Historical and archaeological evidence demonstrates that cacao has been cultivated in this region of Honduras for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years. Today, in order to produce cacao that is suitable to make outstanding chocolate there are challenges. The region is so hot, so humid, and so remote, that not only fermentation and drying, but even transportation is extremely challenging.

To arrive at Wampusirpi, you need to either take two flights — first to Puerto Lempira on the northeast coast and from there to Wampusirpi — or drive to Palestina, in Olancho, to a river landing along the Patuca river, board a pipante (a kind of hollowed-out log canoe), and then traverse the jungle for two days to arrive at the village. In this remote place, the team at Cacao Direct, led by Jorge Schmidt, have been working since 2014 with approximately 200 Miskito families, providing them with technical assistance, training, information, and tools at cost for planting and maintaining their cacao trees.

This cacao is produced organically by individual farmers and families, and then fermented and dried at a centralized facility built by Cacao Direct in 2015 to ensure consistent quality. The efforts have paid off: Cacao Direct won the Honduras Cocoa of Excellence Competition in 2016 (when it used the award’s prize money to provide a new roof and windows for the local school) and 2017 (when there was no prize money, only glory!).