Issue 2:2 | Excerpt
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The new hope of Vietnam's cacao

It’s no secret that sources of high-quality cacao are becoming
increasingly scarce. With demand for fine chocolate intensifying around
the globe, chocolate makers—from large manufacturers to small
artisanal producers—are competing for prized beans more fiercely than
ever before. There is new hope, however. A dedicated group of
chocolate industry representatives, agricultural scientists, and non-
governmental organizations are laying the foundation for cacao’s
future—in Vietnam. Here lies an unprecedented opportunity to help mold
an exciting new source of high-quality cacao and transform the
economic prospects of Vietnamese farmers.

“I see great potential for cacao in Vietnam,” says Nguyen Van Loc.
He would know. In just a few short years, Loc has become one of
Vietnam’s leading cacao farmers, dramatically improving his family’s
livelihood and the long-term sustainability of his farmlands in the
process. He is not alone. All across the country, farmers—many of
whom were struggling to get by—are seeing their financial prospects
come into bloom as a result of planting cacao. Vietnam, with its rich
agricultural heritage, educated workforce, and diversity of soils,
topography, and climate is ideally suited to nurture an unique cacao
tradition all its own. It is the responsibility—the obligation—of chocolate
makers and connoisseurs to ensure it evolves into a tradition of quality
and flavor. | CONTINUED



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