Dark Chocolate 70%

Bean to Bar – Single origin Zamora-Chinchipe, Amazon

Each tablet is an act of social justice that connects Italian women and indigenous Kichwa families.

70% Dark Chocolate Nina Kakaw

Nina Kakaw 70% Dark Chocolate is much more than just a chocolate bar: it's a bridge of solidarity between two continents, a social justice project that transforms fragile lives into stories of empowerment and emancipation. This single-origin bean-to-bar chocolate is handcrafted in Belluno by women experiencing social and economic hardship, using exclusively "cacao fino de aroma" beans grown by indigenous Kichwa families in the Zamora-Chinchipe Amazon region of Ecuador, one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, where cocoa grows in the shade of the primary rainforest, contributing to its preservation rather than its destruction.

The Ecuadorian Nacional Arriba cacao used by Nina Kakaw belongs to the ultra-premium "fino de aroma" category, a classification that represents less than 5% of global cocoa production and identifies rare genetic varieties characterized by extraordinarily complex and refined aromatic profiles. This Amazonian cacao, grown in small agroforestry plots called "chakras," where cacao trees grow alongside plantain, yuca, native fruit trees, and medicinal plants, recreating the layered structure of the natural forest, develops intense floral notes reminiscent of jasmine and orange blossom, fruity aromas of ripe tropical fruits (banana, papaya, passion fruit), hints of toasted nuts (almond, hazelnut), and a clean finish with delicate herbaceous and spicy notes.

The fermentation and drying of the beans, crucial steps that determine up to 80% of the chocolate's final flavor profile, are performed directly by the Kichwa producers following rigorous protocols taught and monitored by Nina Kakaw. This cacao is purchased by Nina Kakaw at a price 30-50% higher than the Fair Trade market.

Once they arrive at the artisanal workshop in Belluno, the beans are processed by the hands of women who, through this work, are rebuilding their lives, regaining dignity and self-esteem, and establishing economic independence. Every stage of production is carried out with care, passion, and pride. The result is an extremely pure 70% dark chocolate: only cocoa mass and organic cane sugar, nothing else. No lecithin, no added cocoa butter, no flavorings, no compromises. A chocolate that tastes of the Amazon rainforest, of human dignity, of female solidarity, of a possible future.
 
 
 

The Nina Kakaw project is rooted in social and environmental justice.

Nina Kakaw was founded in 2017 in Belluno from the visionary intuition of Camilla Baresani and Sara Mancinelli. After experiences in international cooperation in Ecuador, they decided to create an innovative business model capable of generating positive social impact simultaneously in two countries geographically distant but united by economic marginalization: the indigenous Amazonian communities of Ecuador and vulnerable women in the Alpine province of Belluno. The name "Nina Kakaw" itself fuses the Quechua word "nina" (fire, but also girl) with the Mayan word "kakaw" (cocoa), symbolizing the connection between indigenous American cultures and the transformative fire of female empowerment.

The project stems from the recognition that the global cocoa system is profoundly unfair: smallholder farmers who grow cocoa receive, on average, less than 6% of the final price of a chocolate bar sold in Europe, while multinationals controlling processing and distribution capture most of the value. This economic disparity pushes millions of cocoa farmers into extreme poverty, child labor, deforestation, and the abandonment of fine cocoa varieties in favor of productive but aromatically poor hybrids.

Nina Kakaw overturns this paradigm by building a short, transparent, and supportive supply chain where Kichwa producers in the Ecuadorian Amazon receive technical training on post-harvest processes (optimal fermentation and drying), assistance with organic certification and quality improvement, and, above all, a guaranteed premium price that recognizes the true value of their work and their stewardship of biodiversity. The Kichwa families with whom Nina Kakaw collaborates grow Nacional Arriba cacao in traditional agroforestry systems called "chakras" or "Amazonian agroforests," where cacao grows beneath the canopy of native trees, alongside food, medicinal, and cash crops. This approach, called "forest cacao" or "agroforestry cacao," not only preserves Amazonian biodiversity but also sequesters significantly more carbon than monoculture plantations, protects the soil from erosion, maintains hydrological cycles, and preserves the Kichwa's heritage of ethnobotanical knowledge.

In Italy, Nina Kakaw offers internships and job placements to women of all ages, cultural backgrounds, and backgrounds living in vulnerable situations in the province of Belluno: victims of domestic violence sheltered in shelters, migrants and refugees undergoing integration programs, women with disabilities or mental health issues, the long-term unemployed, and single mothers experiencing financial hardship. Through training in artisanal chocolate production (from roasting the beans to final packaging), these women acquire certified technical skills, rebuild self-esteem and confidence in their abilities, and create mutual support networks. This social economy model demonstrates how entrepreneurial profit can and must coexist with positive social impact, human dignity, and environmental sustainability.
 
