It starts with a conversation—often under a canopy of cacao trees, where the air is humid and fragrant, and hands are calloused from years of harvest. Not in a boardroom. Not through a broker. But face to face, where trust is built like soil: slowly, honestly, and with care.
At Durći, chocolate doesn’t begin in a factory. It begins in relationships. In listening. In walking the land with the farmers who grow the very beans that become the bar you hold in your hand. This is what direct trade means to us—not just sourcing beans, but cultivating bonds.
Years ago, we decided that “fair” wasn’t enough. Fair trade, as widely promoted as it is, still allows for distance. For intermediaries. For vague standards. And frankly, for chocolate that all tastes the same. We wanted something more—for our farmers, for our customers, and for ourselves.
So we made a promise: to pay farmers directly, far above fair-trade rates. To understand the terrain, the process, the challenges they face. And in return, we receive something rare—cacao that’s grown not for yield, but for character. The kind of beans that hold floral bursts, subtle spice, and unexpected brightness. The kind you don’t find on supermarket shelves.
Our bar from Chulucanas, Peru, for example, tastes like a walk through citrus groves at golden hour. That’s not an accident—it’s what happens when a farmer chooses not to cut corners, because he knows we see him. He knows we’ll be back next harvest. He knows we’re in this together.
The beauty of direct trade is that it changes everything. For the farmer, it means income security and long-term commitment. For us, it means access to exclusive micro-lots—beans grown in tiny quantities that never hit the open market. And for you, it means chocolate that’s alive with origin.
But more than that, it tastes like justice. It tastes like someone was cared for, respected, and celebrated—long before you unwrapped that bar.
So when you savor a square of Carenero, with its deep roasted body and wild hints of spice, you’re not just tasting cocoa. You’re tasting history. Hands. Humanity.
That’s what we mean when we say Durći is different. It’s not marketing—it’s mission.
And yes, it would have been easier to go the other way. To choose bulk beans. To never leave the country. To slap a label on a pretty box and call it craft. But that’s not who we are.
We believe chocolate should mean something. That a treat for you should never be a cost to someone else. That transparency is delicious. And that when we look farmers in the eyes and say “thank you,” the chocolate just tastes better.
Durći’s direct trade philosophy doesn’t just shape our bars. It shapes our lives. Because when we pour that first batch of a new harvest into the grinder, knowing the family who grew it, there’s something sacred in that motion. It’s more than making chocolate—it’s honoring it.
We hope you feel that with every bite.
Maybe you’ve never thought about where your chocolate comes from. Or maybe you’ve been searching for something with soul. Either way, welcome. You’re here now. And we’re glad to share this story with you—one bar at a time.
So go ahead. Unwrap the experience. Let it melt slowly. Feel what it means to taste chocolate that began with a handshake.
