Worlds Most Expensive Chocolate Brand Creates "Noahs Ark" of Ancient Cacao Toak Chocolate Resurrects a 5,300-year-old Variety of Cacao in Ecuador
Summary
Quito, Ecuador, January 25, 2018 --( Famous for its floral aroma and complex flavor profile, Nacional was the most highly-coveted variety of cacao in the 18th and 19th centuries, when chocolate first started taking Europe by storm.These seedlings, which will eventually bear 100% pure Nacional cacao fruit, are then planted in a protected plot of land in the nearby Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve, managed by the rainforest conservation foundation Third Millennium Alliance—another one of Toth’s co-creations.Over time, cuttings from these trees will be used to repopulate this historic variety.Famous for its floral aroma and complex flavor profile, Nacional was the most highly-coveted variety of cacao in the 18th and 19th centuries, when chocolate first started taking Europe by storm.Up until ten years ago, pure Nacional cacao was believed to be extinct.“Imagine that all of the pinot noir vines in the world were lost to disease and hybridization, except in one or two forgotten valleys in Burgundy.It is also available at Harrods in London, Wally’s Wine & Spirits in Los Angeles, 2Beans in New York, and Chocolate Club in Hong Kong.The CompanyA native of Chicago, To’ak co-founder Jerry Toth relocated to Ecuador in 2006, where he co-founded a nonprofit rainforest conservation in the famed cacao-growing province of Manabí.