Ecuador Chocolate Guide — The World's Best Cacao, and You Live Here

Most people who move to Ecuador discover the chocolate by accident. They pick up a bar of Pacari at Supermaxi because the packaging looks nice, take a bite, and then spend the next ten minutes staring at the ceiling wondering why they ever paid $8 for a Lindt bar.

Ecuador is to fine chocolate what Colombia is to specialty coffee — the undisputed global source of the best raw material. The country produces over 60% of the world's "fine or flavor" cacao, nearly all of it from the Arriba Nacional variety, a bean native to the Ecuadorian lowlands that has been cultivated here for over 5,000 years. Arriba Nacional is known for complex floral, fruity, and nutty notes that mass-produced West African cacao simply cannot match.

The difference between living here and visiting here is that you get to eat world-class single-origin chocolate for $3 a bar instead of $12.

Why Ecuador's Cacao Is Different

Not all cacao is created equal. The global chocolate industry runs primarily on bulk cacao — the Forastero variety grown in West Africa (Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana) that accounts for roughly 80% of world production. It is hardy, high-yielding, and bland. It needs heavy processing, sugar, and milk to become the chocolate you grew up eating.

Ecuador's Arriba Nacional is a fine-flavor cacao. The beans are genetically distinct, with a flavor profile that includes jasmine, bergamot, tropical fruit, fresh herbs, and roasted nuts — before any processing. The soil, altitude, and equatorial climate create conditions that no other country can replicate at scale.

There is also CCN-51, a high-yield hybrid variety developed in Ecuador that has spread widely because it resists disease and produces more pods per tree. CCN-51 is not bad chocolate, but it lacks the complexity of Arriba Nacional. Most cheap Ecuadorian chocolate uses CCN-51 or a blend. The good stuff specifies "Arriba Nacional" or "Nacional" on the label.

What to look for on labels:

• "Arriba Nacional" or "Nacional" — the premium variety
• "Single origin" — beans from one region or farm
• 65%+ cacao content for dark chocolate
• "Bean to bar" — the company controls the entire process from raw bean to finished bar
• The province or region where the cacao was grown (Esmeraldas, Manabí, Guayas, Napo)

The Brands You Need to Know

Pacari

Ecuador's most internationally recognized chocolate brand, and for good reason. Pacari has won over 300 international awards, including multiple gold medals at the International Chocolate Awards and the Academy of Chocolate in London. Founded in 2002 by Santiago Peralta and Carla Barbotó, Pacari works directly with over 3,500 small farmers and controls the entire process from bean to bar.

What makes it special: Pacari is certified organic, biodynamic, direct trade, and kosher. Their flavor-infused bars — lemongrass, chili, Andean rose, fig — are creative without being gimmicky. The raw chocolate line (unroasted, minimally processed) is excellent for health-conscious buyers.

Where to buy: Every Supermaxi, Coral Hipermercados, and Megamaxi in the country. Also at Pacari's own shops in Quito (Swissotel area and the airport). Bars cost $3–5 at the supermarket, $4–6 at specialty shops.

Factory visit: Pacari offers tours at their production facility in Quito (Pifo area, near the new airport corridor). Book through their website. Tours run about 90 minutes and include tasting.

República del Cacao

The luxury play. República del Cacao uses beautiful, map-themed packaging and positions itself as the premium gift chocolate of Latin America. The brand operates across several countries but is headquartered in Ecuador.

What makes it special: Gorgeous presentation, consistent quality, and wide availability. Their single-origin bars from different Ecuadorian provinces (Esmeraldas, Manabí, Guayas) let you taste how terroir changes chocolate flavor — same bean variety, different soil and climate, totally different result.

Where to buy: Supermaxi, their own shops in Quito (Centro Histórico, airport) and Guayaquil. $4–7 per bar. The gift boxes ($15–30) are the best "I live in Ecuador" present you can bring home.

Hoja Verde

A smaller, family-run operation that focuses on organic, single-origin chocolate from their own plantation in the Los Ríos province lowlands.

What makes it special: They grow, ferment, dry, roast, and mold their own cacao — true farm-to-bar. The flavor is clean and intense, with less sugar than most commercial brands. Their 85% bar is one of the best high-cacao chocolates in the country.

Where to buy: Supermaxi, specialty shops, and their café in Quito (Cumbayá). $3–5 per bar.

Kallari

This is the one with a story. Kallari is a cooperative of indigenous Kichwa farmers in Napo province, deep in the Amazon basin. The cooperative formed in 1997 to cut out middlemen and sell their cacao directly.

What makes it special: Indigenous-grown, community-owned, and the cacao comes from chakras (traditional forest gardens) where cacao grows alongside other crops under rainforest canopy. The flavor profile leans toward earthy, fruity, and slightly wild — the terroir of the Amazon jungle comes through.

