Mondulkiri, eastern Cambodia: mineral-laden volcanic soil at 800 m elevation. In 2014 we started the first cacao farm in Cambodia's history and made it the world's 67th cacao origin.
Our estate of about 36 hectares sits in the volcanic highlands of Mondulkiri province, near the Bu Sra waterfall, with our 67 CFARM partner farmers nearby. Together, 82 hectares are GPS-mapped so far, and more plots are being added. The altitude, rainfall, and mineral-rich soil give the beans a flavor profile found nowhere else, and every bag is traceable from tree to bag: origin, batch number and harvest date.
Red-earth roads, cattle grazing beside the cacao, and the elephant monument in Sen Monorom town centre: the place behind every bean.
Cacao is native to the Americas. It reached Southeast Asia by three routes, and the last one ends in Mondulkiri.
Spanish route
1663
Dutch route
c. 1770
Malaysian route Our trees
2014
Over a decade, our Trinitario and Forastero trees in the Mondulkiri highlands grew into at least 19 sub-varietals: a hybrid we call Bunong Origin. Controlled wooden-box fermentation and slow sun-drying carry the terroir into every bean: an intense chocolate aroma with floral-herbal hints, a gentle cocoa depth, and warm notes of nuts, spice and ripe dried fruit.
See How We Process It →
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In Mondulkiri, Cambodia's eastern highlands, near the Bu Sra waterfall. Our own estate sits at 800 m on volcanic soil; our partner farms are between 500 and 800 m.
Since 2014, when Stefan Struik and Chanthol Chean started Cambodia's first cacao farm here.
Our own estate is about 36 hectares. Together with the 67 CFARM farmers, 82 hectares are GPS-mapped so far, and we are still adding plots.
Our first seedlings came from Buon Ma Thuot in Vietnam's Central Highlands in 2014: a Trinitario × Forastero line that reached Vietnam from Malaysia.
An intense chocolate aroma, some floral and herbal notes, and a nutty, spicy finish.
