Vision & Mission

Our main goal is to share our passion for striving for the finest chocolate made with the highest quality cacao beans, with every person, entrepreneur & chocolate maker all around the globe. In doing so, we want to share our vision of sustainability, full traceability and transparency to build healthier and more compassionate communities.

Our mission is to build a business based on the sustainability of agricultural production which has been certified by the Rainforest Alliance and UTZ. We strongly believe it is our responsibility to establish high standards in environmental care and social responsibility.

While our vision and mission primarily impact the communities around hacienda San Jose in Los Rios, Ecuador, our product has great potential to influence healthy, conscious, and responsible buying habits in our consumers. As the Minnesota community becomes well informed of the origin and quality of the food they consume, they have the chance to influence their family, and eventually, the next generation to create a more health-conscious, eco-friendly, and socially responsible.

The Beginning

Our grandparents established Hacienda El Carmen, their first Cacao Plantation in Los Ríos, Ecuador in the early 1930’s. ​

After years of hard work and surviving the Ecuadorian cacao crisis they continued pursuing their dreams of developing the best cacao plantations in the world. ​

Their tradition was taken from one generation to another and their knowledge encouraged the 2nd generation to create Hacienda La Elba in 1969 and the 3rd generation to create Hacienda El Porvenir in 1972. ​

The 4th generation established Hacienda San José, a cacao plantation that has been recognized and awarded for having the highest quality cacao beans in Ecuador. These beans known for their fine aroma and distinguished nutty flavors inspired us to make the finest chocolate. Made by Ecuadorian hands, harvested, fermented and dried with our own techniques, inherited & improved during the last century.

5th Generation

After 100 years of cacao tradition, the 5th generation made us wonder: if we have the best cacao beans in the world, it’s time to make the best chocolate.

And so we did, we harvested the best cacao beans from our fields and turned it into Chocolate Hacienda San José® just for you.

"We select the best cacao beans from our fields and turn them into chocolate for you."

Our Farm

Hacienda San José owns about 870has with plantations of Bananas, Cacao, Oil Palm & Rice. Located in the province of Los Ríos, Ecuador, an area characterized by soils of alluvial formation with climate and topography suitable for the production of the best cacao beans in the world.

We offer full traceability and single origin plantation with unique and exquisite taste, very creamy with a defined nutty flavor, a hint of vanilla and cinnamon.

“We offer full traceability and single origin plantation with unique and exquisite taste.”

Sustainability

Through the years we have developed a business model based on the principles of sustainability: economic growth, environmental care and social responsibility.

​ At Hacienda San José® we are committed to the environment by causing the least possible impact by complying with the standards of our certifications.

“ We select the best cacao beans from our fields and turn them into chocolate for you."

Social Responsibility

In addition to complying with all the legal framework, regulations and standards required by Ecuador’s labor law and following the standards of the certifications we have, we have developed strategies to help improve the standard of living of our workers & surrounding communities through 2 main projects:

Super Barato Market & PRODETI Foundation. ​ Super Barato Market ensures that our employees can take to their homes the food they need with the best prices & payment methods. ​

We’ve helped to structure the “PRODETI” Foundation by signing an agreement to help with its annual budget, enabling them to carry out their activities for the benefit of the community, from training and nutrition talks to programs to promote associativity for the production of home orchards.

UTZ & Rainforest Alliance Certified

UTZ Certified is a program and a label for sustainable farming. The UTZ Certified label is featured on more than 10,000 different product packages in over 116 countries. As of 2014, UTZ Certified is the largest program for sustainable farming of coffee and cocoa in the world.

A Rainforest Alliance Certified farm is one that complies with 10 standards set in place by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). These standards include ecosystem conservation, wildlife protection, and fair treatment and good working conditions for workers