70% Camino Verde Chocolate Bar

Camino Verde is a privately owned fermentary located in Duran, just minutes outside Guayaquil, Ecuador. Camino Verde and Meridian Cacao Company have developed a long-standing relationship built on a passion for impeccable quality and consistency in beans, as well as an understanding of the applied science in cocoa fermentation that pushes the boundaries for new-age methods of cocoa post-harvest processing. Camino Verde’s owner, Vicente Norero, has years of experience in microbiology, which brings a unique approach to fermentation. With Vicente’s deep understanding of fermentation methods he produces a variety of flavor profiles, using enzymes and inoculants to push specific flavor precursors forward in the beans.

From 2008 to 2016 Vicente Norero operated a 381-hectare cocoa estate. Rehabilitating it after years of disrepair, Vicente brought the cocoa farm back to life. He called his operation and labor of love Camino Verde, and over the eight years he was in charge, the farm became a model cocoa plantation in Ecuador. Vicente used his background in microbiology to develop a multitude of inoculated ferments, highlighting the role of fermentation for chocolate makers and consumers alike.

This next phase as a centralized fermentary allows Vicente to set aside exceptional and unique microlots. The opportunities are endless--the lots could contain beans from a single estate, highlight a specific region, or exhibit a specific fermentation style. Camino Verde’s ‘standard’ cocoa bean will be a 100% Nacional blend fermented to have a classic Nacional profile--a close match to the CV-B beans from the old estate, for those who have worked with those beans before.

Says Vicente, “Anyone can source cacao. Our knowledge of farming and managing a plantation allows us to help the farmer in way that other buyers do not. This support and respect that we share with the farmer creates a trust and loyalty relation that is reflected in the product the farmer delivers to us. The Camino Verde farming and harvesting program guarantees farmers not only obtain a greater productivity and healthy beans but also a higher price for their work.”

Availability

We re-stock our online store about once a week. If something is out of stock, please check back the following week.

Store pickup

Choose "local pickup" from the shipping options if you would like to pick up your order at our shop at 50 Vasquez Rd, Su.E. Winter Park, CO. 

Shipping time and rates

We ship from a very small mountain town in Colorado. USPS picks up once a day when the weather is good. We sometimes get massive snow storms, which will delay USPS and us. USPS, which takes 3-5 days, depending on the region of the country. Shipping is a flat rate, $11.00 (not insulated) or $20.00 (insulated), regardless of how much chocolate you order.

Shipping days

To reduce the odds of a package getting stuck at USPS over the weekend, we ship early in the week, usually on Tuesdays.

Chocolate can melt

If you expect that temperatures will be above 80 degrees anywhere along the route that your shipment will travel, consider selecting the "Insulated USPS" option during checkout. Although we can't guarantee that it will prevent your chocolate from melting, the insulated shipping option includes a cold gel pack and insulation. But please understand that we don't have any control over how the package is handled by the shipper, so we do not accept returns for melted chocolate. 

Questions?

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.