Understanding Cocoa
Peru is one of cacao’s ancestral homelands. In its tropical forests, cacao trees have grown wild for millennia. This natural genetic richness has given rise to rare, sometimes endemic varieties, among the most sought-after in the world.
Native Acriollado, white Nacional, Amazonian Amelonado, and a wide range of local hybrids all contribute to a biodiverse and aromatic cacao landscape.
Peruvian cacao is often recognizable by its floral complexity, vegetal freshness, and a unique ability to balance brightness with roundness.
Cacao is primarily cultivated in small-scale, agroforestry systems. Altitude, rich soils, natural temperature variations, and fermentation quality all play a key role in shaping the bean’s flavor development.
When post-harvest practices are well-managed, Peru produces some of the most expressive cacao profiles in Latin America.
Orfève’s Approach
At Orfève, we currently work with two distinct Peruvian origins: Quillabamba and Alto Piura.
In Quillabamba, located in the La Convención valley in the country’s southeast, cacao grows at 800 to 1200 meters altitude.
This terroir features fertile soils, balanced humidity, and cool nights that slow down fruit maturation.
Here, we source Chuncho variety beans from family-owned plantations, cultivated with great care by our local partner.
With controlled fermentation, rigorous drying, and a complex aromatic profile, these beans express floral, lightly woody notes and a bright, structured mouthfeel.
Further north, in the semi-arid Piura region, we work with an exceptional native white-bean cacao: Nacional from Alto Piura, commonly known as Gran Blanco.
Less acidic than Quillabamba, it offers subtle notes of hazelnut, honey, and sometimes toasted bread.
This rare, low-yield cacao is a gentler, sun-kissed expression of Peru.
A Tailored Approach
Each origin is handled independently at our Geneva workshop.
With gentle roasting, slow conching, and fine-tuned adjustments for every batch, we aim to reveal,not standardize,each cacao’s character.
Our Quillabamba 70, Quillabamba 100, Alto Piura 70 and Alto Piura 75 bars offer two distinct interpretations of a single country:
one bright and structured, the other smooth and enveloping.
Two Perus, two faces of fine cacao.