 
 

Choosing Nina Kakaw 70% Dark Chocolate means voting with your wallet.

Nina Kakaw 70% Dark Chocolate offers all the nutritional benefits of high-quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa percentage: abundant polyphenolic antioxidants (flavanols) with cardioprotective, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and vasodilatory properties demonstrated by numerous scientific studies; essential magnesium (cocoa is one of the richest food sources, with approximately 230 mg per 100 g), essential for over 300 enzymatic reactions, including cellular energy production, protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, and cardiovascular health; bioavailable iron, especially useful for vegetarians and vegans; copper for red blood cell production; manganese for bone metabolism; zinc for the immune system; and phosphorus for bones and teeth.

Each bar purchased directly supports 15 Kichwa families in the Ecuadorian Amazon, enabling them to preserve the rainforest and their ancestral culture. It also funds empowerment programs for vulnerable Italian women, offering them a concrete opportunity for economic emancipation and identity reconstruction. Buying Nina Kakaw chocolate is a political act, an ethical choice, a vote with your wallet for a more just, supportive, and sustainable economic model.
 
 
 

How to Best Use: 70% Dark Chocolate 

• CONSCIOUS AND MEDITATIVE TASTING
  Slowly break a square of chocolate and let it melt in your mouth without chewing, allowing the floral and fruity aromas of Amazonian cocoa to gradually unfold on the palate. Enjoy with Bancha Organic Green Tea 18g , Organic Kornesha Peruvian Coffee 250g, Organic mallow herbal tea 18g. Accompany with fresh tropical fruit (mango, papaya, passion fruit), mdjool dates, pecans o roasted peanuts.
• ETHICAL INGREDIENT FOR VEGAN PASTRY
  Melt chocolate to create vegan ganache with oat milk, whipped chocolate mousse with aquafaba, plant-based Sacher cake or chocolate truffles with avocadoGrate on porridge with Alpassofood Organic Oat Flakes 500gUse to make hot chocolate spiced with cinnamon and chili pepper.
• SOLIDARITY GIFT AND EDUCATION ON ETHICAL CONSUMPTION
  Give Nina Kakaw Chocolate as a gift, sharing its story of female empowerment and Amazonian conservation, and using it as an educational tool to educate friends and family about the importance of conscious consumer choices. Perfect for gift baskets, charity favors, or as a thoughtful gift for those concerned about social justice and environmental issues. Organize comparative tastings with commercial chocolates to educate people about the importance of artisanal quality.

The Producer: Nina Kakaw

Nina Kakaw is a social and artisanal chocolate shop founded in Belluno in 2017 with the mission of creating an ethical, inclusive, and sustainable supply chain that generates economic and social empowerment simultaneously in Ecuador and Italy. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, Nina Kakaw trains and supports small-scale indigenous Kichwa producers in growing fino de aroma cacao in agroforestry systems that preserve biodiversity, purchasing the beans at premium prices that guarantee economic dignity and safeguard ancestral cultural identity. In Italy, it offers training and concrete job opportunities to women in vulnerable situations, transforming fragility into strength through learning the art of artisanal chocolate making. Each Nina Kakaw chocolate bar is made entirely by hand by women rebuilding their lives, using only deforestation-free cacao and organic ingredients. This project demonstrates how enterprise can be a vehicle for social justice, international solidarity, and positive transformation.
 
 
 

Ingredients

Cocoa mass (Ecuador, Amazon, Zamora-Chinchipe region), organic cane sugar. Minimum 70% cocoa. May contain traces of milk and nuts.
 
 
 

Nutritional Values ​​(average values ​​per 100g of product)

• Energy: 2249 kJ / 552 kcal
• Fat: 36,5 g (of which saturated fatty acids: 14,0 g)
• Carbohydrates: 40,5 g (of which sugars: 30,0 g)
• Fiber: 8,5 g
• Protein: 11,0 g
• Salt: 0,14 g

Certifications and features:

Vegan, Gluten Free, Made by Women, 100% Artisanal, Bean to Bar, Deforestation-Free Cocoa, Single Origin Ecuador
 
 
 

Aromatic notes:

Floral (jasmine, orange blossom), tropical fruity (banana, papaya, passion fruit), toasted dried fruit, clean herbaceous finish
 
 
 

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