Uncompromising Quality
We pride ourselves on making premium single-origin chocolate with ethically sourced and sustainably farmed cacao. This whole process, from bean to bar, takes place in our home country of Venezuela.
We’re a family business and one of the oldest chocolate manufacturers in the country. We have built a long-standing reputation on our uncompromising quality. Read on to learn about how our way of doing things sets us apart!
Chocolates El Rey
GROWS AND PRODUCES IN VENEZUELA
Venezuela is known for some of the most aromatic cacao beans in the world. So why not make chocolate there, too?!
We stimulate our home country’s economy by creating jobs in our cacao fields, our Barquisimeto factory, and our corporate headquarters in Caracas.
By keeping every stage of chocolate production in Venezuela, we are able to oversee the entire process and ensure top quality at every step.
DIRECT RELATIONSHIPS WITH FARMERS
We source directly from small and large-scale growers in Venezuela. By cutting out the middleman, we are able to pay above the average market price for cacao.
We also empower our farmers through education. We lead training sessions on sustainable growing practices, which promotes both better cacao and a higher standard of living for our farmers.
PREMIUM CACAO & SINGLE ORIGIN CHOCOLATE
We use exclusively Criollo and Trinitario cacao beans, known to be some of the most aromatic in the world.
Much like wine and the grapes it comes from, chocolate can vary in flavor based on where its cacao is grown. We create “single origin” chocolate, made from cacao grown in one specific region. This highlights unique flavor notes and gives the chocolate a distinct sense of terroir.
We use only clean, simple ingredients to let the cacao shine.
Large Chocolate Companies
IMPORTS FROM DISTANT COUNTRIES
Western countries like Switzerland and Belgium are known for chocolate, but cacao only grows in tropical countries near the equator.
FUELS ILLEGAL LABOR
Due to the added expenses of importation, large chocolate companies often try to cut costs on the cacao itself, paying farmers meager wages for their goods. Poverty then forces farmers to rely on illegal child labor and forced labor.
60% of all cacao is produced in West Africa, specifically Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire, where illegal labor practices are widespread.
CHEAP CACAO & CHOCOLATE BLENDS
Mass-produced chocolate consists primarily of Forestero cacao beans. While these are easier to grow, their flavor lacks nuance and tastes more “one note”: bold and bitter.
To compensate, producers stuff their chocolates full of sugar and unnecessary additives.