Cacao of Excellence announces the launch of the 2025 Edition of the Cacao of Excellence Awards

[Rome, 3 June 2024] – Cacao of Excellence is delighted to announce the official launch of the 2025 Edition of the Cacao of Excellence Awards. Since its inception in 2009, Cacao of Excellence has been the premier platform for cacao producers to showcase the superior quality of their cacao, celebrating the diversity of flavours of cacao produced worldwide.

Held biennially, the Cacao of Excellence Awards bring together leading sensory evaluation experts and the chocolate industry to recognise and reward cacao producers who demonstrate excellence. The Awards offer the possibility for selected producers and the origins they represent to compete at the international level for the recognition of their cacao as one of the very best in the world.

Benefits for Cacao Producers

• Receive expert, detailed feedback on the physical and sensory quality of submitted cacao samples.
• Invitation to a unique networking platform to meet potential buyers and promote superior quality cacao.
• Increased visibility through the promotion and display of the best samples at various events for potential buyers.
• International, regional, and national recognition for producing beans of exceptional quality and diverse flavours.
• Strengthened capacity to evaluate, identify, and recognise excellent cacao.
• Incentive to develop cacao quality and flavour assessment skills at the national level.
• Official Award certificate, dedicated winner’s profile webpage, dedicated social media posts, mention in press release, showcase at premier cacao and chocolate industry Cacao of Excellence ceremony event.

How to Participate

To participate in the 2025 Edition of the Cacao of Excellence Awards, producers should contact their respective National Organisation Committee (NOC) regarding the national selection process. The NOCs will be established in each participating origin starting June 2024 onwards. Once officially confirmed, NOC contact details will be shared on the Cacao of Excellence website. The Guide for Participation, now available on the Cacao of Excellence website, contains important updates to quotas per origin. Sample cacao bean submissions from NOCs should be a minimum of 7 kg for the 2025 Edition and should be submitted to Cacao of Excellence as early as November 2024, with a final deadline of 31 January 2025.

Role of National Organisation Committees

For each edition, participating cacao-producing origins establish a NOC to oversee producer participation. These committees can include representatives from national cacao boards, quality control centers, export promoting institutions, research and development institutions, or NGOs. NOCs are tasked with selecting the best cacao samples for submission to Cacao of Excellence and communicating the opportunity to producers. They may also conduct a national competition to select the best samples, representative of their origin’s genetic diversity. Once roles and responsibilities are agreed upon, Cacao of Excellence confirms the NOC in each origin.

Stay Informed

Stay informed about the 2025 Edition by following Cacao of Excellence on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X social media channels.

For more detailed information, please refer to the 2025 Edition Guide for Participation on the dedicated 2025 Edition webpage on the Cacao of Excellence website.