Where to buy: Supermaxi, some Quito specialty shops, and directly from the Kallari cooperative shop in Tena. $3–4 per bar.

Mashpi

From the Mashpi cloud forest reserve northwest of Quito — the same area known for the Mashpi Lodge (one of Ecuador's most exclusive eco-lodges). The chocolate reflects its origin: complex, slightly tannic, with notes of red fruit and wet earth.

Where to buy: Specialty shops in Quito, the Mashpi Lodge gift shop, and some Supermaxi locations. $4–6 per bar.

Other Brands Worth Trying

• Valdivian — bean-to-bar from Esmeraldas province, excellent 72% dark
• Cleo's — flavored bars with Ecuadorian ingredients (uvilla, passion fruit)
• Mindo Chocolate Makers — actually an American-Ecuadorian brand; they source from Mindo and roast in Michigan, but their Ecuador-side operation sells locally too
• La Universal — not artisanal, but Manicho and Galak bars are the everyday Ecuadorian chocolate experience, $0.50–1.00 at any tienda

Chocolate Experiences and Farm Tours

Mindo — The Chocolate Capital of the Highlands

If you do one chocolate-related trip in Ecuador, make it Mindo. This cloud forest town, about 2 hours northwest of Quito (90 km but the road winds dramatically downhill from 4,000m to 1,200m), has become Ecuador's chocolate tourism hub.

What you'll find:

• El Quetzal — the most established chocolate tour operation. $10 entrance includes a guided tour of cacao processing from pod to bar, plus tasting. They also do a combined chocolate-and-coffee tour. About 90 minutes.
• Mindo Chocolate — another solid tour, $8–12, covers the full bean-to-bar process
• Yumbo's Chocolate — interactive workshop where you make your own chocolate, $12–15
• Multiple other small operations along the main road through town

Getting there: Drive from Quito (2 hours), or take a bus from Terminal La Ofelia in northern Quito to Mindo ($3.50, 2.5 hours). Mindo is a perfect day trip or overnight from Quito — combine with birding, zip-lining, and waterfall hikes.

Cuenca Chocolate Workshops

Cuenca's chocolate scene is more workshop-focused than farm-focused, since cacao doesn't grow at 2,500 meters altitude.

• ChocoMuseo (Calle Larga, El Centro) — The most popular option. $25–40 for a 2-hour workshop where you grind cacao, make your own truffles or bar, and take your creations home. Good for families. They also have a shop selling bars, cacao nibs, and drinking chocolate.
• Fabrica de Chocolate (several locations have operated under this concept) — similar workshop format, $20–35.
• Various boutique chocolate shops around Parque Calderon and Calle Larga sell artisanal Ecuadorian chocolate and offer tasting flights.

Quito

• ChocoMuseo Quito (Calle La Ronda, Centro Histórico) — Same concept as the Cuenca location, set on one of Quito's most atmospheric streets. Workshops, tastings, and a shop.
• Yumbos Chocolate (Quito) — Workshop and tasting room
• Pacari factory tour (Pifo/Tababela area) — Book through Pacari's website
• República del Cacao shop (Centro Histórico, near Plaza Grande) — tasting bar and retail

Cacao Farm Tours — The Coast and Amazon

For the full field-to-bar experience, you need to go where cacao actually grows: the humid lowlands below 800 meters altitude.

Best regions for farm visits:

• Guayas province (around Naranjal, Balao, and the foothills south of Guayaquil) — The historic heart of Arriba Nacional production. Multiple farms accept visitors; arrange through Guayaquil tour operators or directly via farm websites.
• Esmeraldas province — Produces excellent cacao, but the security situation in parts of Esmeraldas has been problematic in recent years. Check current conditions before planning a visit. The cacao-growing areas inland are generally safer than the coast.
• Napo/Tena area — Amazon basin cacao. The Kallari cooperative welcomes visitors to their facilities in Tena. Combine with Amazon lodge stays and jungle tours.
• Manabí province — Growing cacao region with both Arriba Nacional and CCN-51. Less tourist infrastructure but authentic.

What a typical farm tour includes: Walking through cacao groves, opening pods, tasting fresh cacao pulp (sweet, citrusy — nothing like chocolate yet), watching fermentation and drying, and tasting roasted nibs and finished chocolate. Tours run $15–40 per person, 2–4 hours.

Drinking Chocolate

Forget Swiss Miss. Ecuadorian hot chocolate (chocolate caliente) is made from real cacao paste — a dense, grainy block of ground cacao mixed with sugar and sometimes cinnamon or cloves. You shave or break off a chunk, dissolve it in hot milk or water, and whisk until thick and frothy.

The cheese thing: Yes, Ecuadorians dip fresh white cheese (queso fresco) into their hot chocolate. It sounds wrong. It is transcendent. The salty, squeaky cheese melts slightly in the hot chocolate, and the combination of bitter, sweet, and salty is addictive. Try it before you judge it. You'll find this served at traditional restaurants throughout the highlands, especially for merienda (light dinner) or desayuno (breakfast). A cup of hot chocolate with cheese and bread costs $2–3.

