Organic & fair chocolate: Belize dark 70%

Founded in 2010, Maya Mountain Cacao (MMC) has put Belize on the chocolate map as a pioneer of the social enterprise model and the country’s first exporter of high quality cocoa for the specialty chocolate market. MMC works with over 350 certified organic smallholder families in the Toledo and South Stann Creek districts, most of whom are indigenous Q’eqchi’ and Mopan Maya and have been producing high quality cocoa for generations. MMC’s 100% Belizean team ferments all the cocoa in a post-harvest facility where three unique sun-drying steps create optimal flavour. MMC was designated Heirloom Cacao Preservation (HCP) in 2014, and through extensive testing, we know that the majority of cocoa grown by families in MMC’s farmer network are Amelonado varieties and other High Amazon types. MMC is committed not only to being a sustainable, long-term and transparent partner to farmers, but also to producing unique, delicious and sweet cocoa that has a real positive impact on the communities of southern Belize. The beans carefully produced by the farmers in the Maya Mountain Cacao network offer consistent rich notes of honey, pineapple and sultana. The versatility of this flavor profile makes for a deeply delicious dark chocolate. In 2019, Maya Mountain Cacao received the Cocoa of Excellence Award, which placed it among the very best cocoa worldwide.