Originally from the Amazon, cupuaçu harvested by the community of Colônia Chicano , in Santa Bárbara, Pará, is planted in an agroforestry system. Based on the ancestral knowledge and teachings of the people who live in the Amazon, the cupuaçu seeds are treated in a traditional way that causes the fruit flavor to remain until the Cupulate is made, offering a citrus, fruity, creamy and addictive flavor to this fruit. bar.
Cupulate is so named because it is very similar to its famous cousin, chocolate. Cupulate is made from the almond of Theobroma Grandiflorum, the cupuaçu, a typical fruit from the Amazon that is of the same genus as the fruit of the well-known cocoa, Theobroma Cacao, used in the manufacture of chocolates. Taste, texture and caloric composition similar to chocolate, cupulate offers a typical Amazonian sensory experience. Despite originating in the Amazon, cupuaçu is now cultivated in Central America and Asia. To produce a tasty and quality cupulate, mastery of the fermentation process is essential, which allows the development of characteristics that will give the final product a flavor and texture similar to that of chocolate. On an expedition through Tapajós in 2018, De Mendes discovered a social technology for the treatment of cupuaçu seeds that makes the fruit flavor resist the making process and present itself sensorially in the cupulate bar. Through the development and evolution of this technique, it was possible to arrive at a cupulate of the highest quality, in addition to a delicious and unique flavor.
The product was originally developed in the 1980s by researcher Raimunda Fátima Ribeiro de Nazaré, from Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, located in Belém, PA. Since then, in 1990, Embrapa registered the term “cupulate” with the INPI, making the product even more truly Brazilian.
The cupuaçu harvested in Colônia Chicano , in the municipality of Santa Bárbara do Pará, is planted in an agroforestry system among several other fruit species typical of the region. In addition to being planted in a sustainable and biodiverse system, agroforestry also presents extremely solidary and shared characteristics, which reflect the collective spirit of the community where it is inserted. The community of Colônia Chicano collectively participates in the agricultural production process, sharing tools, exchanging products and even in leisure activities and religious celebrations collectively organized by all the approximately 150 families residing in the small region. The “Chicanos”, as they are known, plant, harvest and ferment the local cupuaçu to make the delicious Kunkuni Cupulate 70% Cupuaçu by Chocolates De Mendes.
OTHER INGREDIENTS AND SUPPLIERS *
- Brown Sugar: supplied by COPAVI – Cooperativa de Produção Agropecuária Vitória, located in Paranacity, in the northwest of the state of Paraná. Founded in 1993, from the Santa Maria settlement, with just 236 hectares and 61 inhabitants, COPAVI is the longest-running experience in collective and solidary production in Paraná.
* possible changes in the supplier may happen due to the availability of the product.
Kunkuni Cupulate - 70% Cupuaçu
Geographic coordinates of the cupuaçu harvest site: 1° 13′ 27″ S | 48° 17′ 38″ W
SANTA BÁRBARA - Pará - Amazon - Brazil
