Chocolates De Mendes is an award-winning Brazilian chocolate brand based in Santa Bárbara do Pará, renowned for its artisanal, forest-origin chocolates that fuse social impact, biodiversity preservation, and gastronomic excellence. Founded by scientist and chocolate maker César De Mendes, the company is internationally recognized for its unique partnerships with Indigenous and traditional Amazonian communities, producing chocolate from rare native cocoa varieties and cupuaçu.
Core Business
Chocolates De Mendes operates at the intersection of biodiversity, culinary art, and community development. The company's core business revolves around bean-to-bar and cupuaçu-to-bar production, where it sources cocoa and cupuaçu directly from smallholder farmers, extractive communities, and Indigenous groups in the Amazon rainforest. The process includes fermentation, drying, roasting, and hand-crafting premium chocolate products with no artificial additives.
Product and Service Offerings
De Mendes offers an extensive range of chocolates and cupulate (chocolate-like bars made from cupuaçu seeds):
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Chocolate Bars:
- Bom Jardim 63% Cacau
- Sakaguchi ao Leite 47% Cacau
- Paiter Suruí 70% Cacau
- Vale do Jari 65% Cacau
- Yanomami Ye'kwana 69% Cacau
- Mulheres da Floresta 72% Cacau
- Acará-Açu 75% Cacau
- Sakaguchi 78% Cacau
- Xiba 81% Cacau
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Cupulate Bars (made from fermented and roasted cupuaçu seeds):
- Kunkuni Cupulate 70% Cupuaçu
- Amabela 65% Cupuaçu
- Sakaguchi Cupulate 70% Cupuaçu
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Confectionery Products:
- Brazil nut cookies with puxuri covered in cupulate or chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt
- Chocolate-covered Brazil nuts (60% cacao)
- Coffee and chocolate bonbons with Apuí region beans
These products are handcrafted in small batches, using ingredients harvested from forest conservation areas and community agroforests.
Specialization and USP
De Mendes is globally recognized for its:
- Unique supply chain model: Direct partnerships with over 15 Indigenous and traditional communities across the Brazilian Amazon.
- Use of wild and native cocoa varieties, including varieties rarely cultivated outside their origin zones.
- Cupulate innovation: One of the few producers to commercialize chocolate-like bars from cupuaçu, a native fruit seed rich in aroma and nutrition.
- Biocultural preservation: Each bar reflects the cultural and ecological heritage of its community of origin, often named after Indigenous groups or territories.
Financial Strength
As a social enterprise, De Mendes prioritizes reinvestment into community development and forest preservation over profit maximization:
- Annual revenue (estimated): BRL 2–4 million from boutique sales, export, and institutional contracts.
- Products retail at premium price points, between BRL 20–45 per bar, reflecting their rarity and production method.
- Sold in gourmet retailers in Brazil, and select outlets in France, Portugal, and Japan.
Shipment and Export Data
- Export partnerships established in France, Japan, Portugal, and the UK.
- Featured in Salon du Chocolat (Paris) and Terra Madre Salone del Gusto (Italy).
- Serves both individual consumers and institutional clients, such as specialty grocers and gastronomy schools.
- Products comply with EU and Japanese organic and food safety standards, although not officially certified due to cost limitations for smallholder partners.
Target Market
Chocolates De Mendes appeals to a high-end consumer demographic:
- Gourmet and artisanal chocolate consumers
- Ethical buyers prioritizing fair trade, social equity, and conservation
- Chefs and chocolatiers seeking rare flavor profiles
- Specialty food retailers with a focus on Indigenous and rainforest-origin products
Capabilities
De Mendes operates with precision and ethics at its core:
- Microbatch manufacturing unit located in Pará with bean storage, fermentation, and chocolate tempering facilities.
- Community training programs that equip Indigenous and traditional producers with post-harvest processing skills.
- Capacity to produce up to 50,000 chocolate bars annually, maintaining artisanal standards.
- Participates in academic and governmental research collaborations related to biocultural conservation and sustainable agriculture.
Certifications and Compliance
While not universally certified due to cost barriers, De Mendes upholds stringent ethical and ecological practices:
- Products meet EU-level sanitation and packaging standards for exports.
- Participates in organic production models without chemical inputs.
- Adheres to ethical sourcing guidelines developed in conjunction with community cooperatives and legal advisors.
Customer Testimonials
“This chocolate is not only delicious—it tells a story. It speaks of a place, a people, and a planet worth preserving.”
— Helena Rizzo, Chef and Judge, MasterChef Brasil
“De Mendes is a reference in biodiverse chocolate. It's a privilege to serve their products in our Paris patisserie.”
— Laurent T., Artisan Chocolatier, France
Major Achievements
- Named among the 14 best Brazilian chocolate brands by national and international media.
- Recognized in 2023 by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture for promoting Indigenous food heritage.
- Chocolate featured in global exhibitions like Salon du Chocolat (Paris) and Slow Food’s Terra Madre (Italy).
- Finalist in the Prêmio Ecoera, awarded for sustainable business innovation.
- Developed first commercial cupulate bars in Brazil, pioneering a new product category in the gourmet sector.
Chocolates De Mendes exemplifies how food can serve as a powerful tool for environmental stewardship, cultural recognition, and gastronomic sophistication. Through its forest-to-bar ethos, the company crafts not just chocolate, but a narrative of resistance, resilience, and regenerative economy.
