Chuao

On May 3 and 4, 2020, Chuao was one of the sites of Operation Gideon, where a small group contracted by an American mercenary company Silvercorp USA headed by Jordan Goudreau allegedly attempted to invade Venezuela via sea to capture Nicolás Maduro and remove him from power.[4] Upon landing in Chuao, the attackers, which included two Americans, were detained.[4]

Chuao is home to a number of cocoa plantations, dating back to 1591,[2][3] which grow Criollo and hybrid varieties of cacao. Chuao beans are regarded as being high in quality and, as a result, very expensive, fetching between 9 and 13 US Dollars per kilogram.[1] Beans from Chuao are considered some of Venezuela's finest, along with Porcelana Blanca beans from Lake Maracaibo. The Chuao region is hemmed in by mountains which reduces contact with people and insects from other areas. Some experts attribute the high quality of the cacao beans of Chuao due to the intense work of the village's laborers during the pre harvest, harvest and post harvest.Annual, Chuao's cocoa production hovers around 20 tons, but has varied from approximately 17 to 25 tons in recent years.[1][3] In November 2000, the Chuao cacao beans were awarded an appellation of origin under the title Cacao de Chuao, allowing producers to negotiate higher prices and attract investment.[5]

The Farmer's Company of Chuao (Spanish: Empresa Campesina de Chuao) is the worker's cooperative which operates the cocoa plantations of Chuao.[1][3] The cooperative has 127 members, most of whom are female.[1][3][2]

The cooperative has sold their beans to a number of foreign firms, such as Valrhona and Amedei,[1] before forming an exclusive partnership with Tisano, a Venezuelan partner, in 2014. As from 2020 Chuao Trading manages this partnership. [3] The partnership sells 99% of its cocoa to foreign buyers.[3] The sales outside of Venezuela works via exclusive and authorised cacao importers for the markets in US, Japan and Europe. Through this partnership, the association "Empresa Campesia de Chuao", alongside their partners Chuao trading, Tachibana, Casa Fransesci and Silva Cacao, have implemented a Certificate of Authenthicity for the chocolatiers to ensure that only the Chuao beans that were harvested in the Chuao village make it into chocolate bars that are marketed as Chuao origin. This traceability certificate assigns per sold volume and per harvest with a unique serial number to each chocolate maker.[6]

The cooperative has benefitted largely from an increased global appetite for high-quality chocolate in recent years,[1] which has helped its members earn a high standard of living.[1][2] The worker's cooperative has been touted by the Venezuelan government as an "example of socialism".[2] The cooperative has invested heavily in the village, building schools and medical infrastructure.[1] However, The Guardian reported that those in Chuao who are not members of the association are discontent with power it has over village life.[1]