The Best Cacao in the World

This isn’t my first time in Choroní; however, this time, I wasn’t just here to enjoy its beaches and vibrant energy—

The Universe Speaks, and I Try to Listen

A few months ago, during my last trip to Venezuela, I noticed something concerning: our moisturizing coconut wax candles were melting too easily in the heat.

Clearly, coconut alone wouldn’t work for summer...

I had no clear solution until, during a casual conversation at the café, my boss mentioned: “Cocoa butter is used in pastry-making to add firmness to chocolate—maybe it could help with candles.”

Google. Quick search. Confirmed.

Not only does it provide excellent firmness, but it also has amazing moisturizing and skin-repairing properties.

A few days later, my boss gifted me 100 grams of cocoa butter to experiment with a coconut and cacao fusion in our moisturizing candles. The results were incredible:

• More firmness without losing creaminess.
• A natural cacao aroma that captivates.
  
• Better absorption into the skin.

Cocoa butter was an absolute YES for our moisturizing candles.

The only problem… where to find it?

When What You Seek, Also Seeks You

Slovenia doesn’t produce cacao, but Venezuela certainly does. So, with the goal of expanding CocoBee to Caracas and sourcing the best cacao possible, we decided to travel to Choroní.

Choroní is a small coastal town, surrounded by mountains and jungle. Just 20 minutes away by boat lies Chuao, home to some of the world’s finest cacao.

Chuao’s cacao is world-renowned for its exceptional quality, thanks to traditional farming methods that have been preserved for centuries. Its isolation has helped maintain its purity, making it highly sought after by chocolatiers and international companies.

In fact, about 90% of Chuao’s cacao is exported to a Japanese company that buys it exclusively, leaving only 10% for local artisans, who transform it into chocolates, liqueurs, and other cacao-based products.

A Town Where Poverty and Abundance Coexist

I reflected a lot during the trip... despite its natural wealth, Choroní is a place where poverty and abundance live side by side.

The sea provides, the land is fertile, the cacao is among the best in the world… and yet, development seems lost.

The men work hard at sea, fishing. The feminine energy, however, feels lost. In a place where life is tough, women have adapted to a reality that demands more strength than softness, more effort than inspiration.

It’s a deep imbalance of energies, where femininity hasn’t disappeared but has been pushed into the background, hidden behind the weight of work and survival.

What you seek is also seeking you.

Thank you for reading!

Until next time,

Rosa | CocoBee