7 Colombian Chocolate Brands You Need to Know About
Colombia is (rightly) famous for its world-class coffee, but fewer people are aware that Colombia also produces some of the world’s finest chocolate! With regions like Arauca, Santander, Tumaco, and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta regularly producing prize-winning cacao, it’s about time that visitors to Colombia discovered more of the country’s finest forgotten product. So here are 7 Colombian chocolate brands that you need to know about.
Cacao Hunters
One of Colombia’s most recognizable chocolate brands, Cacao Hunters chocolate can be seen on sale at the counters of cafes and shops across the country, and with good reason: their various chocolates are world-class, and many of them have won international chocolate awards. Their chocolate bars from Tumaco, Narino, and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta are especially worth tasting, and their sleek and memorable packaging design makes them an instantly recognizable brand.
Chuculat
A truly socially conscious Colombian chocolate enterprise, Chuculat is dedicated to promoting the best possible working conditions for Colombian coffee farmers, and they work hard to train farmers in new farming and processing techniques, thereby improving the quality of their product at the same time. You can find their chocolate bars and chocolate-covered products in supermarket, cafes, and shops throughout the country’s major cities, and if you see one, make sure to try a bite (or many bites).
Chocolate Suagu
A chocolate brand born in 2016 and created by brother/sister team Maria Camila and Juan Diego Suárez, Chocolate Suagu is produced on the sibling’s small farm in Tolima department, Finca El Carmelo. Their delicious dark chocolate bars, with both 70% and 80% cacao available, also give something back to their community: the siblings also founded Fundación Dulce Futuro, a foundation dedicated to offering a “sweet future” to families and children in their region.
Cacao y Mas Cacao
Cacao y Mas Cacao is a little chocolate shop located in Bogota’s historic neighbourhood of La Candelaria and is something of a Mecca for chocoholics in Colombia. They have their own artisanal chocolate brand as well, which they sell in the shop, and you can also sample a variety of locally-produced chocolate products, including some of the best hot chocolate around.
Jet
Jet chocolate isn’t a patch on any of the brands listed above when it comes to quality. A chocolate-lover might even call Jet chocolate bad, but it makes this list simply because of how iconic its brand is among Colombians. The little blue and yellow wrappers are instantly recognizable to all Colombians, and most grew up collecting the stickers found inside each Jet bar (tens of albums can still be found in the homes of most Colombian parents.) Colombia’s most iconic chocolate brand by a country mile…
Tibitó
The Colombian Federation of Cacao producers named Tibito’s chocolate the best in the country not too long ago, and their products certainly justify such high praise. With a strong social ethic and a dedicated “bean to bar” approach which means that their products are unfailingly quality, Tibito sells its chocolate in both Bogota and Medellin, as well as exporting to Canada and the UK, so you don’t even need to visit Colombia to taste it (although you really should!).
Carlota Chocolat
Focusing on the “bean to bar” cacao exportation model, Carlota Chocolat aims to capture the lucrative chocolate export market in Colombia with their delicious product and beautiful packaging. Working with producers in Cordoba, Arauca, Antioquia, and Tumaco, Carlota offers a variety of distinct and unique chocolate products which are sure to leave any chocoholic satisfied.