, which produce amazon chocolate that helps bring more income to local communities.
“Chocolate can be an agent of conservation, building a better world due to its unique place in the Amazon. It has social impact potential, and is a biodiverse plant. Furthermore, it is delicious”, explains César De Mendes. Mendes, a chocolatier, creates different chocolate bars from diverse cocoa species native to the Amazon. His beans are bought from around 30 indigenous, quilombola and riverine communities, which help preserve 290 thousands hectares of forest.
Learn more about these businesses accelerated by the PPA: