Episode 10: Caballococha, Peru

Words, photos, and video by Alyssa D'Adamo
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Our expedition begins with a 12 hour leg roaring down the Amazon river in the dark. Mey’s done this trip just one week ago, and she’s determined to do it again. Once we arrive to Caballococha, there’s a man waiting for us in a small motor canoe to continue our journey down the intricate canals of the Amazonian wetlands. In the quietness of thick air, all I can hear are roaring* sounds of the motor and the cricks of a seemingly thin piece of wood that is the only thing separating all of us piled into this boat from the mysteries of the murky water.

When planning, I asked Mey, “Is it worth it?” She didn’t hesitate to respond, “without a doubt.”

Loreto is the largest Region of Peru. We’re navigating the waterways to reach an indigenous community near Cuchillococha, where we will meet with Don Luis Cayetano Salvador. Don Luis belongs to the native community of Cushillococha, where the native language of Ticuna is still spoken as a first language. Cuchillococha is a treasure trove of interesting cacao varieties that are nestled into the dense forests. Within these forests, however, is the very deeply rooted history and culture of illegal coca farming. ​

When we reach Cushillococha, I can’t film anymore until I’m told so. It’s not safe.

We arrive to the village to find people going about their day, as if the ominous cloud of the coca cartel were not looming over them. Through Mey’s consultations with local farmers, it’s clear that there is a desire from the community to eradicate the illegal crop, and replace it with yuca, other fruits, and cacao. Mey is supporting the needs of the community by providing the knowledge necessary to make cacao profitable for the farmers.

Don Luis brings us by another motor canoe to his farm—a journey that normally takes him two hours by foot. We’re gliding down these hidden waterways, ducking branches, and passing other boats as if we were in a car. We arrive to Don Luis’s farm to continue by foot. The vegetation changes every five minutes or so. The incredibly nourished primary forest, normally hidden underwater during the rainy season, really makes you wonder what’s underneath the water ways. ​

Years ago, Don Luis had stopped maintaining most of his cacao because it was very demanding, and not profitable. He held onto a few trees for more sentimental reasons. He recalls memories from his childhood of his grandmother bringing chocolate from Brazil. What makes delicious chocolate? Cacao, of course. A few interested parties started to take notice of his interesting cacao, allowing Don Luis to rekindle his interest in maintaining more trees on the farm, and the word spread to Mey. She explained the HCP and the purpose of the expeditions to Don Luis, and he seemed intrigued. We’re here to take measurements of pods, seeds, leaves, tree distances, sugar content, and collect as much information as possible that will allow Mey to help prepare a sample to submit to the HCP for potential recognition of Heirloom status.

Don Luis’s cacao is managed by Don Carlos, the president of the tourism committee of their native village, and fellow farmer. He explains to us that what seems like lush, abandoned forest has actually all been divided equally by the ‘Jefe’ or boss of the village and given to each residing family. It can never be sold. It will be passed down from generation to generation.

Don Carlos moved to the native community when he met his wife. Not only is he President of Tourism for the community, but he is also the President of the Cacao Farmers Association in the village. It’s safe to say he was welcomed with open arms, and as are his new ideas and initiatives to the community.

We leave Don Luis to his work, and hop back on the boat with Don Carlos to his farm to see what Mey has identified on her previous visit.
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We’re walking through the primary forest, tuning into the symphony of silence around us as we squish through the muddy trail, dodge branches, and rustle the giant, sumptuous, green vegetation surrounding us.

Don Carlos brings us to the lonely Amelonado tree, boasting its stunningly colorful, smooth, round pods. He has other crops as well such as yuca, other cacao varieties, pimienta, and much more. It’s quite rare to come across this type of cacao in Peru, especially in this region, and Don Carlos is acting as a pivotal figure to change the future of Cabacocha’s economy. He wants to make chocolate.

With that chocolate, he is planning to implement cacao tourism programs where visitors can see the entire value chain from the farm to the bar.

Those who are on the same page as Don Carlos follow suit by having other cultivars on their lots that will allow locals to earn on crops other than coca like yuca to make fariña, different fruits, and of course cacao.

I see why Mey is so confident about this cacao. It seems promising, and the socio-economic benefits for the community are pinnacle. We begin retracing steps back to Don Carlos’s village where Mey consults Don Carlos on best practices to prepare the sample for the HCP. She’s been working closely with Erick Ac, our trusted advisor on the ground in Guatemala on best practices, especially for farmers who do not have access to fermentation boxes or other technical equipment.

We wave goodbye to the people of the village as we make our way to board our sweltering boat for a 17 hour, overnight, windy, rainy, and rocky journey back to Iquitos, where the expedition to seek out exquisite cacao continues.

We’re in high hopes that the HCP can help change Caballococha’s reign from coca to cacao.

Mey, Don Carlos and Don Luis at Don Luis's farm

Watch Episode 10:

About the Author

Alyssa is a professional videographer, editor, and motion graphic designer from New York, based in Italy, with over ten years experience.

​She has been collaborating with the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund since 2021 as a Communications Coordinator, and is using her skills in visual storytelling to document the HCP's expeditions in Mexico, Guatemala and Peru.