In an era where fast food and fast fashion dominate, Mindo Chocolate Makers and El Quetzal de Mindo are advocating for a slow, deliberate approach. In a global chocolate industry marred by environmental degradation and labor exploitation, sisters Emily Meza-Wilson and Alicia Meza have taken it upon themselves to rewrite this narrative. By preserving Ecuador’s endangered heirloom Nacional cacao, and adopting ethical sourcing and transparent business, Mindo is working to create new systems that re-think food, ethics, and sustainability in the chocolate industry.
Their approach transforms often-discarded cocoa byproducts into nutritious and sustainable products to highlight the diverse uses of cacao. For instance cocoa fruit juice—often discarded