We love our farmers
Meet the Sáenz Family – The heart of our chocolate
At Lovechock, we believe that truly sustainable chocolate begins with love – not just for the planet, but for the people growing its most magical fruit: cacao.
That's why we don't just buy cacao. We build relationships.
Real ones. Human ones. Equal ones.
And the Sáenz family? They’re one of the reasons our chocolate doesn’t just taste good – it does good.
Who is the Sáenz family?
The Sáenz family are third-generation organic cacao farmers in the lush, biodiverse region of Vinces, Ecuador. Their farm is a vibrant mosaic of life - cacao trees, banana plants, wild herbs, and tropical birds all thriving together.
They don’t just farm cacao. They live it.
🌍 Why Direct Trade?
Sure, Fair Trade chocolate is a good thing. But we wanted to go even further.
That’s why we choose Direct Trade – a deeper, more transparent, and more empowering way of working.
With Direct Trade:
We work directly with small-scale farmers and their cooperatives (like the Sáenz family).
We visit regularly. We talk face-to-face.
We pay fair prices, not just the market minimum.
We ensure that every step – from seedling to shipment – is ethical, transparent, and respectful.
In short: we cut out the middlemen and put trust at the center of the cacao chain.
Because we’re not just making Fair Trade chocolate – we’re making it personal.
🍃 Organic, Always
All of our cacao is certified organic. For the Sáenz family, this means:
No pesticides
No synthetic fertilizers
No mono-culture fields that exhaust the soil
Instead, they grow their cacao in rich, healthy agroforests. That means biodiversity, wildlife, clean water, and stronger, more resilient communities.Even better? definition of sustainable chocolate.
Made in South America – On purpose
Most chocolate companies ship raw beans to Europe for processing. Not us.
We produce our raw cacao mass right where it’s grown – in Ecuador and Peru.
Why?
Local knowledge = better flavor
The fermentation and drying of cacao is an art form – and our partners in South America are the masters. They understand the subtle signs of perfect timing, temperature, and texture in a way that simply can’t be replicated in a European factory.
Local production = local income
By keeping more of the value chain in the countries of origin, we help build stronger local economies. That means more jobs, fairer wages, and communities that thrive alongside their cacao trees.
And that’s why we say:
We love our farmers.
Especially the Sáenz family.