Following profiles on acclaimed chefs Alex Atala of D.O.M and Helena Rizzo
of Maní, photographer Carol Sachs continues her exploration of indigenous Brazilian gastronomy, capturing rare chocolate harvested from the Bahia rainforest. The portrait and travel photographer goes behind the scenes of chef Samantha Aquim’s annual meeting with cacao producer João Tavare at his Leolinda Farm. North of Rio de Janeiro—where Aquim’s award-winning Q Chocolate boutique is situated—is Tavares’ edenic farm, an hour’s drive outside the city of Ilhéus. The lush plantation where jaguars roam and macaws flap is surrounded by mango, jambu and acai, and provides the key ingredient for Aquim’s hand-harvested Q0 range, a bespoke curved bar of cacao designed by the influential late architect, Oscar Niemeyer. “I think most chocolate makers have got it wrong, from over-roasting the beans to adding too much sugar and vanilla,” says Aquim, fondling a rare yellow pod and sampling the white fruit that protects the bean itself. “I want to put the cocoa back into chocolate.”