Cocoa, a magnificent heritage from the ancient Ulúa valley
Cocoa can only be grown in the hot and moist climate of equatorial regions. Here, the lush green rain forests protect the cocoa tree against the burning sun. This mystical tree probably originated from the Ulúa valley in Honduras and later spread – naturally and through human intervention – to the entire equatorial region of South America. After its discovery by the Spanish conquistadors around 1500, cocoa was grown commercially and was also smuggled to other continents to set up plantations locally. It was found that cocoa develops a unique flavour and aroma profile, determined by the local soil and climate conditions, the surrounding vegetation and various other factors.

• The botanical origin of cocoa
  While the taste and character of cocoa are influenced by local conditions, they are determined in particular by the botanical origins. Today, most cocoa types grown are crossbreeds that originate from the three main botanical types. These are:
  * Criollo, a very delicate and rare variety that yields very fine and aromatic cocoa.
  * Forastero, a stronger variety that mostly delivers robust, less refined cocoa. 
  * Trinitario, a cross between the other two. This third variety has more resistance to disease, pests etc. and yields cocoa with an exciting taste and aromas.

Two percent of cocoa is truly exceptional
In some rare cases, the soil and climate conditions and the genetic make-up of the cocoa variety are so favourable that they result in exceptional harvests. Today about 98% of the cocoa grown worldwide is used for blending purposes. Callebaut for instance determines the taste and aromas of its classic chocolate by blending different cocoa varieties until the typical Callebaut taste profile is obtained.

Of the total world harvest of cocoa, less than 2% carries an exceptionally rich palate of flavours and aromas. These special cocoa varieties form the heart of Callebaut’s Origine range.

Each Origine is exceptional, reflecting the essence of a unique location 
For every Origine chocolate, Callebaut has selected the rare and expressive cocoa beans from one unique location. From Grenada to Java, Callebaut has sourced the best beans and captured their most subtle aromas in exceptional chocolates. Incorporated in confectionery, desserts and pastry, Origine will definitely add a whole new dimension to the chocolate experience.  

Origine Ecuador • 70.1% cocoa
This dark chocolate has a very high cocoa content, but its mildness leaves plenty of space for a host of fruitiness and expressive aromas! Top notes of red fruits, dried grasses and tropical flowers prevail in this exclusive, refined chocolate.

Origine Arriba • 39% cocoa
This milk chocolate surprises with its intense cocoa body – unmistakably Arriba – and fruity flavours. The taste is very well rounded with plenty of creaminess and milk. It even reveals subtle hints of exotic herbs and spices.

Origine Grenade • 60% cocoa
Grenade is a very fine, subtle chocolate with strong cocoa body, slight bitterness and great aromatic expressions. It is distinguished by its delightfully subtle hints of spices and flowers.

Origine Sao Thomé • 70% cocoa
This extremely dark chocolate carries within it the haunting soul of Africa. It is immensely dark, powerful and intense, due to its overwhelming cocoa body. It offers an exciting bitterness and refreshing acidity with only slight sweet touches. In contrast, it reveals very subtle aromatic notes of olives, peas, spices and fruits.

Origine Ghana • 60.4% cocoa
This dark, intense Origine chocolate reveals a well-rounded, extremely balanced taste. Offering a strong cocoa body, it leaves plenty of openness for playful and refreshing fruity notes, especially red fruits.

Origine Madagascar • 66% cocoa
Madagascar is a typically pale dark chocolate. It surprises with a supremely delicate yet powerful taste. Its flavour is characterised by fruity notes of banana, red fruit, and hints of sweet tobacco and liquorice.

Origine Chocolate Java • 32.9%
This milk chocolate has a typical pale and reddish colour, typical of the Java cocoa beans. But what a taste sensation! Explicit flavours of sweet caramel and biscuits and refreshingly fruity, with slightly acid touches.

Origine Chocolate Mexico • 72.2% cocoa
Mexico, the start of a great heritage:
Mexico has always played an important role in cocoa cultivation, although the original Criollo varieties have been gradually replaced with the stronger Forastero varieties, leading to bigger yields. But it is the extraordinary, fine flavour of the original Criollo that we are interested in. This is only found rarely nowadays, but produces extremely aromatic cocoa.

