ORGANIC CACAO FROM SONSONATE, EL SALVADOR

Everything
begins at
the origin.

Single-origin cacao from Sonsonate, grown and crafted by the Hernández family, from tree to your hands.

Grown among shade, natural cycles and a cacao heritage carried across generations.

Productive cacao tree laden with pods in the family grove in Sonsonate
Where it all begins. Our cacao grove in Sonsonate.
Organic growing practicesHand-harvestedNatural cyclesSun-dried

THE HERNÁNDEZ FAMILY STORY

Joaquín did not retire.
He planted what would come next.

Joaquín Hernández tending a cacao pod in his Sonsonate grove
Joaquín, founder and mentor, tending a cacao pod in Sonsonate.

After a lifetime of professional work, Joaquín could have stopped. He chose to begin again.

This time, with cacao.

What began as a personal decision brought his sons together around something much larger: a family learning to grow, craft and protect the same origin.

He did not begin with a factory or mass production. He began by walking among trees, learning from every harvest and tending each pod with his own hands. Joaquín wanted to show that cacao could once again be grown with patience, without synthetic pesticides and with the respect deserved by a food bound to El Salvador’s memory.

Eduardo Eliseo brings the science of cultivation. An Agribusiness engineer, he works professionally at El Salvador’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) as an extension specialist in high-yield crops. His experience in soil management, organic methods, agricultural machinery and crop management brings a technical perspective to the family’s cacao: observing, measuring and making better decisions in every harvest. That agronomic experience is joined by years of direct work growing and artisanally processing cacao.

Jonathan Giovanni brings software engineering and the brand’s identity. He gives the work of the grove a contemporary voice for consumers, chefs and chocolate makers, always close to its origin.

The first export came in 2024, but the truest achievement still happens each day: a family united around a tradition that might have been lost and is now growing again. Choosing their cacao supports that courage, sustains the farmer’s direct work and helps a Salvadoran legacy pass from Joaquín’s hands to the generations ahead.

When you buy directly from our family, the value of that care returns to the place where it all begins.

One land. One family. A living legacy.

FOUNDER & MENTOR

Joaquín Eduardo
Hernández

The courage to begin again. His love for the land started the project and remains the root that brings the family together.

WhatsApp ↗

AGRONOMY & CROP MANAGEMENT

Eduardo Eliseo
Hernández

An Agribusiness engineer and professional at El Salvador’s MAG. He applies experience in high-yield crops, soil management and agricultural technology to the family’s cacao.

LinkedIn ↗

TECHNOLOGY & IDENTITY

Jonathan Giovanni
Hernández

A software engineer. He connects the family’s roots with a contemporary vision and opens new conversations for Salvadoran cacao.

LinkedIn ↗

SONSONATE, EL SALVADOR

A land where
cacao holds memory.

Izalco Volcano beneath the Sonsonate sky
Izalco Volcano, Sonsonate.

In Sonsonate, cacao did not begin with our family. Its story reaches much further back.

A millennia-old Mesoamerican heritage endures here, binding cacao, community and the natural cycles of the land.

In the ancient region of Los Izalcos, cacao seeds were food, wealth and exchange. Nahua culture and the Náhuat language remain part of this land, while places such as Joya de Cerén preserve traces of a Mesoamerican relationship with cacao carried across generations.

Sonsonate’s volcanic soils form from mineral materials that, as they weather over time and receive careful organic management, can sustain fertile, living ground. Together with shade, water and attentive harvesting, that soil supports the development of high-quality fruit.

Growing it today means working upon that memory: observing the shade, respecting natural cycles and letting the land set the pace.

Different-coloured cacao pods from our family harvest in Sonsonate
The colours of our harvest. Sonsonate, El Salvador.

OUR CRIOLLO CACAO

Cacao prized
for its nuances.

Harvest of cacao pods in varied colours in Sonsonate
Cacao pods gathered after harvest.

Criollo is one of the cacao types associated with fine flavour cacao. It is prized for aromatic complexity and its potential to express delicate nuances. Fine cacao can offer fruity, floral, nutty or caramel notes over a balanced chocolate base.

Variety is the beginning. Soil, fruit ripeness, fermentation, drying and roasting shape the result. That is why we care for every stage: so the character of our Sonsonate cacao reaches your cup. The specific profile varies between lots.

El Salvador, among
origins of distinction.

International recognition tells a story of quality and hard work. These are verifiable references for our country’s cacao.

ICCO · 2024

Fine flavour cacao

ICCO classifies 100% of Salvadoran cacao bean exports as fine or flavour cacao in its April 2024 decision.

