Awajún cacao beans start their journey inside the Amazon jungle, in the ‘Amazonas’ region of northern Peru. The cacao is harvested by and gets its name from farmers traditional to the Amazonas area in the Awajún and Huambisa tribes (also can be written as: Huampisa, Wuampis, and Wuampisa).

In the past, these tribes have operated in a traditional sense. The men of the tribe provide for their families through hunting and fishing by selling their catch to create income. The women are responsible for balancing the role of caregiver for children with farming for grown goods. However, this split is slowly changing, and the Awajún cacao bean has played a part in this shift.

In contrast to some of the other top producing cacao locations in the world, the Amazonas area of Peru was never commercialized for cacao. However, the past few years have brought attention to this fruity and floral variety, and the global discovery of the Awajún bean has led to its growth in popularity.

Now, various governmental projects are investing in programs and courses to increase the community’s knowledge surrounding cacao and the farming, fermenting, and drying process. The women in this community, particularly, have benefitted from this empowering form of education and are quickly becoming the ambassadors and leaders in this area for all things ‘cacao’. This empowerment has led to a shift in the traditionally set familial roles, as the women are not only bringing in income for their household but also are teaching the men how to farm these valuable beans, too.

The cacao co-operative in this area is now largely run and managed by the women in the community, and is supported by the work that these women do to provide for their families. Quality of life is changing too – cacao farming in this area has allowed these communities to improve the infrastructure in their schools, hospitals, and health aid centres, and education has improved for children.