Mestizo

There is limited information on the Mestizo website, and not much on their Facebook page either. The packaging of the bars simply mentions Ecuadorian fino de aroma cocoa and fair trade with small producers. However, a detail invites further investigation: it is produced by “PapaCacao” in Pomasqui. PapaCacao? A detective would find here an article in the Ecuadorian government’s cultural agenda that highlights Jaime Freire, nicknamed Papa Cacao, who is said to be the originator of the Ecuadorian government’s project to reactivate arriba nacional and fino de aroma cocoa in the 2010s and has since trained several Ecuadorian chocolatiers. What is the exact connection between Mestizo and Papa Cacao? That remains to be explored. In any case, I found these bars in a shop in Pasaje Arzobispal, located in the heart of the historic center of Quito.