Haiti - Cap Haïtien

Cacao was introduced to Haiti by French colonists who remained on the island from 1659 to 1804. Nowadays, cacao represents the second biggest export in the country, with approximately 4,000 tonnes being produced annually.

PISA (Produits des Iles SA), is an exporting company founded by the Dufort family to support local growers and promote Haitian cacao in international markets. They work with a network of around 1,500 smalholder farmers in Cap-Haïtien who grow cacao on about 975 hectares of organic certified land along with coffee, bananas and oranges. PISA regularly visits the farmers to provide trainings, advise them on better agricultural practices and support them with more adequate equipment in order to improve their yields and increase the quality of their cocoa beans. This translates into better prices and a larger income for these farmers. The beans are collected wet from the farmers and centrally fermented in wooden boxes during 6 to 7 days. The cocoa beans are then dried in solar tunnels and afterwards hand sorted and bagged.

Haitian cocoa is a diverse mix of Amazon Amelonado from Martinique, Ecuadorian Nacional, Venezuelan Criollo and Rio Caribe and Trinidadian Trinitarios.