Arriba Chocolate-What is it?

Arriba chocolate receives a lot of marketing hype. But what is it, where does it
come from, and is what you’re getting really Arriba chocolate?

In the strictest sense, Arriba chocolate is produced from cacao in the upriver
areas of the Guayas River in the lowland provinces of Ecuador. This would include
areas in the province of Guayas, Bolivar, part of Cotopaxi, and Los Rios provinces
(where the upper reaches of and tributaries to the Guayas River extend), in the
strictest sense.

Legend has it that a Swiss chocolatier in the 19th century, while navigating along
the Guayas River, encountered men bringing down freshly harvested cacao. Upon
smelling it, he asked where it came from, and they responded “de rio arriba” or
upriver. Since then, this variety of fine aroma cacao has been known as Arriba.
Arriba is perhaps ultimately a type of terroir label for beans grown in the region
of Ecuador upriver from the Guayas River and the chocolate made from those beans,
with a specific flavor profile often characterized as having a distinct floral
aroma. Climate, amount of sunshine and shade, soil composition, ripening, time of
harvest, and bean fermentation are all factors that may contribute to the unique
Arriba flavor profile.

If a denomination of origin were to be established based on the legend, then only

cacao-and the chocolate produced from such cacao-from this area could truly be
called Arriba. Nonetheless, there are a number of companies and brands that sell
their products with the fashionable label Arriba. Because Ecuador is a major
producer of fine flavor and aroma cocoa (as opposed to bulk cocoa used by most of
the world’s lasrge chocolate manufacturers), the label implies the chocolate is
made from fine flavor and aroma beans. And though much chocolate labeled Arriba
may come in part from the Los Rios, Guayas, and other regions upriver of the
Guayas river, technically the home of Arriba cocoa, much of it may also come from
other provinces of Ecuador. These provinces may include Esmeraldas, Manabí, Napo,
Orellana, Santo Domingo, Sucumbíos, and others. Beans from these areas are not
known for, and never have been recognized for having the distinct Arriba flavor
profile.

Another distinction often not mentioned regarding chocolates labeled Arriba is the
actual variety of beans the chocolate is produced from. In Ecuador, there are two
main varieties of beans, Nacional and CCN-51. Genetically, Nacional is considered
a Forastero bean. However, Nacional grows only in Ecuador and alleged attempts to
grow it in other regions have not produced the same flavor profiles. CCN-51 is an
acronym for Collecion Castro Nacional, or according to others Collection Castro
Naranjal. Carlos Castro, a well-known cacao breeder in Ecuador, created the hybrid
of a Trinitario and Nacional and it was number 51 of his experiments. CCN-51 is a
higher yielding, more disease resistant variety of cacao than Nacional. It is also
sometimes called “Don Homero” variety. While both varieties of beans can produce
quality chocolate, only Nacional beans were grown historically in the country, and
the historical precedent for the Arriba flavor profile is based on Nacional beans,
not CCN-51. Nonetheless, many of the beans leaving Ecuador destined for so-called
Arriba chocolate are a mix of CCN-51 and Nacional beans, and these beans may or
may not have originated from the original areas that supposedly provide the Arriba
flavor profile.

Ultimately, it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine if a chocolate is

truly made from pure Nacional beans grown in the Arriba zone-within the area of
Ecuador historically known for producing a special flavor profile. With increasing
emphasis on traceability and origin, and increasing transparency in the chocolate
industry, we may see the availability of true Arriba chocolate increasing.