View ICCO reference ↗

CACAO OF EXCELLENCE · 2025

Among the Best 50

Producers from El Salvador feature in the 2025 Best 50 selection. Asociación Cafetalera Alpina and Luis Antonio Arias Nájera & Mónica Monti Perla received regional bronze awards, announced in February 2026.

View 2025 results ↗

These distinctions for producers across the country reflect the presence and quality of Salvadoran cacao on the international stage. Our organic commitment begins in the grove: compost, shade and care without synthetic pesticides.

FROM TREE TO YOUR HANDS

Every stage offers a different way to enjoy cacao.

From freshly harvested fruit to nibs, ground cacao and our family chocolate discs.

OUR PRODUCTS FOR SALE

Choose your way
to enjoy cacao.

Pure cacao and handmade chocolate, directly from our family. Talk with us on WhatsApp to agree the format, quantity, price and delivery according to the harvest.

Direct sales. No middlemen.
Cacao seeds spread out during artisanal sun-drying

02 · Artisanal sun-drying

Sun-dried cacao seeds

Unfermented cacao seed, spread and turned by hand through a slow sun-drying process. Direct, intense cacao ready for further transformation.

An ingredient for roasting, grinding and artisanal chocolate making.

Request dried seeds ↗
Cacao seeds fermenting in a wooden box used by the Hernández family

03 · Aroma developed in boxes

Fermented and dried cacao seeds

Cacao beans fermented in wooden boxes and slowly sun-dried. The process develops the aromas later revealed by roasting.

For bean-to-bar chocolate makers and producers who work from the seed.

Ask about fermented seeds ↗
Hernández family cacao nibs during production

04 · Roasted and cracked seed

Roasted cacao nibs

Pure cacao, roasted and cracked. Crunchy, aromatic and intense, with no sugar or added ingredients.

Enjoy directly, pair with fruit and yoghurt, or use in baking.

Order cacao nibs ↗
Gold-seal bag of pure cold-ground cacao

05 · 100% ground cacao, no additives

Whole cacao ground at low temperature

We grind roasted, shelled cacao while retaining both its cocoa solids and its natural cocoa butter.

Unlike many cocoa powders produced after pressing the cocoa mass, here the seed retains what naturally belongs to it.

100% cacao. No sugar, sweeteners or blends.

For drinks, breakfast, smoothies, nutritional preparations, baking and cooking.

Order ground cacao ↗
Round handmade chocolate discs made by the Hernández family

06 · Our Salvadoran family recipe

Handmade chocolate discs

Salvadoran craft chocolate in handmade discs to enjoy or prepare as a hot drink, sweetened to taste with panela or brown sugar.

With Mesoamerican-inspired aromas such as allspice, vanilla or a touch of chilli, according to the order.

Buy handmade chocolate discs ↗

PURE CACAO

Cacao, nothing hidden.From pod to its purest form.

Our pure cacao retains its natural cocoa butter and contains no sugar, sweeteners or additives. Whether as roasted beans, nibs or organic ground cacao, it preserves the bean’s full character for drinking, cooking or further crafting.

  1. Fresh cacao pod
  2. Sun-dried cacao beans
  3. Fermented cacao beans
  4. Roasted cacao nibs
  5. Organic ground cacao

THE TASTE OF SHARING

A cup can bring
us closer to home.

Water, cacao and a little time.

In many Salvadoran homes, chocolate is prepared warm and shared. Our discs continue that gesture: heat water, add pieces of chocolate, stir over gentle heat and whisk before serving. Adjust the strength to your taste.

With pure ground cacao you can prepare your own version. With our family discs, enjoy panela or brown sugar and the aromas of our family recipe. Two ways of returning to the same origin.

A cup of Salvadoran hot chocolate prepared to be shared
A warm cup, prepared to be shared.

DIRECTLY WITH THE FAMILY

It began with Joaquín.
Today we grow it together.

From the cacao of our land to your table. Every product card opens a direct conversation to agree format, quantity, price and delivery.

WhatsApp · +503 7059 6128

From one generation to the next, cacao continues.

FOR CHOCOLATE MAKERS & MANUFACTURERS

Clear data for evaluating every lot.

We share the available origin, harvest and process information so chefs, chocolate makers and manufacturers can evaluate the cacao before buying.

  • Origin and harvest
  • Variety and format
  • Fermentation and moisture
  • Volume and traceability

Samples and lot sheets

WhatsApp · +503 7059 6128Request a sample on WhatsApp ↗
info@premiumorganicchocolate.comRequest by email ↗

Delivery arranged with you.

We deliver in Sonsonate, San Salvador, Santa Ana and western El Salvador, subject to availability. Delivery cost is confirmed before closing the order. For fresh fruit, we also check transport feasibility.

Organic growing, personal care.

We work with compost, diverse shade and manual care, without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers. We produce in small batches and speak directly with everyone who chooses our cacao.