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Awajún cacao: women-led cacao from the Peruvian Amazon
Awajún cacao is grown by the Awajún and Huambisa peoples in the Amazonas region of northern Peru, where women lead the co-operatives and hold the cacao knowledge.
- Region
- Amazonas, northern Amazon jungle
- Altitude
- 400–1,000 m
- Genetics
- Native Amazonian cacao and Criollo
- Flavour
- Long and layered, moving from fruit to nuts
Where it grows
In the green north, cacao grows in the forest together with the peoples who have always lived there. Here you find both native Amazonian cacao and one of its wild relatives.
Its story
This cacao is grown by the Awajún and Huambisa peoples in the forests of Amazonas. For a long time it was never sold outside the region. That changed in recent years, helped by public projects for regenerative cacao farming. What touches us most is that women lead here: they hold the cacao knowledge, run the co-operatives and are often the main earners of the family. The beans ferment for six days in hardwood boxes.
In 2026 a genetic study of 390 traditional cacao trees in eight Peruvian regions found four cacao lineages that science had never described before, and one of them was named Awajun. So this cacao is not only a story of people but also its own branch of the cacao family tree. Development projects have helped close to 700 Awajún farmers in Imaza and Nieva improve their farms and found their own co-operative.
In your cup
Awajún has a long, layered taste. It is a beautiful cacao for a women's circle or any ceremony that honours the people behind the cup.
How it is processed
The beans ferment for six days in tornillo hardwood boxes, turned every day after the first two days, and are then dried in the sun and shade.
Peruvian cacaos on our list
- Sumaq Cacaosito · Chuncho
- Kawsay Cacaosito · Kichwa-Lamista communities
- Moruga · Chuncho Chuncho
- Pure Kakaw · Cusco Cusco
- Ritual Cacao · Peru Asháninka Asháninka
Tasted one of them? Give it your score from 1 to 5 on the ranking. Scores come only from people who drink cacao and are never for sale.
More Peruvian cacao origins
Sources
- Cacao Life: Awajún
- Agraria.pe: 691 Awajún producers strengthen the cacao value chain (2022)
- Agraria.pe: Awajún people register 130 hectares of cacao (2021)
- PUCP thesis: Awajún cacao (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú)
- Initiative 20x20: APROCAM, opportunities for Indigenous cocoa producers in the Peruvian Amazon
- Earth.com: Four new groups of indigenous cacao varieties discovered in Peru (2026)
- Motilal et al.: Genetic structure of traditional cacao reveals four new genetic lineages in Peru (PLOS ONE, 2026; INIA repository)
- Sci.News: Birthplace of cacao identified in Amazon region (Zarrillo et al., Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2018)
- ICCO: Panel recognizes 23 countries as fine and flavour cocoa exporters (Peru: 75%)
Facts gathered from the sources above, including Cacao Life (a Peruvian cacao exporter), scientific studies and Peruvian news agencies; the text is our own. Photos from Unsplash. Last checked 2026-11-04.