Info & Resources

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Guidelines, Forms & Resources

Here you can find downloads of all Cacao of Excellence documents and publications.

2025 Cacao of Excellence Awards Entry documentation


Guide for Participation 
English  |  Spanish  |  French

Cacao Sample Checklist 
English  |  Spanish French

National Competitions Guidelines 
English Spanish  |  French 

Data Form  
English  |  Spanish  |  French

Calendar  
English  |  Spanish French

Guide for the Assessment of Cacao Quality and Flavour

This Guide offers precise instructions for the establishment of cacao processing and assessment facilities and the creation of sensory evaluation panels with a strong scientific and technical foundation. Its objective is to empower cacao producers, enabling them to enhance the quality of their cacao products. By equipping industry professionals with essential knowledge and tools, this guide seeks to strengthen capacity throughout the cacao value chain, with a particular emphasis on cacao-producing origins.

Guide for the Assessment of Cacao Quality and Flavour

Guía para la Evaluación de la Calidad y el Sabor del Cacao

Guide pour l'évaluation de la qualité et de la saveur du cacao 

Guida alla valutazione della qualità e sapore del cacao

Glossary of Terms

The Cacao of Excellence Glossary of Terms is a collection of terms with definitions of flavour attributes and sub-attributes. This resource aids in understanding and assessing the intensity of flavours and the global quality of the product and helps ensure professionals use the same language and terminology when communicating and describing their cacao product.

Glossary of Terms

Glossaire

Glosario de términos

Glossario dei termini

Sensory Evaluation Form for Cacao Mass and Chocolate

This form is designed to record the flavour attributes and their intensity scores, global quality assessments, and any additional comments that may be useful for communication with the producers of the cacao bean samples and any users of the product.

Sensory Evaluation Form

Formulario de evaluación sensorial

Formulaire d'évaluation sensorielle

Formulario di valutazione sensoriale

Cacao of Excellence Flavour Wheel

The Cacao of Excellence Flavour Wheel tool provides a quick and comprehensive overview of a shared vocabulary for flavour attributes and their sub-attributes. It assists in standardising the terminology used during evaluations.

Cacao of Excellence Flavour Wheel

Cacao d'Excellence Roue des Saveurs

Cacao de Excelencia Rueda de Sabor

Cacao of Excellence Ruota del Sapore

Cacao of Excellence 2023 Edition Feedback Report

This template report provides feedback to all participating cacao bean producers about the quality of the sample submitted. Providing individual feedback is a critical part of the Cacao of Excellence Awards process as it gives producers a unique opportunity to understand detailed results of the evaluation of their sample, and improve quality for future production.

Cacao of Excellence Sensory Evaluation Excel Form

This form is designed to record the flavour attributes and their intensity scores, global quality assessments, and any additional comments that may be useful for communication with the producers of the cacao bean samples and any users of the product.

Evaluation Form - English

Evaluation Form - French

Evaluation Form - Spanish

Evaluation Form - Italian

Cacao of Excellence Map of Origins

2023 Cacao of Excellence Map of Origins Poster 

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