The value behind a chocolate bar

What the cacao and laflor mean to our cacao farmers.

We have been working very closely with our cacao producers since the beginning. Direct contact with them is very important to us, as our chocolate depends on them to a large extent. Last year, our intern, Sofia Gordillo Grau, talked to the local people.
You can find the background to our five different Origins here: https://laflor.ch/de/news/origins.

What does cacao mean to you?

«To me, cacao means respect. Respect for the families and the farm workers. For us, cacao is more than just a commodity. It’s the story behind it, which, after all, often runs in the family for generations. Cacao is also work.
People often see cacao simply as a price, since it is traded primarily as a commodity on the stock exchange. But cacao is much more than that for us here in Ecuador at Hacienda Limon. We are very happy that with laflor and other small buyers we have found customers who appreciate that our beans are more expensive, because we put a lot of work into growing them, much more than is usual.»
– Silvia, Hacienda Limon in Ecuador.

«With cacao, farmers here on Rio Sinu have been able to build a new life. They used to stain their hands with the green of coca leaves, but now they get muddy from the brown gold of cacao. The cultivation of cacao instead of coca brought peace and tranquility to our region, moving away from illegality to an activity that brought joy, money, and most importantly, education. With the cultivation of cacao, we had a new motivation to live our lives. Today we are satisfied and proud of what we produce, and especially of being recognized at the national level. We have been able to build social and community infrastructures that were not possible due to the violence in the area while growing cacao. The cacao allows us to have a good family cohesion, that was not possible before.»
– Divier, Rio Sinu in Colombia.

«Cacao is not just a business, and Hacienda San Cayetano is not just a cacao growing area. Cacao cultivation has also brought tourism to San Cayetano, and this is now our second most important source of income next to cultivation. I hope that we can pass on the know-how about cacao to the next generations, that they will also respect nature and see a future in cacao. For me personally, the cacao is the future of Venezuela.»
-Rodrigo, Hacienda San Cayetano in Venezuela.

What does laflor mean to you?

«The people of laflor have become friends, they support the development of our community, we hope that together with laflor we can make our cacao known internationally.»
-Javier, Tesoro Escondido in Ecuador.

«laflor stands for transparency. They always want to know everything and be up to date. For me, laflor is a company that can bring awareness of the work behind the product to the outside world and to the customers. Also, I believe that laflor can work with us to show that there is a region in Colombia that is committed to a legal, environmentally friendly process for cocoa production.»

– Divier, Rio Sinu in Colombia.

«laflor is a great opportunity for me, I hope they can put Swiss quality chocolate back in the spotlight. Many of the very big chocolate producers are in Switzerland, the big trade of the raw material is also mostly through Switzerland. I hope that laflor will be able to sensitize customers and teach people what quality chocolate and good cacao really taste like.»

Manlio, Disidente/Rio Sinu in Colombia.