More information
Luisa Abram
"Life seems a lot more interesting to me after this sensory experience. Going in search of wild cocoa is like crossing the ocean. But this mission will be rewarded by the experience of the flavours it will give us." Luisa Abram
Luisa Abram founded her chocolate factory in 2014 in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and gave her name to the brand. Before long, her sister, Andréa Abram, joined her to help run the business. The two sisters only use wild cocoa, in other words beans that grow wild in the Amazon and not on a plantation. In this type of operation, no forest has been cleared, the local population receives an income commensurate with their work, and so a better quality of life. What's more, wild cocoa promises a unique taste experience that can't be found in any other chocolate.
Luisa Abram Chocolate is a family-run business and their work depends on their relationship with the surrounding communities. They have a very close relationship with the producing families, and when they go to the Amazon, they stay with them and are welcomed with open arms. They take part in daily life in the Amazon, eating with the locals and sleeping in the beds and hammocks provided, just like the locals.
The aim of going to these remote regions of the Amazon is to harvest wild cocoa of inestimable quality. The cocoa used by Luisa Abram comes from century-old trees in the Amazon rainforest, the cradle of her creations. Each creation seeks to highlight the flavour profile of each river where the cocoa was grown and harvested. In this way, each Luisa Abram bar is imbued with its own unique personality, linked to a very specific place of production. Virtually no ingredients are added to preserve the true flavour of wild cocoa.
Luisa Abram graduated in gastronomy from the Universidade Anhembi Morumbi in São Paulo. Before that, she made her first trip to the Amazon rainforest, from which she returned with 20 kg of dry, fermented cocoa. She experimented with her creations, and the first Luisa Abram chocolate was born: Rio Purus.
After much research, testing and experimentation, Luisa finally found the perfect roasting profile for her and the right conching time for the cocoa. Her hard work has led her to create one of Brazil's finest chocolates.
Luisa Abram chocolate bars were exported to England for the first time in 2015. Since then, the brand has gone from strength to strength. Today, it has won numerous awards at the Chocolate Academy and the International Chocolate Awards.
-
Brésil, Amazonas, Rio Cassiporé
Bien que le cacao sauvage pousse sur les rives du fleuve Cassiporé depuis des décennies, il a fallu quatre ans pour transférer le cacao hors du village de Vila Velha après que la créatrice Luisa Abram ait pris contact avec eux - les premières discussions n'ont pas suffi à convaincre les habitants de s'engager dans la collecte. Il a fallu que Joao Dorismar, un ancien habitant de Vila Velha, retourne au village et établisse les prémices d'une chaîne du cacao pour que de simples échantillons soient envoyés. La qualité des fèves fermentées étant déplorable, la famille Abrams-Banks a été invitée à se rendre au village et à former 13 familles de cultivateurs de cacao selon leurs directives de fermentation. Depuis, la qualité du produit a considérablement augmenté et Luisa a acheté une tonne de cacao l'année dernière. Cette région, malgré son accès difficile, possède un grand potentiel agricole. 70 familles riveraines cultivent des bananes, des noix de coco, de l'açaí, ainsi que leur incroyable cacao, originaire de la forêt de Várzea.
Le cacao est cultivé à l'état sauvage dans la forêt amazonienne. Il n'est pas planté ou cultivé comme le fait l'homme. Il pousse là où la nature l'a fait apparaître, à l'ombre d'arbres anciens et dans les plaines inondables des rivières, près des communautés fluviales qui sont encouragées à maintenir et à protéger la biodiversité de la forêt tropicale. Les caractéristiques du cacao peuvent varier d'une année à l'autre, en fonction de la manière dont il est récolté.
Un cacao aux arômes de réglisse et d'épices, sur fond tannique. Une note d'agrume très prononcée ; son astringence en fait le compagnon idéal d'un vin rouge corsé.
