São Tomé CECAQ 11 Organic + Fair Trade Certified

Region and Country

Mestre António, São Tomé

Story

CECAQ 11 is a second level cacao cooperative representing 11 cocoa-producing communities in the south of São Tomé. The organization represents about 1135 farmer members, 402 of which are women. Farmers' livelihoods have improved thanks to the benefits offered by the co-operative model. Through regular training on good farming practices, members have been able to improve the quality and yield of their crops. ‘My trees are getting old and I am able to replace them with new ones which we have grafted to create better hybrids that are more productive and start giving fruit after only two years,’  explains 49-year old Hortência Pina. Moreover, in recent years, members of CECAQ-11 have also put their Fair Trade premium toward other community-improvement initiatives, such as building a kindergarden. Through a structured organization, farmers have seen their livelihoods improve throughout the years.

Harvest

March - May (main harvest) - February (mid-crop)

Genetics

It is believed that the genetic stock of these two islands served as a basis for developing the West African Amelonado. In the mid twentieth century other varieties were introduced from Ecuador, Trinidad and Venezuela, which further enriched the varieties found on the islands.

Post Harvesting Process

The beans are fermented at farmer level. The coming years the cooperative plans to establish warehouses, dryers and fermentation centers and provide training and technical assistance to all its members to optimize quality and flavour.

Flavour

Beautiful round profile of intense cocoa with notes of fresh tropical fruits followed by cashew nuts, shortbread and spicy pepper.