To’ak was born from a rainforest conservation project and is proudly based in Ecuador—the native origin of cacao. The legendary Ecuadorian cacao variety called “Nacional” traces its genetic lineage back to the first-known cacao trees domesticated by humanity, about 5,300 years ago. As recently as 2009, pure Nacional cacao was believed to be extinct. In the valley of Piedra de Plata we found one of the last surviving groves of 100% pure Nacional cacao—which geneticists refer to as Ancient Nacional. From the outset, the To'ak team had a few radical ideas about how chocolate should be sourced, produced, and consumed. They saw how people treat wine as an epicurean delicacy and regard winemaking as the noblest of artisanal crafts. Why shouldn’t chocolate—and cacao farming—be accorded the same reverence and standards of excellence?