Peru - Urubamba

Apu Urusayhua, home of the mighty Andean Condor. Local mythology describes it as a sacred mountain and Apu is also the local name given to the mountain spirits that guard the land and connect the people to the highest realm. In these heights lies Machu Picchu, an astonishing citadel built by the ancient Incas.

Beneath the heights, the spume and the strong winds of the Apu Urusayhua, lies the lush Urubamba Valley, where local smallholders grow their ancient Chuncho cacao variety. The old and sturdy Chuncho trees, some of which are 200 years old, grow at an altitude of 1.200m, which is highly unusual for cacao.

The local families are exceptionally proud of their Chuncho heritage and many families carefully harvest beans from their oldest trees to make their own hot chocolate—roasted over the fire with cinnamon or orange peels, grinded in corn grinders and submerged in milk and sugar.

Cacao genetic scientists have recently found that the old Chunchos are some of the genetically and aromatically richest cacaos in the world.