M. Libânio Agrícola | Valrhona Chocolate

Brazil

Gandu, Bahia
13°44’36.1”S
39°29’24.8”W

Cocoa growing in Brazil

On the east coast of Brazil, the Bahia region is a land steeped in history and natural beauty. An ancestral tradition of cocoa production flourishes here, against the backdrop of spectacular landscapes where fine sandy beaches border lush tropical forests and green hills.
For centuries, Bahia's farmers have passionately cultivated their cocoa trees, a legacy of the first Portuguese settlers. The fertile soils and tropical climate provide an ideal environment for growing cocoa, allowing the beans to develop a distinctive aromatic profile with tangy and bitter notes.
Today, the Bahia region remains one of Brazil's leading cocoa producers with its precious harvests exported to the four corners of the globe, perpetuating an age-old tradition in the midst of breathtakingly beautiful scenery.

M. Libânio Agrícola a company founded in 1922 by Manoel Libânio da Silva Filho, owns eight plantations spanning a total of 2,298 hectares. M. Libânio is driven by a philosophy that promotes harmony between people, soils, and plants so that all can live together in a sustainable environment. The company is located in one of the richest ecosystems in the world, the Mata Atlantica, an area which has been named a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

M. Libânio protects forests: Old growth forests represent 47% of the land available on our Brazilian partner's estate, 27% more than required under the country's forest law.

Agroforestry at the heart of the model

M. Libânio’s employees use the “Cabruca” system, which involves allowing taller trees, such as fruit trees endemic to the Mata Atlantica, to grow above smaller varieties such as cacaos. Recently, M. Libânio has developed a modern agroforestry system which grows cocoa under the shade cast by rubber trees, generating a secondary income through selling latex. Today, the plantation is Rainforest Alliance certified.

A long-term partnership

Our relationship with M. Libânio began in the early 2000s, becoming even closer thanks to the signature of a long-term partnership agreement in 2013, renewed for 10 years in 2020.

Today, the whole property is Rainforest Alliance certified. M. Libânio's focus on producing the highest quality cocoa, coupled with its environmental values and technological innovation makes them a natural partner for us.

11years Partnership

Partnership signature : 2013 - renewed in 2020 for 10 years

Exclusive right to the cocoa

from the Paineiras, Ladeira Grande, Petrolina Nova, Italia Limeira and São José plantations

168 employees

78 of whom live with their families on the plantations and have free access to drinking water and electricity

It’s always a magnificent moment when you arrive at the M. Libânio plantations in the heart of the Mata Atlantica.

The spirit of M. Libânio is there to see throughout the ecosystem, in everything from the professionalism of the plantations’ management to the respect for people and, first and foremost, the care for the environment.

Cédric Robin, Valrhona's cocoa sourcer

Our social and environmental actions together

2013 / 2014

Financing of technical equipment, including solar drying beds and bean sorting machines

2015

Renovation of housing for employees and their families

2016 / 2017

Co-financing of a new training center

2018

Investments to support production: purchase of a tractor, trailer and shredder for plantation maintenance

2019 - 2023

Support for the purchase of fertilizer in reasoned agriculture

2020

Support for the maintenance of non-essential activities (including preventive medicine, maintaining employee homes and machine maintenance)

2022

Taking inventory of the forest and calculating the domain’s carbon storage.
Identifying more than 165 plant species, 8 of which are considered threatened or almost threatened

The impact

72 houses

renovated for employees' families

1 new training center

135 training sessions

carried out by M. Libânio on topics including health, workplace safety and environmental conservation

Find M. LIBÂNIO AGRÍCOLA cocoa in

Cocoa-rich

Single Origin

milk chocolate Hukambi 53%

Hukambi, a Brazil Single Origin milk chocolate. This chocolate’s blend of cocoa-rich, bitter and slightly biscuity notes ushers us in to discover the mysteries of the fauna and flora living in the shadows of the ancient forests of southern Bahia.

Double Fermentation

Itakuja 55%

Itakuja 55% pure origin* Brazil, a chocolate infused with passion fruit pulp, born in the heart of Brazilian plantations, with *cocoa beans from the South of Bahia.