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As you know our Promise To Our Customers is to ensure that every chocolate cacao bag represent an improvement in someone s life As we venture deep into Cauca yet another conflict ridden region in Colombia our dedication to this pledge is stronger than ever It s never been about the chocolateTM www cacaohunters com FOR THE LOVE OF CAUCA Pacific Ocean COLOMBIA It s never been about the chocolate TM It s never been about the chocolateTM Brasil Ecuador Per

In one of the most fertile yet unfortunately conflict damaged areas of Colombia there are inspiring families with rich cultural traditions working and living off small plots of land Most are descendants from African slaves who were appallingly trafficked to the Cauca region back in the 1520 s to work the sugar fields INSPIRED BY THE FAMILIES OF CAUCA A significant cause for this trend is that mass producing chocolate companies find no value in the small production levels offered by these families Consequently there have been no investments made to support the farmer As a result there has been no demand for cacao from Cauca For many decades the knowledge to grow and raise rich cacao has been diminishing and in some places may be nearly extinct They came from the Congo Angola Gambia Nigeria Cameroon Liberia Ghana Ivory Coast Guinea Sierra Leone Senegal and Mali Yet the cacao trees are still there and the willingness by the families to work cacao responsibly is higher than ever Today at no cost to the farmer we are designing complete make overs of their at times abandoned plots and are assisting and teaching over 400 families how to properly graft cacao limbs how to combat avoid damaging bacteria how to best plant for crop maximization and how to prune correctly As we strive for their new generations to be taught and one day take over we are improving the odds for a safer and more promising way of life As Cacao Hunters pays above market living incomes Cacao is once again becoming a reliable crop bringing families financial and educational benefits Today these families represent an enormous asset to the development of this region The average number of family members living in each house may be between 4 6 and their generations old plots of land range anywhere between 1 3 acres With much of their help we are also ensuring their children and grandchildren begin to learn and work the land so as to maximize crop yields and their living incomes AND NOW the Board of Directors of our marvelous partner Fundaci n Mundo Mujer just approved the purchase of roughly 20 hectares of land where together we will create the The Cacao Hunters Chocolate Cacao School This facility is within 30 km of all 400 families we are working with and will enable them to view the complete processes and techniques of how to grow Cacao through responsible agroforestry driven practices in the traditional cacao farms found in the region It will also allow them to bring their seeds for sale i e wet cacao have community gatherings to share know how and serve as a central epicenter helping us to bring back the extraordinary cacao of this unique region and all the benefits bettering the lives of so many in this incomparable region of Colombia