Chocolate people in Paris got a tasty reminder in late 2025: Colombia is not only about coffee. And yes, it surprised a few visitors who only knew Colombian coffee.
The country also grows cacao that can smell like fruit, flowers, and nuts, if it is handled with care.
At the 2025 Salon du Chocolat in Paris, Colombian producers stepped into a room full of makers, chefs, and buyers who judge with their noses first, and their contracts second.
A quick sip of hot chocolate or a bite of a dark bar may look like fun, but for exporters, it is serious work. Those tastings can lead to long emails, sample shipments, and real orders.
For rural families, that overseas attention matters. When a buyer pays more for quality and origin, the extra money can travel back through cooperatives, transport, and local jobs, instead of staying only in big cities.
Paris taste test
The Salon du Chocolat in Paris ran from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, 2025, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, and it billed itself as a major global event for chocolate and cacao.
Colombia’s pavilion worked like a live business card. It mixed storytelling about regions and farms with practical talks about volumes, harvest calendars, and how quickly beans can move from a port to a European factory.
The stand had support from Swisscontact and French cooperation, and it brought together companies and associations such as Chocolate Tumaco, Chocolate Colombia, Alcacao, and the National Cocoa Network.
Europe wants proof
Europe is the world’s largest importer of cocoa beans and cocoa products, and it also works as a trade hub where cocoa arrives, gets processed, and then leaves again as chocolate.
European buyers are also asking harder questions about sustainability and certifications, and new regulations such as the EU Deforestation Regulation are expected to raise the bar on traceability for cocoa imports.
That pressure can feel heavy, but it also helps clear the field. If Colombia can show where the beans were grown and how forests were protected, the country can compete in higher-priced segments, not only in bulk markets.
Rural impact at home
Cacao is not just a flavor story in Colombia; it is a daily income in places where legal crops must stay competitive. Many growing areas have lived through conflict, so stable farm earnings can mean more than a good season.
More than 65,000 families depend directly on cacao farming, and annual output is over 70,000 tons.
The sector is often presented as an option that supports rural development while keeping farmers in legal markets.
Colombia also promotes itself as a fine-flavor producer, with 95% of national cacao meeting international quality standards in that category.
In practice, that means a strong chance to sell less volume, but earn more per kilo.
How fine cacao is made
Fine cacao is not magic; it is a chain of small decisions. Genetics matter, but so do clean harvest habits, fast pod opening, and fermenting the beans for the right number of days.
Fermentation and drying are the make-or-break steps. Done well, they reduce harsh bitterness and bring out notes that chocolate makers can taste even after roasting, which is why many brands pay more for well-managed post-harvest work.
Globally, cocoa farming is mostly done by smallholders, and ICCO reporting places annual global supply around the 4.8 million-ton range.
Flavor, fairness, and the future
The Paris appearance fit into a bigger plan, build long-term relationships and grow exports of premium cacao toward 2030, including sales to Europe and Asia.
To get there, the sector needs unglamorous upgrades, better fermentation centers, basic lab testing, stronger logistics, and training that reaches small farms without turning quality into a luxury only big players can afford.
If those pieces line up, Colombia can keep its cacao story simple, great flavor, clear origin, and fairer business. It will not replace coffee in the country’s image, but it can stand beside it, one good chocolate bar at a time.