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The rare Ecuadorian cacao variety called “Nacional” traces its genetic lineage back at least 5,300 years

The Legend of Nacional Cacao

3300 BC
Mayo-Chinchipe Discovery
3300 BC
Mayo-Chinchipe Discovery

Archeologists have traced the origins of the cacao tree to Ecuador, where they found evidence of cacao domestication dating back at least 5,300 years in the Mayo-Chinchipe culture. Nacional cacao traces its genetic lineage back to these trees.

1870 AD
The Golden Era
1870 AD
The Golden Era

By the time the nineteenth century rolled around, Nacional was considered by many European chocolatiers the most coveted source of cacao in the world—prized for its floral aroma and complex flavor profile.

The Golden Era
Additional Resources

Tracing the native ancestors of the modern Theobroma cacao population in Ecuador

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Origen de la domesticación del cacao y su uso temprano en Ecuador

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Insight into the wild origin, migration and domestication history of the Ecuadorian Nacional cacao

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1916
The Outbreak of Disease
1916
The Outbreak of Disease

The golden era of Ecuadorian cacao came to an end in 1916 when an outbreak of “Witches’ Broom” disease decimated the Nacional variety.

The Outbreak of Disease
2000
Near Extinction
2000
Near Extinction

By the end of the twentieth century, Nacional was on the brink of extinction.

2009
INIAP Searches for Ancient Nacional
2009
INIAP Searches for Ancient Nacional

By the beginning of the twenty-first century, some experts believed that genetically pure Nacional cacao no longer existed. INIAP genetically tested 11,000 cacao trees throughout Ecuador and only found a mere 6 trees that were Ancient Nacional.

2013
To'ak Identifies Ancient Nacional
2013
To'ak Identifies Ancient Nacional

We went on a search for Ancient Nacional. The journey ultimately led us deep into the low-lying mountains of the famous “Arriba” cacao-growing region in the hinterlands of the province of Manabí. At the end of the line was the valley of Piedra de Plata, which was disconnected by road from the rest of the country until the 1990s

2016
Heirloom Cacao Designation
2016
Heirloom Cacao Designation

To’ak chocolate is sourced exclusively from cacao pods that match the morphological and color profile of heirloom Nacional cacao referenced from DNA testing. Our cacao was awarded the Heirloom designation from the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund.

2018
The Genetic Bank
2018
The Genetic Bank

To’ak began working with local farmers, the rainforest conservation foundation TMA (Third Millennium Alliance), and multiple universities to preserve the pure Nacional genotype through grafting and propagation in the Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve in coastal Ecuador.

2020
Regenerative Cacao Project
2020
Regenerative Cacao Project

We’re using cacao trees to help restore forest on degraded agricultural land. We’re doing this in partnership with TMA (Third Millennium Alliance), a nonprofit rainforest conservation organization that has been protecting and restoring forests in Ecuador since 2007.

The Farmers

As we started to spend more time in Piedra de Plata, we built a relationship with the men and women who organically grow and harvest cacao on small family farms in what has since become a highly-revered appellation. With a small group of these cacao growers, we formed a partnership.

Nacional vs Arriba

Nacional is the name of the cacao variety

Arriba is the name of the growing region, defined by the boundaries of the watersheds of the Daule and Babahoyo rivers—roughly the size of Burgundy, France.