bo-wild-beni-amazon

Wild Bolivian Amazon Cacao (Beni)

Bolivia · Beni Department (Amazon lowlands)  reviewed

admixtureunknown

Parts of the Beni lowlands hold stands of wild and semi-wild cacao, known locally as Beniano or cacao silvestre, harvested by communities in forest islands called 'chocolatales'. It is of interest both as a genetic resource and as a distinctive origin.

EquatorTropic of CancerTropic of CapricornFar North Queensland — AustraliaIxcacao — San Felipe — BelizeStann Creek — BelizeToledo (Maya Mountain) — BelizeToledo Cacao Growers Association (TCGA) — BelizeAlto Beni — BoliviaBaures — Itenez wild cacao — BoliviaBaures / Iténez — BoliviaEl Ceibo (Alto Beni) — BoliviaTrópico de Cochabamba — BoliviaWild Bolivian Amazon Cacao (Beni) — BoliviaBahia (Ilhéus) — BrazilBahia cabruca — Cocoa Coast — BrazilLinhares (Espírito Santo) — BrazilMedicilândia (Transamazônica) — BrazilRondônia — BrazilTomé-Açu (Pará) — BrazilTransamazônica — central Pará — BrazilVale do Juruá — Acre native cacao — BrazilBarombi-Kang (IRAD regional trial) — CameroonCameroon (bulk cacao) — CameroonMbangassina (Grand Mbam) — CameroonPHP (Penja) — CameroonSouth-West (Meme) — CameroonAntioquia — ColombiaArauca — ColombiaCaquetá Amazon piedmont — ColombiaCundinamarca — Yacopí / Pacho — ColombiaHuila — ColombiaPutumayo — ColombiaSantander — ColombiaSierra Nevada de Santa Marta — ColombiaTolima — ColombiaTumaco — ColombiaTalamanca — Costa RicaTalamanca — APPTA — Costa RicaUpala — Costa RicaAbengourou (Indénié-Djuablin) — Côte d'IvoireCAPEDIG (Duékoué) — Côte d'IvoireCôte d'Ivoire (bulk cacao) — Côte d'IvoireECAM (Méagui) — Côte d'IvoireGôh (Gagnoa) — Côte d'IvoireHaut-Sassandra — Côte d'IvoireSan-Pédro — Côte d'IvoireSCEB (Agnéby-Tiassa) — Côte d'IvoireSoubré (Nawa) — Côte d'IvoireBaracoa — CubaBaracoa — Jamal central processing — CubaEsco Kivu (Beni-Watalinga) — Democratic Republic of the CongoNorth Kivu / Beni — Democratic Republic of the CongoTshopo (Bengamisa) — Democratic Republic of the CongoBois Cotlette — DominicaCONACADO — Dominican RepublicCOOPROAGRO — Dominican RepublicHato Mayor — Dominican RepublicHispaniola (San Francisco de Macorís) — Dominican RepublicÖko Caribe — Dominican RepublicReserva Zorzal — Dominican RepublicSan Francisco de Macorís — Dominican RepublicYamasá — Dominican RepublicArriba Nacional — EcuadorCamino Verde (Balao) — EcuadorEl Oro — EcuadorEsmeraldas — EcuadorGuayas — EcuadorHacienda Limón — EcuadorLos Ríos — EcuadorManabí — EcuadorNapo (Kallari) — EcuadorNorte de Esmeraldas — APROCANE — EcuadorSucumbíos — EcuadorVinces — EcuadorZamora-Chinchipe — APEOSAE — EcuadorEl Salvador — El SalvadorBioko — Equatorial GuineaVanua Levu — FijiWoleu-Ntem — GabonABOCFA (Suhum) — GhanaGhana (West African Amelonado) — GhanaJuabeso-Bia — GhanaKuapa Kokoo — GhanaOffinso Fine Flavour Cooperative — GhanaSefwi-Wiawso — GhanaYayra Glover (Suhum) — GhanaGrenada — GrenadaGrenada Chocolate Cooperative — Hermitage — GrenadaAlta Verapaz — GuatemalaCahabón — GuatemalaIzabal — GuatemalaLachuá — GuatemalaPolochic Valley — GuatemalaSuchitepéquez — GuatemalaGuinea (bulk cacao) — GuineaAcul-du-Nord — HaitiGrand-Anse — Dame-Marie — HaitiGrand'Anse — HaitiNord (FECCANO) — HaitiAtlántida (Pico Bonito) — HondurasCholoma — APACH — HondurasCopán — HondurasPatuca — Tawahka — HondurasWampusirpi — HondurasEast Godavari — IndiaIdukki — IndiaKarnataka — IndiaKerala — IndiaTamil Nadu — IndiaWest Godavari — IndiaAceh — IndonesiaBali — IndonesiaFlores — IndonesiaHalmahera — IndonesiaJava — IndonesiaLampung — IndonesiaMamuju — IndonesiaPolewali Mandar — IndonesiaRansiki — IndonesiaSulawesi — IndonesiaJamaica — JamaicaMorgan's Valley, Clarendon — JamaicaRichmond, Saint Mary — JamaicaLiberia (bulk cacao) — LiberiaLofa (Voinjama / Foya) — LiberiaNimba (Karnplay) — LiberiaÅkesson's Ambolikapiky — MadagascarAly Robert (Antsatsaka) — MadagascarFOFIFA Ankatafahely (Ambanja) — MadagascarMAVA Plantation (Sambirano) — MadagascarMillot Estate (Bejofo) — MadagascarSambirano Valley — MadagascarT'MAR (Upper Sambirano) — MadagascarSabah (Tawau) — MalaysiaSarawak — MalaysiaComalcalco — Chontalpa — MexicoComalcalco — Hacienda Jesús María (CACEP) — MexicoLos Tuxtlas — MexicoOaxaca (Chinantla) — MexicoSoconusco — MexicoTabasco — MexicoTapachula — Soconusco heirloom cooperatives — MexicoYucatán rejolladas (sacred Maya cacao groves) — MexicoMatagalpa — NicaraguaMining Triangle — Bonanza, Siuna, Rosita — NicaraguaNueva Guinea — NicaraguaRío San Juan — NicaraguaWaslala — NicaraguaCRIN (Ajassor seed garden) — NigeriaCross River (Ikom-Etung-Boki) — NigeriaNigeria (bulk cacao) — NigeriaOndo State — NigeriaBocas del Toro — PanamaCOCABO — Bocas del Toro — PanamaComarca Ngäbe-Buglé — PanamaBougainville — Papua New GuineaEast Sepik — Papua New GuineaKarkar Island — Papua New GuineaMadang — Papua New GuineaNew Britain — Papua New GuineaNew Ireland — Papua New GuineaAmazonas (Bagua) — PeruChuncho — PeruHuánuco (Tingo María) — PeruMadre de Dios — PeruMarañón Canyon — PeruOxapampa — Yánesha & Asháninka — PeruPiura Blanco — PeruQuillabamba — Alto Urubamba — PeruSan Martín — PeruSan Martín — ACOPAGRO — PeruSatipo — PeruUcayali — PeruVizcatán del Ene — VRAEM — PeruBatangas — PhilippinesBohol — PhilippinesCebu — PhilippinesDavao — PhilippinesDavao de Oro — PhilippinesDavao Oriental — PhilippinesNegros Occidental — PhilippinesHacienda Chocolat (Fajardo) — Puerto RicoSamoa — SamoaCECAB (São Tomé) — São Tomé and PríncipeCECAQ-11 (São Tomé) — São Tomé and PríncipePríncipe (Terreiro Velho) — São Tomé and PríncipeRoça Agostinho Neto (Rio do Ouro) — São Tomé and PríncipeRoça Bombaim — São Tomé and PríncipeRoça Diogo Vaz — São Tomé and PríncipeSão Tomé (roça cacao) — São Tomé and PríncipeNgoleagorbu (Kenema-Kailahun, Gola) — Sierra LeoneSierra Leone (bulk cacao) — Sierra LeoneGuadalcanal — Solomon IslandsMakira — Solomon IslandsMalaita — Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands — Solomon IslandsKandy — Sri LankaKurunegala — Sri LankaMatale — Sri LankaRabot Estate (Soufrière) — St. LuciaSaint Lucia Island Growers — St. LuciaPingtung — TaiwanKokoa Kamili (Kilombero Valley) — TanzaniaKyela (Mababu) — TanzaniaMababu Cooperative — TanzaniaMbeya (Southern Highlands) — TanzaniaTanga (Usambara historical) — TanzaniaChanthaburi — ThailandChiang Mai — ThailandChumphon — ThailandKpalimé-Akébou (Choco Togo / Vision+) — TogoTogo (bulk cacao) — TogoBrasso Seco — Trinidad and TobagoFour Roads Tamana — Trinidad and TobagoHeights of Aripo — Trinidad and TobagoInternational Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad (ICGT) — Centeno — Trinidad and TobagoLopinot — Trinidad and TobagoMarper Farm — Trinidad and TobagoTableland — Trinidad and TobagoTobago (Roxborough) — Trinidad and TobagoTobago Cocoa Estate — Trinidad and TobagoTrinitario Heartland — Trinidad and TobagoBundibugyo / Semuliki — UgandaMukono-Buikwe — UgandaSemuliki Forest (Latitude Trade) — UgandaHawai'i Island — United StatesO'ahu (Waialua) — United StatesAore — VanuatuEpi — VanuatuMalekula — VanuatuCanoabo — VenezuelaCarenero (Barlovento) — VenezuelaCaripito — VenezuelaChoroní — VenezuelaChuao — VenezuelaCuyagua — VenezuelaGuasare — VenezuelaHacienda San José (Paria) — VenezuelaOcumare de la Costa — VenezuelaPatanemo — VenezuelaPorcelana — VenezuelaRío Caribe — VenezuelaSur del Lago — VenezuelaYaracuy — Güáquira — VenezuelaBà Rịa-Vũng Tàu — VietnamBến Tre — VietnamĐắk Lắk — VietnamĐắk Nông — VietnamĐồng Nai — VietnamLâm Đồng — VietnamTiền Giang — Vietnam
CountryBolivia
RegionBeni Department (Amazon lowlands)
Growing regionAmericas
Coordinates-14.00°, -65.50° (approx.)
Elevation150-300 m
Producercollective
Genetic groupsadmixture, unknown
Traditional classunknown
Also known asBolivian wild cacao, Beniano, cacao silvestre
Bean notesSmall beans from naturally occurring stands in seasonally flooded Amazon forest. Genetic work associates this 'Beniano' material with a distinct cacao population of the Beni River not represented in international genebanks, and it does not correspond to any of the ten clusters of Motamayor et al. 2008, PLoS ONE 3(10):e3311 (genetic clusters). Microsatellite analysis separates wild from cultivated Bolivian trees, but 16 to 20 per cent of pollination events occur between cultivated and wild populations, so introgression into the wild stands is ongoing.
Harvest seasonmain Jan-Apr
FermentationCommunity fermentation following wild harvest; practices vary.
DryingSun-dried.
Flavourbright fruit · floral · citrus · lively acidity
Updated2026-08-08

