Chocolate product guide | Henley Bridge

Made in Ecuador,
the “motherland of cacao”
República del Cacao is an exciting range of
ultra-premium fine cacao chocolate. The range
includes six single origin and one blended chocolate,
all of which are 100% traceable and sustainable.
The chocolate is produced locally using only Latin
American ingredients combined with the most
advanced knowledge and techniques, brought by
the finest French chocolatiers.
Ecuador’s unique equatorial climate
provides the perfect environment for
growing the world’s finest cacao -
Cacao Arriba. Cacao has been revered
in Latin America for over 5,000 years.
Spanish explorers loved it so much
they called it the ‘food of the Gods’.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
República del Cacao started in 2005 when its Ecuadorian
founders, the Chiriboga brothers, walked into a chocolate
store in Paris and asked to try their finest chocolate. The
assistant in the store brought them their most prized
chocolate, telling them that it was the finest chocolate
in the world. They were astounded to discover the cacao
came from the Guayaquil region, the largest city in
Ecuador. In that moment República del Cacao was born
- with one mission: to locally produce the most authentic
Latin American chocolate, by protecting sustainable fine
cacao production.
Since then, the company has gone from strength to
strength, launching a consumer range in 2007 and
professional range in 2014. The brand is now distributed
globally and used by some of the world’s best chefs.
SHARING SUSTAINABILITY
“Sustainability is a constant, permanent and changing
job, because there are always new challenges. However,
along this path, we consider it important to be able
to share our experience with our different allies.
Therefore, we created the ‘B the Pathway’ project,
in which our allies took part in joint workshops with
Sistema B Ecuador. In these sessions, practices that
B Corp companies should have and how, with these
bases they can also obtain the certification, were
shared. What we are looking for is that our allies
can also advance on their way to sustainable business.”
– Phillippe Bongrain, Chief Executive Officer B2B,
República del Cacao.
CHANGING THE WORLD ONE CACAO BEAN AT A TIME
República del Cacao has achieved the coveted B Corp certification, which is awarded to businesses that meet the highest
standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance,
profit and purpose. A local brand with global impact, all of the local ingredients are grown by independent farmers and
small co-operatives in a unique equatorial climate, which provides the perfect conditions for growing cacao. The Local
Ingredients Program also includes a project to grow prized panela (unrefined traditional organic sugar). This collaboration
with local farmers goes beyond the purchase of cocoa at fair prices. It extends to the technical support and application
of practices of responsible agriculture, promoting the protection of native varieties of fine cocoa.
The company has also committed to the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations 2030 Agenda,
with specific focus on no poverty; gender equality; responsible consumption and production; zero hunger; decent work
and economic growth; and ‘life on land’ (promoting sustainable management of all forest types).
República del Cacao has been
certified in Kosher and Halal,
and also holds ISO 22000:2018
certification, which ensures
the quality of its products.
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