3 September 2025
Putumayo ready to Export 50 tons of Deforestation-Free Organic Amazonian Cacao to Europe
- As part of the NaturAmazonas program, Gran Tierra Energy and Conservation International are pleased to announce that an additional 50 tons of deforestation-free organic cacao will be exported to Europe.
- NaturAmazonas, a partnership between Gran Tierra Energy and Conservation International that launched 7 years ago, works to reforest, restore, and protect the Andes-Amazon corridor while also promoting sustainable farming in the region. With a special focus on cacao production, Putumayo is emerging as a premier region for deforestation-free cacao, combining high-quality cultivation with a strong commitment to environmental conservation.
Villagarzón, Putumayo. September 3, 2025. Gran Tierra Energy and Conservation International are pleased to announce that 50-tons of organic deforestation-free cacao, produced in Putumayo, Caquetá, and Cauca, will be shipped from the heart of the Colombian Amazon to Belgium in 2025. This achievement marks another milestone for Putumayo´s cacao industry and showcases it as an emerging leader in Colombian sustainable production that produces quality product, while protecting the local biodiversity.
As part of the NaturAmazonas project, eight Putumayo producer organizations, and the family farms that they are comprised of, have received technical support that has resulted in reaching the international quality standards required to make this export possible. This includes a focus on training and support to increase farmers competitiveness by implementing enhanced agricultural practices, such as proper fermentation and drying, pest control without harmful chemicals, and support to undergo the required certification to give international buyers trust in their products. Over 1,000 families are currently participating in these technical training courses.
This major export is being undertaken by Kaoka, a European chocolate maker recognized for its organic and fair-trade model and is supported by regional institutions such as the Putumayo Governor’s Office, Corpoamazonía, UniPutumayo, and Socodevi, together with the region’s cacao associations. In 2024, these local Putumayo associations exported 12.5 tons of cacao, and for 2025 the expectation is to export 50 tons, a 300% increase year-over-year. This increase is a clear result of the strengthening of Putumayo’s cacao industry, which has been able to meet higher production levels and enhance product quality. The product exported is organic cacao, which is free of any synthetic chemicals. Growing organic cacao has benefits for Putumayo farmers because it gives them access to premium markets with a growing demand for organic products worldwide.
Diego Pérez-Claramunt, President and Country Manager of Gran Tierra Energy in Colombia, said, “Today is a very exciting day for us as we see the impressive results of a project that started as a reforestation and conservation effort. The fact that local producers in Putumayo are able to export high-quality product year-over-year in an environmentally sustainable way to Europe, shows that the Putumayo is a major cacao leader in Colombia. This is possible because of the joint work between Gran Tierra Energy, local communities, and strategic partners such as Conservation International.
The NaturAmazonas program has grown into an alliance of public and private institutions working together to address the root causes of deforestation in the Colombian, while increasing the well-being of nearby communities. The focus on cacao is only one working line of the project, which has also seen additional high-impact results such as the planting more than 1.9 million trees and ecologically restoring more than 5,000 hectares of land, positively impacting 4,290 people who have increased their income and improved food security. Additionally, around 700 farmers have been supported to sustainably cultivate cacao, sugarcane, and açai, and 375 people have been trained in native bee breeding and honey production techniques.