Paccari

PACCARI Chocolate

Paccari chocolate from Ecuador is among the best in the world. It is produced locally and is organic, vegan, direct trade, and has received numerous awards and accolades.

Tree-to-Bar Chocolate from Ecuador

Paccari was founded in 2002 by Carla Barbotó and Santiago Peralta in Ecuador with the vision of rewriting the history of cacao in their home country of Ecuador.

Paccari makes chocolate as it should be. Every bar supports fair trade and contains only the finest organic ingredients.

The name says it all: Paccari means nature in Kichwa, one of the languages of the indigenous peoples of the Andean region. The entire value chain – from growing the cacao to the finished bar – takes place in Ecuador.

Fairness First

Sustainable cultivation and the producers are at the heart of the company. Paccari works with respect and transparency throughout the entire chocolate supply chain and maintains close partnerships with over 4,000 family farms in cooperatives.

Its guiding principles are social responsibility, comprehensive sustainability, and direct trade with smallholder farmers.

Single-Origin Cacao

Paccari sources its fine cacao directly from smallholder farmers in the traditional Ecuadorian cacao-growing provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabí, and Los Ríos, or from their chakras on the edge of the Amazon, which is processed in the factory in Quito.

Arriba Nacional is considered to have a caramel flavor with notes of citrus, wood, and walnut. However, the aromas vary depending on the growing region, so there is a range of impressions: from spicy and floral to fruity.

The Best Arriba Nacional Fine Cacao

Since its inception, Paccari has aimed to preserve Ecuador's native chocolate cacao variety, Arriba Nacional. “It would be easier to buy from some of Ecuador's largest producers, but it is the smaller indigenous cacao farmers and growers who contribute to the world's genetic cacao bank,” says Santiago Peralta, founder of Paccari. “That is what we want: to preserve varieties and get to know them. We have 20 years of work ahead of us, just to understand the aromas.”

Traditional Cacao Cultivation

Smallholder farmers grow and mature their cacao in their chakras, so-called forest gardens, without encroaching on other species. In addition to cacao trees, medicinal herbs and useful plants are cultivated for harvest, such as guayusa, cassava, sugar cane, pineapple, bananas, or vanilla. In this way, indigenous peoples continue to live in harmony with nature and the decades-old knowledge of previous generations about their land and cultivation.

The Most Awarded Paccari Chocolate

Hand-picked cacao beans are the basis of the company's success. Paccari has impressed at various international competitions and has accumulated over 450 awards in total over the past few years, especially at the International Chocolate Awards. The chocolates have thus joined the ranks of the best in the world.

PACCARI On Site

We invite you on a journey of enjoyment through the Casa de Experiencias in Quito or Cuenca. There you can discover the pure pleasure and the world of fine cacao. Both have a café with culinary highlights and a showroom where you can discover the entire Paccari range of over 50 varieties or taste vegan Paccari ice cream.

The showrooms are perfect for a fascinating insight into the world of fine cacao. This is particularly well achieved through the tastings on offer. After a snack, you can choose your favorites as souvenirs to take home with you from your holiday.

Casa de Experiencias

The experience house in Quito is located in the hippie-chic neighborhood of "La Floresta" and combines a special café on two floors with a spectacular panoramic terrace and the Paccari showroom. It is not only a great destination for tourists; locals also feel at home here.

The experience house in Cuenca is located in Casa de Coco and is part of the so-called "French Route". The house, built in 1890, has a very distinctive charm due to its special architectural style. It also has a showroom and a café that are popular with locals.

Address in Quito: Julio Zaldumbide N24-713, Quito
Address in Cuenca: Casa del Coco, Simón Bolívar 12-60 y Juan Montalvo, Cuenca

PACCARI Cacao Route

This unique experience begins in Archidona, where the municipality of Santa Rita is located. Cacao women and men open their doors to guests. Visitors learn about the customs and traditional cultivation in chakras, prepare a typical meal together, and can then enjoy it.

In this Kichwa community, you learn a lot about the natural cultivation and harvesting process of fine cacao, known as Arriba Nacional cacao, which is referred to as “fino de aroma”.

Paccari works with the village community to create sustainable added value. At the same time, farming families have the opportunity to develop their home as an agritourism region.