Mexico has given the world tequila, mezcal, tacos and chocolate.

Over the centuries, Mexico lagged in the production of the finest chocolate. Since the Spaniards imported chocolate to Europe, two developments have changed its production: the invention of the cocoa press in 1828 by a Dutch chemist, and the first production of dark chocolate bars in 1847 in England by J.S. Fry & Sons.

Almost two centuries after the invention of the cocoa press in Amsterdam, a Mexican couple traveled to Bruges, Belgium, and were surprised by the tourists’ appreciation for Belgian chocolate. 

Alejandro Campos and Ana Parizot Wolter wondered how, of the five countries that boasted the best chocolate in the world, not a single one cultivated even an acre of cocoa. It hurt them because in Comalcalco they owned a 66-acre cacao plantation.

The entrepreneurs’ pride was wounded because Mexico, despite being the birthplace of chocolate, did not produce a quality chocolate. Thus began the couple’s adventure to retrace the history of Mexican cocoa.

The municipality of Comalcalco, in the southeastern state of Tabasco, boasts the highest levels of cocoa production in Mexico. This region was home to the ancient Olmec and Mayan civilizations, and the Olmecs bequeathed the word “kakawa,” or cocoa, to the world.

Campos and Wolter’s Hacienda La Luz is located here. Wolter’s grandfather, Dr. Otto Wolter, purchased the property in 1958. The German immigrant had fallen in love with the Tabasco jungle. Located near the center of Comalcalco, the hacienda is a small oasis: home to howler monkeys, black spiny-tailed iguanas and about nine endangered animal species.

Over six years, Campos acquired equipment and prepared himself to take on the fine chocolate market. In 2014 the couple exhibited their products at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris. The first day did not go as expected: The couple barely managed to sell their chocolate.

The following day they met Elisa Montiel, who was Mexican and worked for renowned chef Stephane Bonnat. When she saw their chocolate, she said she would not ruin her palate by tasting it. Yet she offered to help them learn the secrets of fine chocolate making. The couple used their initial failure to fuel their determination. 

In 2015 Campos traveled to the United States and Europe to learn the craft of fine chocolate making. In June master chocolatier Joaquim Capdevilla visited Hacienda La Luz to guide the couple in their search for a crucial ingredient: fine aromatic cacao. 

For two weeks they visited cacao plantations and small producers in the area. In the fields of the southeast, they discovered that about 20 varieties of fine aromatic cacao were being cultivated as they had been for centuries.

In October 2015 the couple exhibited their chocolates at the Expo Milano. Within five hours, they were sold out. Two weeks later, they returned to the Salon du Chocolat in Paris to avenge their defeat of the previous year. "We made a quantum leap," Campos said. This time, they were told their chocolate was near perfect. 

Their first award in 2016, at the International Chocolate Awards, was bronze. That year, at the equivalent of the Oscars for chocolates, held in New York, where chocolatiers from all over the United States competed, their white chocolate, passion-fruit bonbon received the award for third place. 

Campos said that in Mexico, when a soccer team wins, the victory is shared by all Mexicans. That is how he wanted the award to feel, like a victory for everyone. "Yes, you can,” he remembered having said. “We should not be afraid, there is Mexican quality.” 

The prize opened the door to internationally compete. In London they surpassed the bronze and won first prize worldwide. Campos said to himself: “Yes, we can. There is talent, there is capacity, but, most important, there is cocoa.”

Wolter Chocolates has won a total of 54 international awards, making it the most awarded Mexican chocolate maker worldwide. In 2018 they won gold in the category of raw dark chocolate with flavors. Their winning chocolate was Quetzalli, which contains cardamom and chicatana salt, which is made of ants.

In the United States, Wolter Chocolates is trying to make a name for itself among the public that consumes fine chocolate. Yet distributors are used to importing fine chocolates from Europe. Hopefully, in the future, Wolter Chocolates will be a brand recognized beyond the flower shops, restaurants and chocolate boutiques where you can find it now.

Wolter Chocolates is promoting its Quetzalli chocolate in Mexico, the United States and Europe. The name of their biggest gamble comes from the Quetzal, a bird from Central America and southern Mexico. Its green feathers were so prized that they were part of the tufts of the Aztec emperors, the equivalent of the crown jewels on European kings. 

“When you buy a bar of Quetzalli, you're getting a piece of Mexico, a piece of the cocoa,” Campos said. “You're not just walking away with a chocolate bar, you're taking a little piece of Mexican history, tradition and culture.”