COCO's Journey Across Colombia | Intro

In 2019 I went on an 8 day road trip across Colombia. I started in the country's vibrant capital, Bogotá, and drove all the way up north, where I visited cacao plantations in Medellin and reached the Caribbean coast. I travelled across Colombia's busiest cities and smallest towns, navigating my way through traffic, meeting street artists, getting to know local farmers, learning more about cacao, and enjoying the finest Colombian food. 

It was important for me to take this trip, and to be able to share it with you. When I took over COCO in 2013 I decided to do things differently, and take my own approach to sourcing chocolate. After months of research I found a way that met my ethical standards, while guaranteeing the highest quality of cacao.

We begin the making of our chocolate at origin, in South America, purchasing chocolate couverture (high-quality chocolate buttons) from our Colombian partners, and then turn the couverture into chocolate products in our Edinburgh kitchen. By choosing to have more of the chocolate making process done at origin - made into couverture by local farmers rather than purchasing the cacao beans directly from them - COCO contributes to creating legal jobs and allows more wealth to remain in a developing economy.

Follow COCO's journey across Colombia as the next three films will be released on our Journal in upcoming weeks. 

Calum Haggerty, Director