The Origin Atlas

What makers taste in 25 cacao origins, in their own words. Pick a flavour to light up where it grows, then find two bars to try and when the beans are picked.

25 origins Pick a flavour to see which ones makers taste it in.

Rings: flavour families · shaded band: tropics · latitude expanded

Only origins in harvest

October: main crop in Madagascar, Venezuela, Ghana and 6 more; mid crop in Ecuador, Dominican Republic, India, Solomon Islands; harvest, crop not ranked, in Tanzania, Haiti.

Americas

Africa

Asia & Pacific

AfricaMain harvest in October

Madagascar

“typically citrus, and red fruit dominated”

Dick Taylor, on Åkesson / Sambirano cacao

Citrus“citrus”
Red fruit & berries“red fruit”
Floral & herbal“minty”
Bright & tangy“tangy”

Two bars to try

Bonnat Madagascar 75%

“Cacao blond et doux de l’Océan Indien, fruité, et bien équilibré.”
light, mild cacao from the Indian Ocean, fruity and well balanced.
Maker’s page : Bonnat Madagascar
Pralus Madagascar 75%

“Fresh nose, slightly minty and fruity, fine on the palate, tangy.”
Maker’s page : Pralus Madagascar

3 more bars from Madagascar

More makers’ words from the Tasting Room. Notes can reflect the recipe and added ingredients too.

Bar au Chocolat Madagascar 72%

“grapefruit, honey, raspberry”
In the Tasting Room : Bar au Chocolat Madagascar 72%
Dick Taylor Madagascar, Sambirano 72%

“Molasses, orange & toast”
In the Tasting Room : Dick Taylor Madagascar, Sambirano
Ritual Madagascar 75%

“notes of citrus, raspberry and roasted peanuts”
In the Tasting Room : Ritual Madagascar

8 of 9 Madagascar bars on sale in the Tasting Room

Harvest main Sep–Dec · mid May–Jun

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Sambirano valley. Silva Cacao 2026 calendar

Grown in 2023: 20,000 tFAOSTAT, unofficial figure
ICCO fine or flavour: 100%Share of its cocoa-bean exports.

Where, what and how it’s grown

Regions: Sambirano Valley and Ambanja; the Åkesson estate.
Planting material: Åkesson’s cacao is mostly Trinitario with a little Criollo, per Dick Taylor (one estate, not a national figure).
After harvest: At that estate: three-tier cascade-box fermentation, then sun-drying on patios or raised beds.

Origin is a starting point

Every quote here is a maker or sourcing company describing particular beans or a finished bar. Taken together they show tendencies, like the citrus and red fruit Dick Taylor finds in Sambirano cacao or the brownie and earth Fruition finds in Alto Beni, but the same beans can taste different in another maker’s hands. Roast, conche and sugar all move the flavour.

The quickest way to learn an origin is to taste two bars side by side. Each origin shows two bars from the makers’ own shops, checked in early October 2026. Then try the Tasting Room to write your own notes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does all Madagascar chocolate taste of red fruit?

Not all of it. Dick Taylor describes the Åkesson estate’s Sambirano cacao as “typically citrus, and red fruit dominated”, and Pralus finds its Madagascar 75% “fresh… slightly minty and fruity”. But notes belong to specific beans and bars: roast and recipe change them as much as origin does.

Which of these origins grow the most cacao?

Of the 25 origins here, FAOSTAT’s 2023 figures put Côte d’Ivoire far ahead at about 1.82 million tonnes, then Ghana (about 654,000 t), Ecuador (376,000 t) and Brazil (296,000 t). The atlas covers origins with named single-origin bars, so some large producers, such as Indonesia, Nigeria and Cameroon, aren’t in it.

What does “fine or flavour” cacao mean?

It is the International Cocoa Organization’s recognition of cacao with distinctive flavour. ICCO lists, by country, the share of cocoa-bean exports it recognises as fine or flavour (100% for Madagascar and Trinidad and Tobago, 75% for Ecuador and Peru); worldwide it is about 12% of exports. A country that isn’t listed can still grow fine cacao.

When is cacao harvested?

Most origins have a main crop and a smaller mid crop. ICCO’s calendar gives Ghana a main crop from September to March and a mid crop from May to August, and Ecuador March to June, then October to February. Timings vary by region, so the atlas shows each calendar with its source.

What shapes an origin’s flavour?

Planting material, soil and climate, fermentation, drying, and then the maker’s roast and recipe all play a part. That is why the atlas quotes makers on specific beans and bars rather than giving a single national flavour.

The Origin Atlas

Origin is a starting point

Frequently Asked Questions

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