Jesse, Taza’s Cocoa Sourcing Manager, has arrived at his first destination of the 2016 #sourcingseason: Guatemala. Each year, Jesse travels throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to the places we source our Direct Trade Certified cacao, to deepen our existing relationships with growers, and forge new ones.

As you can see from the snapshots he’s sending back to the chocolate factory, Direct Trade isn’t the easiest way to source cacao. But we believe face-to-face relationships are the best way to serve our mission: to make and share stone ground chocolate that’s seriously good and fair for all.

Lots more to come from Jesse himself, so make sure to follow #sourcingseason throughout the spring! But for now, enjoy these glimpses of his journeys in cacao country so far!