Cacao Of Excellence

We are Cacao of Excellence and we envision a world where excellence in the cacao sector results in thriving farmers, communities and economies. Led by the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture since 2009, we are a renowned global cacao competition that discovers, rewards and promotes cacao producers across producing origins for their cacao's superior quality and flavour diversity. We drive cacao quality innovation at our Cacao Quality R&D Laboratory and Training Centre where cacao professionals from cacao-producing origins have the opportunity to learn from our quality research and train alongside our laboratory team on our stringent cacao quality evaluation and processing protocols. We offer a neutral platform convening the national and international public and private sector with data-driven solutions and international standards to build capacity at origin and safeguard cacao genetic diversity to ensure long-term health, resilience, quality and diversity of planting materials. Right now there are glimmers of emerging market segmentation in the cacao sector and growing consumer demand for higher quality cacao based products that are sustainably produced and sourced. With 14 years of experience discovering, evaluating and rewarding excellence in cacao, it is abundantly clear that all cacao producing origins have the potential to produce superior quality cacao. We believe the most effective way to catalyse a transformation in the sector is to continue rewarding cacao excellence, empowering farmers and connecting them to the market, driving innovation and safeguarding cacao genetic diversity. Help back, support, discover and listen to exceptional farmers with Cacao of Excellence.