For almost two decades, cocoa has flowed in the veins of the Zelidey family

Cocoa production is sustainable if we work on creating the necessary conditions for our producers

The Zelidey family have been producing cocoa for 18 years. They started by grafting their own trees and planting them a year later. According to Doña Marcia, her cocoa began to produce from 3 years old and at 5 years their productivity exceeded her expectations. She told us that her family’s decision to produce cocoa was due to other producers in the area who were already producing it, told them to invest in this crop.

Doña Marcia Zelidey is a cocoa producer from the municipality of San Antonio, Waslala, Nicaragua. She lives with her husband and they have 8 children. One of their sons, Rodolfo, bought from them a piece of land and established a new cocoa farm.

Rodolfo grew up watching and supporting his parents in the cocoa plantation so that’s how he became motivated to own a cocoa farm where he puts into practice everything he learned in his youth.

Doña Marcia is a strategic producer. She says she is always producing her own plants to replenish the trees that may dry.

As part of our Real Sustainability, the Zelidey family received training and free technical assistance to improve their agricultural practices. Doña Marcia is responsible for directing the activities carried out in the plantation. She hires people to help her prune, clean and harvest, and she transmits the knowledge learned in our training to her workers and family.

The Zelidey family began working with Ingemann in 2013. Since they started working with us they entered to our Organic Certification Program and became Organic Certified by USDA and the EU. In the first semester of 2019, together with us they became UTZ certified cocoa producers. To become UTZ certified, Ingemann and the producers have followed strict requirements that include: Good Agricultural Practices and farming management, safe and healthy working conditions, abolition of child labor and protection of the environment.

Doña Marcia and her son Rodolfo now have new opportunities by being Organic and UTZ certified cocoa producers such as guaranteed market access and better market prices for their cocoa.

Cocoa production is sustainable if we work on creating the necessary conditions for our producers.

Discover more about our organic cocoa varieties here: