br-bahia-ilheus
Bahia (Ilhéus)
Brazil · Bahia (Ilhéus / Itabuna cacao belt) reviewed
Amelonadoadmixture
The Ilhéus and Itabuna belt of southern Bahia is Brazil's historic cacao region, traditionally grown under native Atlantic Forest shade in the cabruca agroforestry system. The crop was devastated by witches' broom disease from the late 1980s; recovery has been led by disease-tolerant clones and a growing fine-flavour bean-to-bar sector.
| Country | Brazil |
|---|---|
| Region | Bahia (Ilhéus / Itabuna cacao belt) |
| Growing region | Americas |
| Coordinates | -14.79°, -39.05° (approx.) |
| Elevation | 10-300 m |
| Producer | regional |
| Genetic groups | Amelonado, admixture |
| Traditional class | Forastero |
| Also known as | Sul da Bahia, Cocoa Coast |
| Bean notes | Long-established Bahian populations are overwhelmingly Amelonado-derived; genetic studies of two-century-old plantations report local varieties such as Comum and Parazinho as near-pure Amelonado, with newer clonal and Trinitario-type material now interplanted. |
| Harvest season | main May-Sep; secondary 'temporão' crop Oct-Mar |
| Fermentation | Estate and smallholder box fermentation, commonly 5-7 days; cascade-style wooden boxes are traditional. |
| Drying | Sun-dried on barcaças, the traditional sliding-roof drying platforms; some artificial drying in wetter months. |
| Flavour | straightforward cocoa · earthy · nutty · low acidity |
| Updated | 2026-05-22 |
Sources
- Motamayor et al. 2008, 'Geographic and genetic population differentiation of the Amazonian chocolate tree (Theobroma cacao L.)', PLoS ONE
- Almeida et al. 2015, 'Genetic Structure and Molecular Diversity of Cacao Plants Established as Local Varieties for More than Two Centuries: The Genetic History of Cacao Plantations in Bahia, Brazil', PLOS ONE — https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0145276
- USDA FAS, 'Brazil's Role in the Global Cocoa Landscape', GAIN report BR2025-0028