[World's Oldest Cacao Cultivation] Chocolate Doctor Professor Sato Discusses Cacao 5,500 Years Ago. On August 19 (Wed), Yokohama-Based Craft Chocolate Specialty Store VANILLABEANS to Hold Special Event

CHOCOLATE DESIGN Inc. (CEO: Masahiro Otsuki, Headquarters: Yokohama City), which operates the Yokohama-based craft chocolate specialty store VANILLABEANS, will hold a special event on August 19, 2026, themed "Ecuador, the Birthplace of Cacao," where participants can learn about the history of cacao and chocolate, which dates back approximately 5,500 years.

This event will feature Professor Emeritus Kiyotaka Sato of Hiroshima University, a leading authority on chocolate research, and Kotaro Ezawa, representative of MAMANO CHOCOLATE, as special guests. They will share their experiences at the "Santa Ana-La Florida archaeological site," which indicates that humans first cultivated and utilized cacao approximately 5,500 years ago, and which they actually visited this past May. They will also introduce ancient cacao varieties that are still passed down in the region today.

Additionally, participants can enjoy the latest activity report on VANILLABEANS' "Cacao Forest Project" initiative to support producing countries, as well as a tasting of five types of Ecuadorian cacao and a hands-on session to create an original parfait.

Event Overview

[Event Name]

"To Ecuador, the Birthplace of Cacao! ~A Journey Through 5,500-Year-Old Ruins with Chocolate Doctor Professor Sato~"

The guests, who have actually visited the site, will speak about the "Santa Ana-La Florida archaeological site," which indicates that humans first cultivated and utilized cacao approximately 5,500 years ago, as well as ancient cacao varieties from around the ruins and wild cacao native to Ecuador. This is an experiential event where participants can also enjoy tasting five types of Ecuadorian cacao and creating an original parfait.

[Guests]

Kiyotaka Sato (Professor Emeritus, Hiroshima University) · Kotaro Ezawa (Representative, MAMANO CHOCOLATE)

[Date and Time]

August 19, 2026 (Wed) 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM (Reception opens at 1:15 PM)

[Location]

VANILLABEANS Minatomirai Main Store

(1F, Chareer Kaigandori 5-25-2, Kaigandori, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture)

[Participation Fee]

5,500 yen (tax included) per person

[Capacity]

First 13 participants

[Details & Reservation Page]

https://www.vanillabeans.yokohama/view/item/000000000696

(Reservation Period: July 8, 2026 (Wed) 10:00 AM - August 13, 2026 (Thu) 10:00 AM)

Day's Program (Content may be subject to change)

Santa Ana-La Florida Archaeological Site

<Professor Sato's Session>

· About the Santa Ana-La Florida archaeological site

· About ancient cacao varieties around the ruins

· About the global situation of Criollo cacao

· Experiences during the exploration of wild cacao in Ecuador, etc.

Ancient (Wild) Cacao

<Mr. Ezawa's Session>

· About cacao classification

· About the characteristics of ancient cacao varieties around the ruins

· Differences between Arriba cacao and Clavé cacao

· About cacao cooperatives in Ecuador, etc.

Cacao Planting Scene

<VANILLABEANS Session>

· Report on the third expedition for the "Cacao Forest Project"

· About this year's planned activities

· Cacao and travel-related quiz

Original Parfait

<Experiential Menu>

· Tasting of 5 cacao varieties (3 types of ancient cacao from around the ruins, Arriba cacao, wild Clavé cacao)

· Creation of an original parfait using cacao and ingredients grown with Ecuador's traditional farming method (Chakra farming)

Parfait topping souvenir (with personalized gift box)

Introduction of Special Guests

Chocolate Doctor Kiyotaka Sato

Professor Emeritus, Hiroshima University, Doctor of Engineering.

Specializing in food physics, he has globally led fundamental and applied research on chocolate for over 40 years. He is one of the creators of Meiji Galbo. After retiring, he continued extensive research and exchange both domestically and internationally, visiting 75 countries. In 2025, he participated in an exploration for wild cacao in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In May 2026, he visited the Santa Ana-La Florida archaeological site.

