Camino Verde 80% – 2018 Harvest. Rancho La Puerta 80th Anniversary Edition

The cacao used to make Rancho La Puerta’s 80th Anniversary Edition come from Camino Verde in Ecuador. Camino Verde is a privately owned fermentary located in Duran, just minutes outside Guayaquil. Camino Verde’s owner, Vicente Norero, has years of experience in microbiology, which brings a unique approach to fermentation. With Vicente’s deep understanding of fermentation methods, he produces a variety of flavor profiles, using enzymes and inoculants to push specific flavor precursors forward in the beans.
From 2008 to 2016, Vicente Norero operated a 381-hectare cacao estate. Rehabilitating it after years of disrepair, Vicente brought the cacao farm back to life. He called his operation and labor of love Camino Verde, and over the eight years he was in charge, the farm became a model cacao plantation in Ecuador. Vicente used his background in microbiology to develop a multitude of inoculated ferments, highlighting the role of fermentation for chocolate makers and consumers alike.
This next phase, as a centralized fermentary allows Vicente to set aside exceptional and unique micro-lots. The opportunities are endless – the lots could contain beans from a single estate, highlight a specific region, or exhibit a particular fermentation style. Camino Verde’s ‘standard’ cacao bean will be a 100% Nacional blend fermented to have a classic Nacional profile. Vicente says: “Anyone can source cacao. Our knowledge of farming and managing a plantation allows us to help the farmer in a way that other buyers do not. This support and respect that we share with the farmer create a trust and loyalty relation that is reflected in the product the farmer delivers to us. The Camino Verde farming and harvesting program guarantees farmers obtain not only a greater productivity and healthy beans but also a higher price for their work.”

This variety was harvested in fall 2018. Limited release in January 2020 in honor of Rancho La Puerta’s 80th Anniversary. It is very dark in color due to Nacional cacao genetics and not due to high-temperature roast.

Tasting notes:

We taste chocolate fudge with a strong almond cream note followed by a soft floral and honey finish.

All of our single-origin chocolate is made with just cacao beans and unrefined organic sugar; no added cacao butter, lecithin, or vanilla. Our chocolate is free of soy, dairy, eggs, and gluten, and it is made in a factory that does not process dairy, peanuts or tree-nuts with the exception of coconut.