A bit about us
We believe in heritage. We search for provenance. We connect with our origins. We take historic elements of the past and project them into the future. We make slow chocolate, small and micro-batches from selected cacao trees. We are committed to preserving and protecting the environment. We work directly with local communities of cacao producers, craftsmen, artisans from four regions of Ecuador. Our aim is to show you the beauty of cacao and create the ultimate chocolate experience for chocolate connoisseurs.
Our story
It all started in 2017 by Susana Cárdenas in Cambridge University, UK.
Our aim is to search for cacao jewels in order to make our chocolate. Those cacao jewels tend to be hidden or forgotten. We want to discover them, let them shine and bring their glory back. In order to search for these cacao jewels, we have done months of research, travelled extensively, reconnected with our origins and bonded with local communities. We want to keep the heritage and the identity of our region through the beauty of our cacao; cacao is the ulterior but powerful motive.
We believe in selecting our cacao trees, in searching for the best flavour in the fermentation process, in empowering local people, in regenerating the best cacao tress and preserving them
Our team
Susana Cárdenas A.
Founder and Curator
Susana comes from Manabí Province in Ecuador, a cacao-growing region with a longstanding history of Arriba Nacional cacao cultivation. Her heritage hails from two regions in Ecuador: the Pacific Coast and the Andes. Her father was an inventor from the capital, Quito, who left to settle in Manabí Province because he was so mesmerised by its people and its culture and saw it as an ideal place to design and create machinery for local coffee, cacao and banana factories. Her mother came from a traditional family in Upper Manabí, strongly bound to cacao for generations.
Susana has been a journalist for many years, writing for Spanish and Latin-American publications such as El Pais and El Universo. Over the last seven years, based in London, she has worked in the chocolate and cacao industry, as a journalist, a chocolate taster and entrepreneur. In 2013, she returned to Ecuador to found Montecristi Chocolate, which won several awards at the Academy of Chocolate. Cárdenas Chocolate is her new venture founded at Cambridge Judge Business School, UK. She is committed to creating chocolate with precious and heritage cacao that preserves primary forests, regenerates vintage cacao plantations and empowers local communities.
Leonardo Andrade
Cacao Grower
Leonardo is a community leader in Upper Manabí, Ecuador with 30 years of experience in Nacional cacao. His bond with cacao cultivation dates back three generations, to his father and grandfather. He is committed to keeping the legacy of his ancestors alive and empowering his community of cacao producers.
Stockists
Award-winning speciality chocolate made with fine flavour Nacional cacao single-origin Manabí, Ecuador. Our region has cultivated cacao for centuries, and we aim to keep the heritage of this cacao alive.
Connaught Wine Cellars
London, UK
Moyses Stevens
London, UK
Club Del Chocolate
Spain
Chocolates La Colonial de Eureka
Madrid, Spain
Feine Schokolade
Germany
Kosak Chocolat
France
Ecuagourmet
Ecuador
2|beans
New York, USA
Vino Spaña
Ecuador
Our dream is to keep the Ecuadorian heritage alive in every chocolate bar dedicated to sensitive souls and discerning palates worldwide.
We are grateful to receive praises from across the world. Still, our mission is to bring you nothing but an experience to your senses through the flavour and aroma of Cárdenas Chocolate.
Keep up with us daily on Instagram - @cardenaschocolate
Want to sell in your shop?
Reach out to us via our wholesale contact page so we can tell you our full inventory levels.