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These nibs come from the mid-southern region of the Peruvian Amazon from the valleys of three rivers.
The zone in Cuzco where cacao was traditionally from is the Urubamba valley...a very special valley. This is the main valley where the Incas would come from the Andes to reach the jungle... this was their route into the jungle. It was also where they would meet the natives of the jungle for trade purposes. (This is also the Valley where the last Incan emperor (Manco Inca) fled to and hid when the conquistadors invaded Peru)
The typical flavor profile of this region is fruity (soursop, mandarin, custard apple) with some herbal and floral notes.
After a very well-controlled box fermentation the cacao then gets transferred to mounds- stirring the mounds for 2-4 days depending on how much sun exposure there is, then the mounds get dispersed over the tarped floor or drying shelf to finish drying. Total drying is typically 7 days...but may be longer or shorter depending on the weather.
Similarly to San Martin, cacao production in the VRAE region has been bolstered by governmental initiatives, with the goal of increasing sustainability for both the farmers and the rainforest.
We work directly with a couple of cooperatives of Urubamba Valley (mainly Alto Urubamba)...we have been working with these cooperatives for a long time (many years). They are very established, and have a good relationship with their farming members