People often ask how I choose the chocolate we feature in our store. Some assume I just browse an online catalogue and pick at random, or rely solely on personal experience. In this post, I want to share the story of how we started working with one of our makers: Beaningful.
In July 2024, as a guest of PromPeru, I traveled to Peru to take part in the Salon du Chocolat Lima. The trip also included a field visit to the VRAEM region to meet cacao farmers.
The VRAEM is a complex region, but it’s also home to passionate farmers who see cacao as a way to build both economic resilience and agricultural sustainability.
One of the farms I visited was a women-led cooperative called Qori Warmi—which means “Women are gold” in Quechua. Their mission is to build a sustainable future through collective effort, producing cacao fino de aroma while preserving native mountain varieties and practicing environmentally conscious farming.
Months later, back at my desk in Copenhagen, I came across a chocolate bar made with Qori Warmi cacao by a Lithuanian maker called Beaningful. The label caught my eye. I hadn’t expected to see a direct link between the cooperative I had just visited and a small European chocolate maker. I had to try it.
Every February, Amsterdam hosts Chocoa, the leading craft chocolate festival in Europe. The first few days are for industry professionals, with a trade fair, workshops, and networking events. The final two days are open to the public as a chocolate festival. It was at Chocoa that I finally met Justinas from Beaningful.
Beaningful is a small Lithuanian chocolate company based in the hills of Alanta, made up of a dedicated team of three: Justinas, Ieva, and Marija.
In April 2025, our first shipment from Beaningful arrived—a moment that felt like the story had come full circle.
And the bar I first saw—and then fell deeply in love with for its flavour—is also one of our favourites for beer pairing:
*Qori Inti is the trade name for Ganso cacao, cultivated by the Qori Warmi cooperative. Qori Inti means Golden Sun in Quechua.