<Comment on this Event>

Cacao, the raw ingredient for chocolate, originated in the tropical rainforests of the Americas approximately 10 million years ago. Cacao survived subsequent ice ages that repeatedly struck the Earth by dwelling in the headwaters of the Amazon River in South America, where various varieties were born. After the last ice age ended about 18,000 years ago, cacao spread its growth across North and South America.

For a long time, only animals consumed cacao, but humans who arrived in the Americas about 15,000 years ago encountered cacao. Eventually, people began cultivating cacao and making it into alcoholic beverages or drinking it with corn. Until around 2011, ancient ruins indicating this were only found in North America near Mexico, leading to the belief that "humans first encountered cacao in North America."

However, in 2018, the world's oldest ruins, dating back 5,500 years (Santa Ana-La Florida archaeological site), were discovered in a valley village near the headwaters of the Amazon River in Ecuador, indicating that cacao was cultivated and consumed there. This was a major discovery that overturned the idea that "the birthplace of cacao cultivation was North America."

The region was home to the highly developed Mayo-Chinchipe civilization, and its people played a significant role in trade connecting the Pacific and Amazon regions across the Andes Mountains.

This May, we became the first Japanese civilians to visit the Santa Ana-La Florida archaeological site and received a detailed explanation from Dr. Francisco Valdes, who discovered the ruins. In addition, we observed the cultivation of wild cacao that has grown in the vicinity of the ruins since ancient times, as well as cacao of the famous Criollo and its related Clavé varieties.

In my lecture, I will present these findings using many photographs. Chocolate lovers are encouraged to participate in this event to savor chocolate while reflecting on the long history of cacao.

Kotaro Ezawa, Representative of MAMANO CHOCOLATE

Founded Mamanu Chocolate in 2013.

With the concept of "Living with the Forest," the company handles cacao and chocolate grown through traditional agroforestry (Chakra farming) via direct trade with the indigenous Kichwa people of Ecuador. In 2024, established NGO Mamano Amazonia.

MAMANO CHOCOLATE Official Website:

https://mamano-chocolate.com/

<Comment on this Event>

The day when chocolate is discussed in terms of terroir (encompassing land, variety, environment, and all aromas) is fast approaching, much like wine and coffee.

· Wild cacao of the Clavé variety, which has a rose-like aroma

· The fact that "Arriba" cacao actually encompasses over several hundred varieties

· Wild cacao around archaeological sites, referred to as ancient cacao, etc.

I will guide you through the profound world of cacao in the Ecuadorian Amazon, known only to those in the know, which is not yet found in textbooks.

About the "Cacao Forest Project"

The "Cacao Forest Project" is an initiative that uses a portion of VANILLABEANS product sales as funding to support young cacao farmers, aiming to improve the quality of life in cacao-producing countries, mitigate climate change, and conserve biodiversity.

Currently, we are supporting cacao planting and cultivation in the Republic of Ecuador. In 2024, we provided 3,130 cacao seedlings, 6,573 in 2025, and 6,200 in 2026, for a total of 15,903 seedlings to young farmers who are acquiring their own farms for the first time, supporting sustainable cacao production. We aim to process the harvested cacao beans into chocolate at our store and deliver them to customers as "Farm to Bar" products.

This project is implemented in collaboration with MAMANO CHOCOLATE (Kota-ro Inc.) and the Wiñac Cooperative, an agricultural cooperative in the Napo Province of Ecuador. As part of our activities, we also conduct continuous courtesy visits to the Embassy of Ecuador in Japan, with our fourth visit taking place in June 2026.

Details of the project can be found here:

https://www.vanillabeans.yokohama/view/page/project_cacaofarm

About VANILLABEANS, a Yokohama-Based Craft Chocolate Specialty Store

VANILLABEANS, established in 2000, is a Yokohama-based craft chocolate specialty store that began with online sales. We handle everything from roasting cacao beans to manufacturing and selling chocolate. Since 2007, we have been using fair trade chocolate, aiming to create a system where everyone involved in chocolate, including customers, producers, and cacao-origin country farmers, can be happy. We currently operate 9 stores in Kanagawa and Tokyo prefectures.

Official Website: https://www.vanillabeans.yokohama/

Official Social Media

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanillabeans_official/

· X: https://x.com/vanillabeans_mm

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanillabeansyokohama/