Issue 2:2 | Excerpt
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Cru Sauvage: The world's first fine chocolate
made with wild Bolivian cacao

Deep in the rainforests of Bolivia, where centuries ago Spanish
conquerors once hunted for gold, grows one of the rarest cacaos on
earth: wild native cacao or criollo cacao silvestre, in Spanish. Simply
called chocolate by locals, it thrives in the dense wild forests of the
lush Amazonian plains. Unlike most all other cacaos in the world, it isn’t
cultivated on plantations or estates.

To make chocolate from criollo cacao silvestre would be a near
impossible task. Yet in 2004, German-born agronomist Volker Lehmann
and Max Felchlin, one of Switzerland’s leading chocolate companies,
teamed up to accomplish just such a feat, creating the world’s first fine
chocolate made from wild cacao. It’s name: Cru Sauvage.

Volker Lehmann always had an interest in tropical agriculture. After
completing his master’s degree in rural resources and environmental
policy at the University of London, he took a job with Germany’s
Volunteer Service, a non-governmental organization that promotes
sustainable development internationally. His assignment landed him in
the rainforests of Bolivia, where in 1991 he had his first encounter
with wild cacao. | CONTINUED



::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::