Where to get the best hot chocolate:

• Any traditional highland restaurant that serves merienda
• Market food stalls (Mercado 10 de Agosto in Cuenca, Mercado Central in Quito)
• Café de la Ronda in Quito serves an excellent version
• Pacari and República del Cacao shops serve refined versions with their own chocolate

Buying cacao paste for home: Supermaxi sells blocks of chocolate para taza (drinking chocolate) for $1–3. For the real stuff, buy artisanal cacao paste at mercados or specialty shops — look for blocks labeled "pasta de cacao puro" or "chocolate artesanal." $2–5 for a block that will make 10–15 cups.

Cacao as a Health Food

Ecuador is one of the cheapest places in the world to buy raw cacao products.

• Cacao nibs (pepitas de cacao): Roasted, cracked cacao beans. Add to smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, or eat as a snack. $2–4 per pound at mercados, $4–6 at Supermaxi.
• Raw cacao powder: Unsweetened, rich in antioxidants. $3–5 per pound at health food shops and mercados.
• Cacao butter: Used in cooking and homemade chocolate. Available at specialty shops and some Supermaxi locations. $5–8 per pound.
• Cacao tea: The husks of the cacao bean brewed as an infusion. Light, pleasant, mildly chocolatey. Some specialty shops sell it; more common in cacao-producing areas.

Compare these prices to what Whole Foods charges for the same products in the US ($12–18/lb for nibs, $10–15/lb for raw powder), and you understand why many health-conscious expats go a little cacao-crazy after arriving.

The Ruta del Cacao

For serious chocolate enthusiasts, the "Cacao Route" is a multi-day trip that follows cacao production from the highland cities down to the coastal growing regions.

A suggested route:

1. Start in Quito or Cuenca — visit local chocolate shops, attend a workshop
2. Descend to Guayaquil or Naranjal — tour a working cacao plantation
3. Visit a processing facility — see fermentation, drying, and sorting
4. Return via Mindo or Baños — combine with other activities

This is not a formal, organized route with signs and a map — you build your own itinerary. Give it 3–5 days to do it justice. The descent from the highlands to the humid cacao lowlands is itself a stunning drive through completely different ecological zones.

Bringing Chocolate Home — The Perfect Expat Gift

When you fly back to the US, Canada, or Europe to visit family, bring chocolate. It is lightweight, universally loved, TSA-friendly (pack in checked luggage to avoid melting in the overhead bin), and it brands you as someone who lives somewhere interesting.

What to bring:

• Pacari bars — 4-pack or 6-pack of different flavors, $12–20 total. People who know chocolate will recognize the name.
• República del Cacao gift boxes — $15–30 for a beautiful box that looks like you spent $60. The packaging does the heavy lifting.
• Kallari bars — the story of indigenous Amazon farmers sells itself
• Cacao nibs in a jar — for the health-conscious, $3–4 at the source

Pro tip: Buy chocolate at Supermaxi before heading to the airport. Airport duty-free shops carry the major brands but at marked-up prices (though still cheap by international standards). A bar that costs $3.50 at Supermaxi might be $5–6 at the airport.

Customs note: Chocolate bars are allowed into the US, Canada, EU, and most countries without restriction. Raw cacao beans or pods may face agricultural inspection — stick to processed products.

Price Comparison: Ecuador vs. The US

Product	Ecuador Price	US Equivalent
Pacari 72% single-origin bar (50g)	$3.00–4.00	$7.00–9.00
República del Cacao bar (75g)	$4.00–6.00	$8.00–12.00
Raw cacao nibs (1 lb)	$2.50–4.00	$12.00–18.00
Raw cacao powder (1 lb)	$3.00–5.00	$10.00–15.00
Cacao paste block (500g)	$2.00–4.00	$10.00–14.00
ChocoMuseo workshop (2 hours)	$25.00–40.00	Not available
Mindo farm tour	$8.00–15.00	Not available

The Bottom Line

You live in the country that produces the best cacao on the planet. A $3 bar of Pacari 70% with Andean salt is objectively better than a $9 bar from any boutique chocolate shop in Brooklyn. The farm tours are cheap and fascinating. The drinking chocolate with cheese is one of those food experiences you didn't know you needed.

Start at Supermaxi. Buy one bar each of Pacari (try the raw 70% or the lemongrass), República del Cacao (Esmeraldas origin), and Kallari. Taste them side by side. Then book a day trip to Mindo and watch someone turn a wet cacao pod into a finished bar in front of you. Then try the hot chocolate with cheese at any traditional restaurant.

You'll never look at a Hershey bar the same way again.

For more on Ecuador's food scene, see our Ecuadorian Food Guide and Coffee Guide.