Nacional Cacao: The Return of a Legend

What is Nacional Cacao?

Nacional is an heirloom cacao produced from one of the rarest, most highly prized cacao beans in all the world. It lures you in with its floral aroma—complex and bold, yet distinctly smooth. Nacional chocolate is so fine that it helped draw attention from around the world to its native Ecuador as it became the cacao of choice for the world’s finest chocolatiers…until it nearly disappeared off the face of the Earth.

History of Nacional Cacao

Humans have harvested cacao beans in the region that now is Ecuador for over 5,000 years. The genetic lineage of Nacional cacao can be traced all the way back to these first domesticated cacao trees. This means Nacional is a direct descendent of the first cacao trees used by humans—the “Mother Trees” harvested by indigenous communities in the Guayas River basin for centuries.  This is where Nacional, as we know it today, was born.

By the end of the 19th century, Nacional had become the most sought-after cacao in the world. It was especially popular in Europe, where chocolatiers prized its complex flavor profile and floral aroma. Unfortunately, this international success came to an abrupt end in the early 20th century, when an outbreak of blight devastated cacao trees across Ecuador. In an effort to make their crops more resilient, farmers began interbreeding Nacional with cacao varieties from other parts of the world. While the Nacional genetics lived on in the various hybrids created over the course of the 20th century, the beans produced from these new trees tended toward a simpler, fruitier flavor profile that simply didn’t compare to the original.

By the beginning of the 21st century, pure Nacional cacao was thought to be functionally extinct. In 2009, an Ecuadorian research institute performed a study of cacao trees from across the country. From DNA samples collected from 11,000 trees, only six (that’s 0.05%) were found to be 100% pure Nacional. The long, prestigious history of Nacional appeared to be at an end. Then, something of a modern miracle occurred. Less than a decade ago, some small groves of old-growth trees were discovered on a hillside in Ecuador. These trees, some of which were over 100 years old, had their DNA analyzed, and nine of them were found to be 100% pure Nacional—doubling overnight the population of heirloom Nacional cacao trees. With the help of organizations such as the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund, farmers and activists are using these treasured trees as the basis for revitalizing the population of pure Nacional trees. Their hope is to share this treasured part of Ecuador’s history with the rest of the world for generations to come.

Which Brings Us to Present Day

We at Spice Jungle-Beanilla are proud and excited to be a part of this effort.  We are grateful to be one of the only companies offering Nacional cacao ingredients certified by Heirloom Cacao Preservation (HCP).  These cacao products are truly a treasure and we appreciate the stewardship we have in promoting and supporting the revitalization of Nacional heirloom cacao. Foundational to this effort is partnering with farmers in Ecuador committed to paying workers well-above fair trade wages and investing back into these local communities.  

Over the coming months, we will be expanding our cacao offerings to highlight the diversity of cacao products grown in regions throughout the world, much as we have with our line of vanilla products.  We couldn’t think of a better way to launch this effort with than through the introduction of rare and wonderful Nacional cacao—we can't wait to share it with you!