About us · Chocolate artisans
No shortcuts to extraordinary flavor
We are a tree-to-bonbon chocolate maker. We grow our cacao on our farm, El Paraíso, in Rivera (Huila), turn it into chocolate and finish it by hand, one bonbon at a time.
- El Paraíso farmRivera, Huila
- Since 2023Born from a university thesis
- Buen Diseño Colombia2025 seal
Our story
From a university thesis to a shop in Bogotá
Kakaówa began at university, as our founder's thesis project. Long before we sold our first box, there was a long creative process.
Ever since, the idea has stayed the same: let design and chocolate tell the story of the land where cacao is born.
- At university
The idea is born
The thesis of Felipe Hernández, a food designer, is where Kakaówa begins.
- March 31
We become a company
Kakaówa is officially founded, with cacao from our farm in Rivera, Huila.
- Recognition
Buen Diseño Colombia seal
For connecting design with the local life of Huila, a cacao-growing region.
- July 1
We open our first shop
On Calle de los Anticuarios, in Bogotá.
From tree to bonbon
Everything passes through our hands
Many chocolate makers buy ready-made chocolate and melt it. We start at the tree, so we know where every flavor comes from.
We harvest at El Paraíso
We cut every ripe pod by hand on our farm in Rivera, Huila.
We ferment
We scoop out the beans with their pulp and let them ferment in wooden boxes covered with plantain leaves. That's where flavor begins.
We dry and sort
We dry the beans and pick the best. Much of the final flavor depends on this care after harvest.
We roast and refine
We roast the beans, remove the shells and refine them into smooth, creamy chocolate.
We temper
We bring the chocolate to just the right temperature so it shines and snaps when you break it.
We mold, fill and paint
Every bonbon is molded, filled and decorated by hand, one at a time.
On video
Watch it from start to finish
The whole journey, from the farm to the finished bonbon.
Why Colombian cacao
The best chocolate doesn't come from Switzerland. It comes from where cacao grows.
- 0cacao trees grow in Switzerland and Belgium. They import every bean they use.
- 12%of the cacao traded worldwide is fine or flavour cacao. The rest is bulk cacao.
- 80%of Colombia's cacao exports are recognized as fine or flavour by the International Cocoa Organization.
Colombian cacao has won awards at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris (Cocoa of Excellence), and Colombian chocolate has won gold at the International Chocolate Awards.
Sources: International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), Annex C, Council decision of April 2024, and the “Fine or flavour cocoa” page.
With the land
Chocolate that gives back to Huila
We pay fair prices
Besides the cacao from El Paraíso, we buy raw materials from local growers' associations at fair prices.
We innovate with local communities
Through field labs and co-design sessions, we work with growers to improve the beans and create new products.
Work beyond the harvest
Turning cacao into chocolate right where it grows creates jobs that don't depend on the harvest alone.
Made with solar energy
Over 80% of the energy behind our production comes from solar panels.
Packaging worth keeping
Sugarcane-based papers and boxes you'll want to keep, not throw away.
Seals and recognition
What others say about our work
Buen Diseño Colombia 2025
For connecting design with the local life of Huila. Inspired by Japan's Good Design Award.
Green Business
Awarded by Colombia's Ministry of Environment to businesses with a positive environmental, social and economic impact.
INVIMA health registration
Backs the safety and traceability of every bonbon, bar and truffle.
The team
The hands behind every bonbon
Consuelo Sansa
Cacao grower and post-harvest
Yesica Cortez
Master chocolatier
Sergio Hernández
Co-founder and R&D chef
Felipe Hernández
Founder and food designer
Giselle Rodríguez
Shop host
Come taste it
All of this makes more sense with a bonbon in your mouth
Visit us on Calle de los Anticuarios or order from our online shop. Same-day delivery in Bogotá and Medellín.
Calle 79B # 7-30, Local 5Calle de los Anticuarios, El Nogal · Bogotá
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