Masters Series Enriquestuardo - El Jaguar
Dark chocolate made of Grand Cru—the rarest expression of Ecuadorian Nacional cacao—is paired with a limited-edition piece by artist Enriquestuardo. Only 500 units.
The Artwork: Our second collaboration with revered Ecuadorian artist Enriquestuardo centers around "The Jaguar," guardian of the Amazon and ancient cacao. This limited series of 500 units comes with an authenticated and numbered print of "The Jaguar."
The Chocolate: The chocolate within is our first-ever edition made with 100% Grand Cru, the purest and most extraordinary expression of Ancient Nacional cacao. This is a chocolate of intensity and grace—as wild as the jaguar itself.
The Story Behind "El Jaguar"
The artwork featured in this Masters Series edition portrays pre-Columbian history as told through the mythical drawings, shapes, and artifacts of Ecuador’s ancient cultures. Enriquestuardo continues the “Guardianes” narrative of the previous Master Series edition, which featured a serpent.
This piece centers on the jaguar, a powerful and elegant guardian of the Amazon rainforest, represented through abstract lines that evoke the textiles and seals of the Jama-Coaque culture that populated Ecuador’s northern coast. In Amazonian cultures, the jaguar is seen as a protective spirit. It’s a keeper of mysteries, secrets, and ancient wisdom—all of which still linger in our collective unconscious and in the roots of the land’s ancient cacao plants.
For this limited edition of 500 units, Enriquestuardo etched the drawing onto a metal plate made of zinc and mixed his own ink to evoke the lush and vivid greens of the Amazonian jungle. He then sealed the piece with a thin layer of liquid metal. The etching was printed on cotton paper at El Templo del Grabado workshop in Quito’s historic center. As a finishing touch, Enriquestuardo hand-applied fine gold leaf details to each print to symbolize the rich treasures of the jungle.
Enriquestuardo’s first “Guardianes” piece spoke to us immediately. The Jaguar is a fitting and powerful sequel. In Ecuador, cacao represents far more than a commodity. For thousands of years, cacao has been a way of life for many people. As tree-to-bar chocolate makers with a close working relationship to the fruit of the cacao tree, we see ourselves as the guardians of Ancient Nacional cacao. Bringing this rare cacao variety back from the brink of extinction is our way of preserving an ancestral lineage that dates back over 5,300 years in Ecuador.
Like “The Jaguar,” we strive to protect and honor Ancient Nacional cacao and its legacy. In collaboration with Enriquestuardo, we’ve created this rare chocolate edition to connect with Ecuador and its ancient traditions while crafting a treasure that transcends time.
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Description
Dark chocolate made of Grand Cru—the rarest expression of Ecuadorian Nacional cacao—is paired with a limited-edition piece by artist Enriquestuardo. Only 500 units.
The Artwork: Our second collaboration with revered Ecuadorian artist Enriquestuardo centers around "The Jaguar," guardian of the Amazon and ancient cacao. This limited series of 500 units comes with an authenticated and numbered print of "The Jaguar."
The Chocolate: The chocolate within is our first-ever edition made with 100% Grand Cru, the purest and most extraordinary expression of Ancient Nacional cacao. This is a chocolate of intensity and grace—as wild as the jaguar itself.
The Story Behind "El Jaguar"
The artwork featured in this Masters Series edition portrays pre-Columbian history as told through the mythical drawings, shapes, and artifacts of Ecuador’s ancient cultures. Enriquestuardo continues the “Guardianes” narrative of the previous Master Series edition, which featured a serpent.
This piece centers on the jaguar, a powerful and elegant guardian of the Amazon rainforest, represented through abstract lines that evoke the textiles and seals of the Jama-Coaque culture that populated Ecuador’s northern coast. In Amazonian cultures, the jaguar is seen as a protective spirit. It’s a keeper of mysteries, secrets, and ancient wisdom—all of which still linger in our collective unconscious and in the roots of the land’s ancient cacao plants.
For this limited edition of 500 units, Enriquestuardo etched the drawing onto a metal plate made of zinc and mixed his own ink to evoke the lush and vivid greens of the Amazonian jungle. He then sealed the piece with a thin layer of liquid metal. The etching was printed on cotton paper at El Templo del Grabado workshop in Quito’s historic center. As a finishing touch, Enriquestuardo hand-applied fine gold leaf details to each print to symbolize the rich treasures of the jungle.
Enriquestuardo’s first “Guardianes” piece spoke to us immediately. The Jaguar is a fitting and powerful sequel. In Ecuador, cacao represents far more than a commodity. For thousands of years, cacao has been a way of life for many people. As tree-to-bar chocolate makers with a close working relationship to the fruit of the cacao tree, we see ourselves as the guardians of Ancient Nacional cacao. Bringing this rare cacao variety back from the brink of extinction is our way of preserving an ancestral lineage that dates back over 5,300 years in Ecuador.
Like “The Jaguar,” we strive to protect and honor Ancient Nacional cacao and its legacy. In collaboration with Enriquestuardo, we’ve created this rare chocolate edition to connect with Ecuador and its ancient traditions while crafting a treasure that transcends time.