Sources

  • Chumacero de Schawe, C., Durka, W., Tscharntke, T., Hensen, I. & Kessler, M. 2013, 'Gene flow and genetic diversity in cultivated and wild cacao (Theobroma cacao) in Bolivia', American Journal of Botany 100(11):2271-2279 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24158148/
  • Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 2012, 'Genetic diversity and spatial structure in a new distinct Theobroma cacao L. population in Bolivia' — https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10722-011-9680-y
  • WCS Bolivia, 'Cacao silvestre' — https://bolivia.wcs.org/es-es/iniciativas/manejo-de-recursos-naturales/cacao-silvestre.aspx
  • CIPCA, 'Beni se la juega por su cacao, uno de los mejores del mundo' — https://cipca.org.bo/analisis-y-opinion/reportajes/beni-se-la-juega-por-su-cacao-uno-de-los-mejores-del-mundo

Related origins

Asia & Pacific au-far-north-queensland Far North Queensland Australia · Far North Queensland (Mossman / Daintree / Mission Beach) admixture fruity · nutty · caramel · mild Americas bz-ixcacao-san-felipe Ixcacao — San Felipe Belize · San Felipe village, Toledo District (southern Belize) Criolloadmixture honey · caramel · nutty · spice Americas bz-stann-creek Stann Creek Belize · Stann Creek District admixture cocoa · nutty · mild fruit · balanced Americas bz-toledo-maya-mountain Toledo (Maya Mountain) Belize · Toledo District Criolloadmixture bright fruit · raisin · nutty · balanced Americas bz-tcga-toledo Toledo Cacao Growers Association (TCGA) Belize · Toledo and South Stann Creek districts (southern Belize) CriolloAmelonadoadmixture raisin · honey · spice · tropical fruit Americas bo-alto-beni Alto Beni Bolivia · La Paz Department (Alto Beni) admixture fruity · nutty · honey · balanced
Trust receipt — 236db13c4ebb341e — reviewed
Record SHA-256
236db13c4ebb341eFull hash — 236db13c4ebb341ef9796743970f33199d7cd66afbd7fd0ba6cb68959f73da8f
OpenTimestamps proof
bo-wild-beni-amazon.json.ots(verify with ots verify)
Internet Archive snapshot
(snapshot pending)
First indexed
(not recorded)
Last revised
2026-08-08
Status
reviewed
Cited sources
4

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