At ChocoSol, we believe that chocolate can be a vehicle for a story — not just of flavour, but of forest, community, and knowledge. If you’ve seen tasted our Jaguar chocolate, you already know it’s unlike anything else. With its smooth texture, golden colour, and nutty profile, it’s our version of a truly plant-based white chocolate. But behind this delicious bar is an even richer story — one rooted in ecological regeneration, intercultural dialogue, and the revival of a remarkable cacao species.
So, What is Jaguar Cacao?
Jaguar cacao is also known as cacao blanco, pataxte or its scientific name, theobroma bicolor, is a lesser-known relative of the more common theobroma cacao, often called red cacao. Unlike the deep brown cacao beans used in most chocolate-making, Jaguar cacao yields pale, golden-white beans. It grows in the ancient forest gardens of southern Mexico and across Mesoamerica, where it has been cultivated and honoured for generations — not for chocolate bars, but as the key ingredient in traditional pre-Hispanic drinks like tejate.
Why Is It Called "Jaguar"?
At ChocoSol, we call theobroma bicolor by the Q'eqchi' Mayan name our founder, Michael Sacco, was taught in southern Mexico, "balam-te", "Jaguar tree." The name is often thought to have originated because the Jaguar pod's pattern resemble that of a jaguar’s pelt, though some people believe it is also because Jaguars can be found resting in the higher canopy of the white cacao trees.
More Than Conservation — Forest Regeneration
The story of Jaguar cacao is also one of regeneration. Over the past two decades, ChocoSol has worked closely with communities in the Chinantla region of Oaxaca to reforest degraded landscapes using native plants, including white cacao. These tall trees play a vital ecological role: their canopy provides shade for other species like red cacao and vanilla, while their fallen fruit helps regenerate the soil below.
But these are not just reforestation efforts — they’re part of restoring forest gardens, vibrant and biodiverse systems rooted in millennia of Indigenous ecological stewardship. Forest gardens are living food systems and habitat corridors that support both human and non-human communities — including the jaguar.
Today, we’re proud to have supported the planting of over 15,000 Jaguar cacao trees in and around the community of San Felipe de León in Oaxaca!
Jaguar's Unique Tasting Notes
At ChocoSol, our Jaguar chocolate is a blend of forest garden spices including achiote, vanilla, and rosita de cacao. Although more subtle than red cacao chocolate, you'll quickly fall in love with the nuanced and complex flavour notes of caramel, peanut butter*, coffee, butterscotch, and more.
If you've tried our Jaguar chocolate, you also know that its taste profile and mouthfeel are very different from classic dark chocolate. Because Jaguar beans have a higher fat content than red cacao, Jaguar chocolate has a uniquely rich and creamy texture. That's why we also offer "Jaguar milk" as the house-made non-dairy milk for our signature chocolate and coffee drinks, and often say that our Jaguar Swirl is a natural vegan "milk" chocolate.
* Like all ChocoSol products, Jaguar chocolate is nut free! Jaguar cacao just has a strong nutty flavour profile, and a mouthfeel often compared to the richness of peanut butter!
Mold Breaking, Award-Winning
Back in 2017, our Jaguar Pure was awarded a Triple MMM Gold Medal by the International Chocolate Awards, representing products chosen by the Chocolate Awards' founders because of a personal appreciation of the chocolate, and recognition for the creative and technically skilled use of Theobroma bicolor. In 2019, Jaguar Pure bar won both a gold and bronze medal at the International Chocolate Awards 2019 Americas competition. Our Jaguar Swirl and Crunch bars also earned bronze medals — a recognition of the innovation and integrity behind this golden chocolate.
But even more important than medals is the momentum. As more chocolatiers, chefs, and growers rediscover and uplift Jaguar cacao, we are helping to build a more biodiverse, just, and delicious future for chocolate. One rooted in reciprocity and regeneration.
So next time you enjoy a square of a Jaguar bar — or sip a foamy cacao drink made from Jaguar — know that you’re tasting a tradition reborn, and a future being nourished.
P.S. Want to learn more? Listen to ChocoSol founder Michael Sacco explain the story behind the bar!