In a quiet room in central Rome, Julien Simonis holds a compact sliver of chocolate wrapped in gold foil. He doesn’t simply eat it. he performs a ritual. After placing a morsel on his tongue, he breathes in through his mouth and out through his nose, a technique designed to maximize the aromatic perception of the cacao. For Simonis, a chocolate scientist, this isn’t just a tasting—it is a diagnostic evaluation. In one sample from Hawaii, he detects a sharp boost of acidity, fruitiness, and whispers of cardamom and nutmeg. In another from Peru, the profile shifts entirely to creamy nuttiness and raisins.
For decades, the world of high-end gastronomy has operated with rigorous, internationally recognized standards for quality. Wine has its sommeliers and complex terroir classifications; specialty coffee has its Q graders and a systematic rubric for scoring beans. Chocolate, despite its global ubiquity and immense genetic diversity, has largely remained a commodity. Until recently, there was no universal language to describe the difference between a bean grown in the rainforests of Peru and one from the volcanic soil of Hawaii.
That is changing through the Cacao of Excellence program. Launched in 2009 by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT—a sustainable agriculture nonprofit—the initiative aims to move cacao away from the “bulk” commodity market and toward a value-based system. By creating a standardized method for preparing and evaluating cacao, the program is attempting to do for the chocolate bean what the wine industry did for the grape: turn a crop into a craft.
Beyond the Candy Bar: The Quest for a Universal Rubric
The fundamental challenge in grading cacao is its staggering genetic variety. Cacao pods come in a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, and the chemical composition of the beans inside varies wildly based on genetics and environment. Historically, this variety was lost in the industrial processing of chocolate, where massive batches were blended to ensure a consistent, uniform taste for the consumer.
The Cacao of Excellence program seeks to preserve and reward this diversity. To do so, they developed a rigorous, standardized protocol that removes all variables except for the bean itself. When Simonis and his team evaluate samples, they aren’t tasting different recipes; they are tasting the same recipe applied to different beans. This allows the “personality” of the cacao to emerge without the interference of varying sugar levels or roasting temperatures.
This harmonization of language is more than an academic exercise. When buyers and sellers can use a shared “flavor wheel” to discuss acidity, bitterness, and astringency, it creates a transparent market. This transparency allows producers of exceptional beans to demand a premium price, shifting the economic incentive from quantity to quality.
The Perugia Protocol: Isolating the Bean
The technical heart of this operation is a laboratory tucked inside the Chocolate Experience Museum in Perugia, Italy. Here, the process of “awakening” the cacao is treated with scientific precision. The work is grueling and physical, as noted by lab assistant Julia Butac. The process follows a strict sequence to ensure that every sample is treated identically:
- Sifting and Selection: Beans are manually sifted to remove debris and ensure only full, healthy beans are used.
- Physical Evaluation: Using a device similar to a guillotine, beans are sliced in half. This allows researchers to verify fermentation levels and identify internal defects or aromatic potential.
- Precision Roasting: Beans are roasted for a specific duration and temperature to develop their flavor profiles without masking them.
- Winnowing: The shells are separated from the bean fragments, known as nibs. While machines assist, the smallest pieces are often separated by hand to ensure purity.
- Milling and Tempering: The nibs are milled and mixed with a precise, identical amount of sugar and cocoa butter before being tempered and poured into molds.
Once the chocolate is set, it is evaluated by a panel of 15 trained professional tasters. These experts analyze the sample’s unique blend of sensory attributes, ensuring that the final score is a reflection of the bean’s intrinsic quality rather than the skill of the chocolatier.
From Flavor Profiles to Farmer Profits
While the science happens in Italy, the impact is felt in the tropics. The cacao industry is plagued by systemic poverty, particularly in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which together produce more than half of the world’s supply. Many of these farmers operate in rural, inaccessible areas and live below the poverty line, trapped by the fluctuating prices of the global commodity market.
By certifying “Excellence,” the program provides a pathway out of this trap. When a small-scale farmer can prove their cacao possesses rare flavor notes—like the fruitiness found in some Thai beans—they are no longer selling a generic commodity; they are selling a specialty product.
| Metric | Commodity Cacao Model | Cacao of Excellence Model |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Basis | Global market average (Volume) | Sensory quality and rarity (Value) |
| Farmer’s Role | Bulk producer | Specialty artisan/steward |
| Evaluation | Basic visual/weight check | Standardized sensory panel (15 experts) |
| Economic Goal | Cost reduction/Efficiency | Income diversification/Premium pricing |
The results are already tangible. In Thailand, Roong Kumpan of TinTin Chocolate used the program to increase his farm’s visibility and improve his fermentation and drying techniques. In Peru, the Juan Laura farm reported a 30% increase in sales after participating. For Rosaura Laura, who runs the operation, the financial gain is secondary to the social shift. “I think Here’s a good way to dignify the laborers and change the mind of people regarding the farmers,” she says, noting that agricultural workers are often marginalized in their own countries.
The Future of the Bean
The goal of the Cacao of Excellence program is total global integration. While certification and training carry a fee, the program provides its step-by-step processing guides and flavor wheels for free to encourage widespread adoption. By equipping every producing country with the tools to identify and market their best beans, the program hopes to create a sustainable ecosystem where quality is the primary driver of profit.
The next phase of the program focuses on expanding its reach into more producing nations and refining the “flavor wheel” to include emerging genetic varieties. As more producers adopt these standards, the industry moves closer to a world where the chocolate bar in a consumer’s hand is treated with the same reverence and transparency as a vintage Bordeaux.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute nutritional or medical advice.
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