Zorzal Comunitario

Dominican Republic

2022
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tasting notes: chocolate-covered cherries, fresh milk, and black tea

About 15 miles from the Dominican Republic’s northern coast, within acreage designated as a private bird sanctuary called Reserva Zorzal, Zorzal Cacao cultivates organic cacao on farm plots interspersed with “forever wild” land, then ferments the beans, and sells them under the name Zorzal Estate. They also buy and ferment beans from independent farms surrounding the Reserva, and sell them under the name Zorzal Comunitario.

Zorzal Cacao’s operation is based on and around their sanctuary, which is devoted to preserving Bicknell’s thrush, an endangered bird that migrates each winter from Vermont to the D.R. The business’s income helps fund Reserva Zorzal’s conservation efforts; in 2023, Zorzal Cacao earned the first Bird Friendly Certification granted to a cacao farm.

Beans for this bar come from the Comunitario farms neighboring Reserva Zorzal. We are honored to support the Reserve’s mission, and we share Comunitario cocoa with our Dandelion Japan team. Our S.F. and Tokyo chocolate makers explore Zorzal Comunitario cocoa’s flavor potential from complementary cultural perspectives: At 16th Street, Trevor opts for a light roast, highlighting the Comunitario beans’ characteristic fruity, herbaceous notes.

Ingredients & Allergens
All of our single-origin chocolate is made with just cocoa beans and sugar; no added cocoa 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 nuts.
Weight
2 oz (56 g)
Learn More
Learn more about our cocoa beans and sugar — the region, the farms, and the producers.
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Kosher

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Gluten
Free

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Nut Free

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Vegan

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Direct
Sourced

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Two
Ingredients

Dandelion Chocolate Japan Chocolate Bar Zorzal Comunitario, Dominican Republic 2022 70% Single-Origin Chocolate Bar
70% Single-Origin Bar
Zorzal Estate, Dominican Republic
notes of chocolate-covered cherries, fresh milk, and black tea
chocolate-covered cherries,fresh milk,black tea

About Zorzal Estate, Dominican Republic

Reserva Zorzal is a 1,019-acre organic cacao farm and bird sanctuary located in a moist, broadleaf-rainforest region of the northern Dominican Republic. Charles (Chuck) Kerchner co-founded Reserva Zorzal and Zorzal Cacao (a.k.a. Cacao del Bosque S.R.L) in 2012, hoping to prove that a for-profit business could be a viable, economically sustainable driver of environmental conservation.

Chuck and his co-founders (Jamie Phillips, Jesus Moreno, Jaimie Moreno, Angelica Moreno, and Sesar Rodriguez) bought a relatively undeveloped 412-hectare (1000-acre) piece of land in the mountains of the Duarte Province. They divided it into Reserva Zorzal (the bird sanctuary) and Zorzal Estate (the farm) to protect a critical habitat and simultaneously grow high-quality cacao. While Zorzal Cacao processes and sells estate-grown cacao under the name “Zorzal Estate,” the company also buys freshly harvested beans from neighboring farms, ferments them, and sells them, under the name “Zorzal Comunitario.”

Unlike many origins where we source beans, the Dominican Republic has a thriving national cocoa industry, and Chuck supports and retains staff through continual education. When possible, Dandelion runs annual customer trips to visit Zorzal and the Zorzal team. To learn more, visit our Trips page — or sign up for our newsletter, in which we announce new origin trips.