The taste of Origine Chocolate Mexico:
Origine Mexico is a dark chocolate with a rich cocoa content, determining its dark colour and intense taste. Its rather bitter taste is very well balanced with plenty of appealing, fresh and fruity flavours and aromas.

Origine Chocolate Papua • 70.1% cocoa
Papua, the untamed other end of the world:
Papuan cocoa offers an intense taste with fine flavour. In recent times the government has made fresh efforts to promote cocoa cultivation, with promising plantations growing some fine grades. However, continuity of cultivation is still threatened by latent political instability and tribal wars. As a result, Papuan cocoa has become a much sought-after rarity. 

The taste of Origine Chocolate Papua:
Papua has a high cocoa content. It tastes strongly bitter, with aromatic smoked notes. Remarkable top notes of fruits, subtle herbs and fresh acids round off the taste and form a counterbalance.

Origine Chocolate Java • 64.9% cocoa
Java, a pearl in the Indonesian crown:
For this dark chocolate, we have sourced cocoa from the darker, more robust Forastero hybrids that are widely grown on the island. Java cocoa often tends to have a smokey off-taste. We have selected only the beans with a pure and clear flavour, without an undesired after taste. 

The taste of Origine Chocolate Papua:
This dark Java chocolate has a fairly high cocoa content. It tastes very bitter and fruity at the same time. The typical fresh acid touches in particular endow this chocolate with an aromatic and complex bouquet comparable to that of wine.

Origine Chocolate Peru • 64.1% cocoa
Slightly acid and bitter with fruity notes of hazelnut and pear
On the edge of the Pacific lies Peru, once the centre of the mighty Inca empire, one of the oldest pre-Columbian cultures of America. Peru is a country of constantly varying altitude, with plains, valleys and mountains, and only certain limited areas are suitable for cocoa cultivation. Most cocoa is grown on the high plains east of the Andes, requiring extensive care and expensive transportation. Nevertheless, it’s well worth the effort, since Peru produces some remarkable Criollo varieties, with great taste and exciting aromas.
The dark Origine Peru chocolate offers pure excitement to the palate. It has an intense cocoa body with a very mild and pleasant bitterness. At the same time, you will experience strong aromas with a fresh acidity and plenty of fruit, especially hazelnut and pear. 

Origine Chocolate Venezuela • 66.1%
Fresh and slightly sour taste with a touch of grapes
Venezuela expresses its majesty in many ways, among others its famous, high-grade cocoas. Venturing to the North-West of the country takes us to the ancestral home of the cocoa tree, in the eastern Guyana region of the Orinoco basin.
For centuries, Venezuela was famed for its fine cocoa varieties of the pure Criollo type. Regrettably, most of these have disappeared since Forastero types from Trinidad were introduced around 1825. Remnant plantations of the Criollo type are still to be found around Lake Maracaibo and along the coast, to the West of Caracas. They yield very small harvests, but of an extraordinary quality. The same goes for the Trinitario cocoa that is grown in the Barlovento and Paria Peninsula areas.
The exclusive dark chocolate couverture Origine Venezuela has a high cocoa content, and yet is its character very mild. Its fresh sourness releases rich fruity flavours and aromas, reminiscent of grapes. 

Origine Chocolate Togo • 61.3%
Balanced with a light gingerbread taste
The natural landscape of Togo is as varied as the succession of peoples and cultures that have ruled over this country in the past. In the South, the plateau slopes down to a coastal plain with extensive lagoons and mangrove swamps. Between these extremes, the shady hills and fertile soils of the lush rain forest form the perfect habitat for the cocoa tree. The cocoa history of Togo is closely related to that of Ghana, as the East Ghanaian and Togolese cocoa growing areas in practice form one big region.
Historically, after being divided into a French and a British part, the latter merged with Ghana when the country became independent. However, the Togolese cocoa is distinct from the West Ghanaian cocoa since the different soil, the drier climate and the Harmattan wind all exert an influence. Cocoa yields in Togo are limited to about 10,000 tonnes per year.
The dark chocolate couverture Origine Togo is rich in cocoa and has a very balanced profile. The sweetness, sourness and bitterness are in perfect harmony, leaving plenty of space for some typical fruity and aromatic notes, especially spicy hints of gingerbread.