Sumaqao – our cocoa from Peru

In March 2010 we began our cocoa sourcing operations in Peru with our company SUMAQAO SAC. We pride ourselves on being a transparent, clearly structured sourcing and export company, with the capability to rapidly adapt to new requirements both from our customers and our partner cocoa farmers.

Since its founding, SUMAQAO has concentrated on building a strong team of dedicated employees who share a mutual set of values and attitudes, which has enabled them to share their knowledge and passion for their work in an open and responsive space.

Our Field Team is present in the main cocoa growing areas of Peru, allowing for direct and daily contact with individual producers and cooperatives. This enables us to better assure the traceability and quality of the cocoa we source as per our quality requirements and international sustainability standards.

The Quechua word SUMAQ means “outstanding”, and inspired the name SUMAQAO, which to us signifies outstanding cocoa.

SUMAQAO's objectives are to promote:

Maintain and improve farmer’s incomes by assisting them to achieve higher yields and by paying them a fair price for their cocoa
Assist capacity development by providing cocoa farmers with individual technical assistance from our field staff, as well as through the information exchanged in our farmer field school sessions, which cover topics such as income diversification, accounting, environmental protection, gender equality, nutrition and reforestation
Eliminate any form of forced labour, child labour or discrimination we encounter
Ensure the traceability and quality of the cocoa we purchase, including that it does not originate from protected or illegally deforested areas
Strengthen and maintain the long-standing relationships we have with our partner farmers and employees

We operate via several regional warehouses to which farmers deliver their cocoa beans directly or we have our trucks pick up cocoa in the surrounding villages. All the cocoa we purchase is then centrally collected in our warehouse in Lurin, Lima which is equipped with extensive and modern drying, cleaning and bagging facilities. Containers are subsequently stuffed and sealed by our own staff directly at our warehouse.