Choco Samona
Orellana, Ecuador

Choco Samona is a holistic development initiative for the Orellana Province along the Río Napo. The project provides indigenous communities with practical training to help them utilize their own resources and build a new foundation for their livelihoods.

Since 2020, members of the Choco Samona cooperative have been trained in chocolate production through hands-on courses led by Csf volunteers and local experts.

Currently, Csf supports the cooperative in distributing its chocolate. At the same time, members receive continuous training in quality assurance and guidance in developing new chocolate products.

If you're craving delicious rainforest chocolate, you can get Choco Samona chocolate directly from the Csf office. Get in touch with us: info@cuisinesansfrontieres.ch.

In the border triangle of Ecuador, Colombia and Peru lies one of the most species-rich rainforest areas in the world. This region is home to the Yasuní National Park with an area of 9'820 km² between the rivers Napo and Curaray. The park was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1989. Since the Ecuadorian government has released the oil deposits there for exploitation, the rainforest has been cleared on a large scale. The indigenous inhabitants are left behind. The deforestation of the rainforest and the interventions in the sensitive ecosystem in the context of oil production have destroyed their hunting grounds and thus their livelihood. The traditional structures of the indigenous communities are in the process of breaking down.

The situation is further complicated by the conflicts that are fought out between individual clans and tribes. These conflicts are all the more intense because the current habitat of these peoples is only about 5% of the original area.

The unique biodiversity, the indigenous culture and the mild climate form the potential of the region and are the starting point for the Choco Samona project of Cuisine sans frontières, in collaboration with its local sister organization Cocina sin fronteras Ecuador.

Choco Samona is a holistic development concept for the province of Orellana on the Rio Napo. The project supports the indigenous inhabitants with practical training in using their own resources and building a new livelihood.

The community of Samon received funding for building a chocolate factory in 2017. The infrastructure is intact, but is rarely used due to a lack of know-how. The few cocoa products that are produced are of low quality. This is where Cuisine sans frontières comes in: 

Since 2020, members of the Choco Samona cooperative have been trained in chocolate production through hands-on courses led by Csf volunteers and local experts. The first module focused on cocoa cultivation, including plantation care and maintenance of cacao plants.

This was followed by comprehensive courses on chocolate making, covering all essential steps: fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding, conching, tempering, rolling, and molding.

Currently, Csf supports the cooperative in distributing its chocolate. At the same time, members receive continuous training in quality assurance and guidance in developing new chocolate products.

If you're craving delicious rainforest chocolate, you can get Choco Samona chocolate directly from the Csf office. Get in touch with us: info@cuisinesansfrontieres.ch.