The Hunt for Wild Chocolate: A Potential Lifeline for the Amazon Rainforest

Almost 500 years after the allure of El Dorado lured Spanish conquistadors into the South American jungle, the search for treasure in the Amazon continues. But today’s explorers aren’t seeking ancient golden empires – they’re after a very real treasure, one that can be found in chocolate bars.

The pursuit of rare, wild cacao in the Amazon rainforest is the focus of a new podcast from Kaleidescope, co-founded by Mangesh Hattikudur of Mytour. In 'Obsessions: Wild Chocolate,' host Rowan Jacobson joins daring cacao hunters in their journey through perilous landscapes, where they risk encounters with cocaine traffickers, floods, and massive anacondas.

“You can earn a living from it if luck’s on your side, but the risks are immense,” Jacobson tells Mytour. “It’s a constant battle with everything that could go wrong, and it often does.”

The Thrill of Adventurous Cuisine

For many who have tasted chocolate made from wild cacao, the rewards far outweigh the risks. While cacao is native to South America, today’s global production sees two-thirds of the crop coming from West Africa. Commercial varieties have been bred for higher yields, causing delicate flavor notes to be lost over time. This makes wild Amazonian chocolate a revelation for those accustomed to mass-produced options like Hershey’s—it's not just a luxury version, it's a completely new experience.

“There are fragrances in it that you won’t find in regular chocolate,” Jacobson remarks. “It’s like a blend of dried and fresh fruit, flowers, and even hints of pipe smoke. It’s an incredibly intriguing flavor profile.”

For chocolate aficionados, purchasing a $55 bar of wild chocolate isn’t just about taste complexity. Given the rarity of the cacao beans and the laborious process required to harvest them, the price is quite a steal.

Turning this exotic ingredient into a viable product only became possible in the last few decades, as the craft chocolate movement grew and more consumers began paying premium prices for artisanal candy bars. At one point, many believed wild chocolate had vanished, known only to a few scientists and the indigenous communities of the rainforests.

The Sanctuary of the Cacao Nib

German cacao explorer Volker Lehmann was among the first to give these rare plants global attention. Upon discovering that locals had been harvesting and processing wild cacao in Bolivia’s remote regions for centuries, he introduced the product to the world, using Swiss methods. The result? An artisan chocolate bar that captivated the culinary world.

As Jacobson describes it: “Then the race began.”

Today, a growing number of individuals are competing to gather the Amazon’s botanical treasures and transform them into delectable creations. One such figure is Luisa Abram, a Brazilian chocolatier featured on Jacobson’s podcast. Part Willy Wonka, part Indiana Jones, Abram first ventured into the rainforest to source wild cacao in 2014. On her initial trip, she returned with nearly 45 pounds of cacao beans, which she dried and fermented to preserve them (an impressive achievement in a region that sees up to 12 feet of rainfall annually). After months of refining her recipe, she perfected a chocolate formula worth sharing with the world. Today, her company, Luisa Abram chocolate, exports to seven countries from Brazil.

Turning an ingredient few have ever tasted into a marketable product is one of the challenges in this industry. Since these wild cacao varieties cannot be farmed, anyone working with them must prioritize sustainability. Abram addresses this by partnering with Indigenous communities whose ancestors have long cultivated the plant in its natural habitat. Local families who assist with cacao harvesting share in the profits, providing them with a strong incentive to protect the forests where the cacao grows.

Sustainable Snacking

Agriculture is one of the largest threats to the rainforest. Currently, approximately 80 percent of the land cleared in the Amazon basin is used for livestock farming. However, as Abram’s work illustrates, local communities don’t necessarily have to choose between preserving the rainforest and earning a livelihood.

“It turns out that this is actually a really cool way to prevent deforestation,” Jacobson explains. “Because this cacao, which grows freely throughout the jungle, allows people to make a living off a thriving forest, rather than destroying it for cattle ranches.”

There are many compelling reasons to keep rainforests intact; preserving exotic chocolate is just one delicious benefit.

Tune in every week for fresh episodes of OBSESSIONS: Wild Chocolate.