High cacao content in a light colored bar

Almendra Blanca literally means “white almond,” (but rest assured there are no actual nuts in our Almendra Blanca bar). The color of this bean gives the finished bar a lighter look despite its high cacao content.

An 80-year old farm that supports community progress

We source Almendra Blanca cacao from an 80-year-old family farm in the Mexican state of Tabasco.

Hacienda Jesus Maria is a 70-hectare farm with 50 hectares of cacao. Farmer Vicente Alberto Gutierrez Cacep employs best farming and processing practices, and he strongly supports community initiatives and local businesses, including those owned by women.

During slow economic times Vicente intercropped and farmed 20 hectares with a variety of species for variety and stability. Products on this 20 hectares include coffee, oranges, pimienta gorda, bananas, and cattle. Vicente looks for a balance of life on his farm and also release indigenous rescued animals back into the plantation, including monkeys and marsupials.

Flavor Profile: We give these beans a short, gentle roast. This allows us to highlight the naturally bright, fruity flavor of the Almendra Blanca bean.

Learn More About Our Other Chocolate

Almendra Blanca pods ripening. Unlike most fruit, cacao pods will grow directly on the trunk of the tree.
One of many giant Ceiba trees on Vicente’s farm. The large canopy of the Ceiba provide the shade cacao trees need to thrive.
Monica snacks on a cacao pod at the nursery, where clippings from the most prolific trees are grafted onto root stock known as “patrons.”
The graft is initially wrapped in plastic to protect it. It can take several years for trees to begin bearing fruit.
Farm transportation!
Vicente opens an Almendra Blanca pod for Monica to taste.
While most fresh cacao beans are purple, the Almendra Blanca beans are predominantly white.