Origins / Tshopo (Bengamisa)cd-tshopo-bengamisa
Tshopo (Bengamisa)
Democratic Republic of the Congo · Tshopo Province (Bengamisa, near Kisangani)
verified
A lowland Congo Basin cacao zone around Bengamisa, about 57 km from Kisangani, anchored historically by the Cacaoyère de Bengamisa (CABEN) plantation established from 1979-1980 on a 5,000-hectare landholding and now operating only a fraction of that area. Cocoa production in Tshopo has expanded in recent years through smallholder agroforests, with breeding heritage from the nearby Yangambi research station.
Equator Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn Far North Queensland — Australia Ixcacao — San Felipe — Belize Stann Creek — Belize Toledo (Maya Mountain) — Belize Toledo Cacao Growers Association (TCGA) — Belize Alto Beni — Bolivia Baures — Itenez wild cacao — Bolivia Baures / Iténez — Bolivia El Ceibo (Alto Beni) — Bolivia Trópico de Cochabamba — Bolivia Wild Bolivian Amazon Cacao (Beni) — Bolivia Bahia (Ilhéus) — Brazil Bahia cabruca — Cocoa Coast — Brazil Linhares (Espírito Santo) — Brazil Medicilândia (Transamazônica) — Brazil Rondônia — Brazil Tomé-Açu (Pará) — Brazil Transamazônica — central Pará — Brazil Vale do Juruá — Acre native cacao — Brazil Barombi-Kang (IRAD regional trial) — Cameroon Cameroon (bulk cacao) — Cameroon Mbangassina (Grand Mbam) — Cameroon PHP (Penja) — Cameroon South-West (Meme) — Cameroon Antioquia — Colombia Arauca — Colombia Caquetá Amazon piedmont — Colombia Cundinamarca — Yacopí / Pacho — Colombia Huila — Colombia Santander — Colombia Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta — Colombia Tolima — Colombia Tumaco — Colombia Talamanca — Costa Rica Talamanca — APPTA — Costa Rica Upala — Costa Rica Abengourou (Indénié-Djuablin) — Côte d'Ivoire CAPEDIG (Duékoué) — Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire (bulk cacao) — Côte d'Ivoire ECAM (Méagui) — Côte d'Ivoire SCEB (Agnéby-Tiassa) — Côte d'Ivoire Soubré (Nawa) — Côte d'Ivoire Baracoa — Cuba Baracoa — Jamal central processing — Cuba Esco Kivu (Beni-Watalinga) — Democratic Republic of the Congo North Kivu / Beni — Democratic Republic of the Congo Tshopo (Bengamisa) — Democratic Republic of the Congo Bois Cotlette — Dominica CONACADO — Dominican Republic COOPROAGRO — Dominican Republic Hato Mayor — Dominican Republic Hispaniola (San Francisco de Macorís) — Dominican Republic Öko Caribe — Dominican Republic Reserva Zorzal — Dominican Republic San Francisco de Macorís — Dominican Republic Yamasá — Dominican Republic Arriba Nacional — Ecuador Camino Verde (Balao) — Ecuador El Oro — Ecuador Esmeraldas — Ecuador Guayas — Ecuador Hacienda Limón — Ecuador Los Ríos — Ecuador Manabí — Ecuador Napo (Kallari) — Ecuador Norte de Esmeraldas — APROCANE — Ecuador Sucumbíos — Ecuador Vinces — Ecuador Zamora-Chinchipe — APEOSAE — Ecuador Vanua Levu — Fiji ABOCFA (Suhum) — Ghana Ghana (West African Amelonado) — Ghana Juabeso-Bia — Ghana Kuapa Kokoo — Ghana Offinso Fine Flavour Cooperative — Ghana Sefwi-Wiawso — Ghana Yayra Glover (Suhum) — Ghana Grenada — Grenada Grenada Chocolate Cooperative — Hermitage — Grenada Alta Verapaz — Guatemala Cahabón — Guatemala Izabal — Guatemala Lachuá — Guatemala Polochic Valley — Guatemala Suchitepéquez — Guatemala Guinea (bulk cacao) — Guinea Acul-du-Nord — Haiti Grand-Anse — Dame-Marie — Haiti Grand'Anse — Haiti Nord (FECCANO) — Haiti Atlántida (Pico Bonito) — Honduras Choloma — APACH — Honduras Copán — Honduras Patuca — Tawahka — Honduras Wampusirpi — Honduras East Godavari — India Idukki — India Karnataka — India Kerala — India Tamil Nadu — India West Godavari — India Aceh — Indonesia Bali — Indonesia Flores — Indonesia Halmahera — Indonesia Java — Indonesia Lampung — Indonesia Mamuju — Indonesia Polewali Mandar — Indonesia Ransiki — Indonesia Sulawesi — Indonesia Jamaica — Jamaica Morgan's Valley, Clarendon — Jamaica Richmond, Saint Mary — Jamaica Liberia (bulk cacao) — Liberia Lofa (Voinjama / Foya) — Liberia Nimba (Karnplay) — Liberia Åkesson's Ambolikapiky — Madagascar Aly Robert (Antsatsaka) — Madagascar FOFIFA Ankatafahely (Ambanja) — Madagascar MAVA Plantation (Sambirano) — Madagascar Millot Estate (Bejofo) — Madagascar Sambirano Valley — Madagascar T'MAR (Upper Sambirano) — Madagascar Sabah (Tawau) — Malaysia Sarawak — Malaysia Comalcalco — Chontalpa — Mexico Comalcalco — Hacienda Jesús María (CACEP) — Mexico Los Tuxtlas — Mexico Oaxaca (Chinantla) — Mexico Soconusco — Mexico Tabasco — Mexico Tapachula — Soconusco heirloom cooperatives — Mexico Yucatán rejolladas (sacred Maya cacao groves) — Mexico Matagalpa — Nicaragua Mining Triangle — Bonanza, Siuna, Rosita — Nicaragua Nueva Guinea — Nicaragua Río San Juan — Nicaragua Waslala — Nicaragua CRIN (Ajassor seed garden) — Nigeria Cross River (Ikom-Etung-Boki) — Nigeria Nigeria (bulk cacao) — Nigeria Bocas del Toro — Panama COCABO — Bocas del Toro — Panama Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé — Panama Bougainville — Papua New Guinea East Sepik — Papua New Guinea Karkar Island — Papua New Guinea Madang — Papua New Guinea New Britain — Papua New Guinea New Ireland — Papua New Guinea Amazonas (Bagua) — Peru Chuncho — Peru Huánuco (Tingo María) — Peru Madre de Dios — Peru Marañón Canyon — Peru Oxapampa — Yánesha & Asháninka — Peru Piura Blanco — Peru Quillabamba — Alto Urubamba — Peru San Martín — Peru San Martín — ACOPAGRO — Peru Satipo — Peru Ucayali — Peru Vizcatán del Ene — VRAEM — Peru Batangas — Philippines Bohol — Philippines Cebu — Philippines Davao — Philippines Davao de Oro — Philippines Davao Oriental — Philippines Negros Occidental — Philippines Hacienda Chocolat (Fajardo) — Puerto Rico Saint Lucia Island Growers — Saint Lucia Samoa — Samoa CECAB (São Tomé) — São Tomé and Príncipe CECAQ-11 (São Tomé) — São Tomé and Príncipe Príncipe (Terreiro Velho) — São Tomé and Príncipe Roça Agostinho Neto (Rio do Ouro) — São Tomé and Príncipe Roça Bombaim — São Tomé and Príncipe Roça Diogo Vaz — São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé (roça cacao) — São Tomé and Príncipe Ngoleagorbu (Kenema-Kailahun, Gola) — Sierra Leone Sierra Leone (bulk cacao) — Sierra Leone Guadalcanal — Solomon Islands Makira — Solomon Islands Malaita — Solomon Islands Solomon Islands — Solomon Islands Kandy — Sri Lanka Kurunegala — Sri Lanka Matale — Sri Lanka Rabot Estate (Soufrière) — St. Lucia Kokoa Kamili (Kilombero Valley) — Tanzania Kyela (Mababu) — Tanzania Mababu Cooperative — Tanzania Mbeya (Southern Highlands) — Tanzania Tanga (Usambara historical) — Tanzania Chanthaburi — Thailand Chiang Mai — Thailand Chumphon — Thailand Kpalimé-Akébou (Choco Togo / Vision+) — Togo Togo (bulk cacao) — Togo Brasso Seco — Trinidad and Tobago Four Roads Tamana — Trinidad and Tobago Heights of Aripo — Trinidad and Tobago International Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad (ICGT) — Centeno — Trinidad and Tobago Lopinot — Trinidad and Tobago Marper Farm — Trinidad and Tobago Tableland — Trinidad and Tobago Tobago (Roxborough) — Trinidad and Tobago Tobago Cocoa Estate — Trinidad and Tobago Trinitario Heartland — Trinidad and Tobago Bundibugyo / Semuliki — Uganda Mukono-Buikwe — Uganda Semuliki Forest (Latitude Trade) — Uganda Hawai'i Island — United States O'ahu (Waialua) — United States Aore — Vanuatu Epi — Vanuatu Malekula — Vanuatu Canoabo — Venezuela Carenero (Barlovento) — Venezuela Caripito — Venezuela Choroní — Venezuela Chuao — Venezuela Cuyagua — Venezuela Hacienda San José (Paria) — Venezuela Ocumare de la Costa — Venezuela Patanemo — Venezuela Porcelana — Venezuela Río Caribe — Venezuela Sur del Lago — Venezuela Yaracuy — Güáquira — Venezuela Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu — Vietnam Bến Tre — Vietnam Đắk Lắk — Vietnam Đắk Nông — Vietnam Đồng Nai — Vietnam Lâm Đồng — Vietnam Tiền Giang — Vietnam
Country Democratic Republic of the Congo Region Tshopo Province (Bengamisa, near Kisangani) Growing region Africa Coordinates 0.97°, 25.21° (approx.) Elevation 350-500 m Producer multiple Genetic groups Amelonado, admixture Traditional class mixed Also known as Bengamisa, Orientale cacao, CABEN Bean notes Plantings around the Bengamisa-Yangambi landscape are descended from breeding work at the INERA Yangambi Research Center (CRY), which holds 62 accessions characterised genetically as a hybrid population mainly of Amelonado and/or Criollo-Trinitario plus Marañón and Nanay, and a population predominantly Amelonado with Nanay, Contamana and Nacional contributions. CRY trees include selections crossed with Upper Amazon material introduced in 1934. Harvest season harvest spread across the year Fermentation Smallholder fermentation; centralised processing limited. Drying Sun-dried. Flavour cocoa · earthy · mild fruit · low acidity Updated 2026-05-23
Sources Sonwa et al., 'Trajectories of Cocoa Production in Tshopo Province: Potential for Climate-Change Mitigation', CIFOR-ICRAF, 2023 — https://www.cifor-icraf.org/knowledge/publication/8843/ Batsi et al. 2020, 'Biodiversity of the Cocoa Agroforests of the Bengamisa-Yangambi Forest Landscape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)', Forests 11(10):1096 — https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/10/1096 Hardy et al. 2018, 'Unraveling the genetic background of the Yangambi Research Center cacao germplasm collection, DR Congo', Tree Genetics & Genomes 14:64 — https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11295-018-1285-6 ACP, 'Tshopo: une plantation de cacao en quête de financements pour sa modernisation' (CABEN coverage) — https://acp.cd/business/tshopo-une-plantation-de-cacao-en-quete-de-financements-pour-sa-modernisation/ Mongabay, 'DRC's cacao boom leaves a bitter aftertaste for Congo Basin forest' (2022) — https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/drcs-cacao-boom-leaves-a-bitter-aftertaste-for-congo-basin-forest/
← North Kivu / Beni
Bois Cotlette →
Trust receipt
—
34e8272283e9ee59
—
verified
Record SHA-256
34e8272283e9ee59Full hash — 34e8272283e9ee59338146fc850ce01eb88fa2d5cfadc21c760af33f58709075 OpenTimestamps proof
cd-tshopo-bengamisa.json.ots (verify with ots verify) Internet Archive snapshot
web.archive.org First indexed
(not recorded) Last revised
2026-05-23
Status
Cited sources
5
Verify this record →