The Panamanian chocolate is not yet well known, but once you have tasted it you will love it forever!
Panama is the 31st largest producer of CACAO with a total production of an estimated 900 tones. This amazing country produces a unique quality of cacao that is getting noticed among the chocolate lovers.
In Panama the Chocolate tourism is just beginning to become popular and EcoCircuitos offer visits to different communities in Bocas del Toro were sustainable local community farms are emerging as producers on international markets. One successful example is the co-operative growers of Cocabo. These farms are off the beaten track located close to the Friendship National Park, surrounded by lush forest and exotic beauty. The network of Sustainable and Rural Tourism also offers long experiences interacting with the cacao farmers to learn more about the organic production of chocolate while discovering the amazing biodiversity with the Nasso people from Bonyic or the beautiful Bri Bri communities of El Guabo de Yorkin.
Chocolate, Si Gracias!
Panamanian chocolate culture has begun to flourish, local companies such as I Love Panama Chocolate and Oro Moreno have taken the lead in the chocolate market. Both companies buy organic chocolate from farmers in the Bocas del Toro Province, where the majority of chocolate is harvested in Panama. Later it is and process it in Panama City and combined with other local favorite foods and flavors such as coconut, sea salt, coffee, passion fruit, rum, cashews, hot pepper and more! Come to Panama, taste some of the world`s best chocolate and learn about the chocolate process with EcoCircuitos!
Chocolate Tour
The Cacao Tour is a unique experience for visitors to witness the process of how chocolate is made and processed. In the indigenous region of Bocas del Toro in the area of Risco Valley the community Rio Oeste Abajo demonstrates to visitors how to make chocolate from a tropical fruit seeds how they have been doing it for years. The tour starts in the field where a naturalist guide will explain how cacao trees are grown and cacao process. Visitors will get to participate in picking, cleaning and roasting the cacao seeds to make chocolate. The visitors will also learn about the community and their way of life. A local lunch is included that is prepared by the local hosts, which consists of boiled roots, vegetables and chicken or fish.
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