Solkiki Marañón Peru 68%

Marañón 68% has distinctive notes of herbal honey, dried fig and pine that become enveloped with darker flavours of coffee, rum and a delicate bitterness that balances the sweetness. It has a rich and creamy texture and a great melt. 

Flavour abounds right down to the last morsel of this bar from Solkiki Chocolate Maker, one of the finest craft chocolate makers in the United Kingdom.

The World's Rarest Cacao?

This special bar uses a previously thought extinct cacao of the genetic variety Pure Nacional, direct from the Marañón river canyon, Peru. 'Fortunato No. 4' is temperamental and challenging to use, but when done well the result is complex and beautiful.⁠

Don Fortunato is the cacao farmer on whose land this famous & rare nacional cacao strain was re-discovered, in northern Peru's Marañón Canyon.

Harvest day on Don Fortunato’s farm is special, since this is the site of the Mother Tree. This tree possesses DNA identical to the genetic marker for Pure Nacional found in the 5,300 entry, world genetic database. Don Fortunato and his wife participate in the harvest and, utilizing machetes, open pods and assist in removing the beans.

Sealed buckets with wet cacao beans are transported on Fortunato’s burro from the farm, to the family home, weighed on a digital scale and Don Fortunato is paid immediately before the fermentation process begins that same day.

Maker

Solkiki from the UK produce some of the world's finest bean-to-bar craft chocolate, and they have a huge awards sheet to prove it. They've even been featured by the BBC. Founded in 2013 by Iris and Bob, they are passionate about creating high-quality, sustainable, and ethically sourced chocolate.⁠

Solkiki's meticulous approach to sourcing cacao via direct trade methods ensures over 90% of beans are direct from farmers. They are of the highest quality, and the farmers are paid equitably, far above so-called fairtrade prices. They build sustainable long-term relationships with the farmers.⁠

The company has taken an enormous amount of awards for its chocolate, including several International Chocolate Awards, Great Taste Awards, and Academy of Chocolate Awards, which is a testament to their quality.

Ingredients

Organic heirloom Fortunato No.4 (Pure Nacional) Cacao bean, organic unrefined cane sugar.

All Solkiki bars are vegan friendly.