“Cucurate”. Will cupuaçu be chocolate or not?

This name was patented by Sebrae. “It was in 2003, within the scope of the debate on the sustainable development of the Amazon based on the bioeconomy, that it highlighted the potential of fruit in the market of high-value products,” Cebrae’s director told the blog. But there are people out there who use that name, but who’s to say it won’t stick?

Cultivated by women in the Amazon, cupuaçu (with its sour, mouth-filling flavor) forever changed the life of social entrepreneur Raquel Luna, who left Paraná to live in Manaus. There, along with other women, she runs Cup de Quintal, a brand of products derived from the fruit, including Cupulate, but she speaks for herself.

“We’re small (laughs),” she jokes. “It all started with a casual conversation in a flour mill. From there Kupu’s Quital was born. We bought seeds and pulp from 17 families to generate income for the women.” She explains that the pulp can be used to make jellies and candied fruits that you can keep in your bag and keep eating forever. The seeds also yield nibs for granola and shakes. Cupuaçu is rich in fiber and antioxidants.

One of his clients is São Paulo chef Deborah Scholnik. She became a reference for Amazonian cuisine when she opened Caxiri in the historic center of Manaus. Her recipe is the most successful of the desserts in this house – Cupulate Mousse.

María de Calmos Gómez is known as “Mrs. Cupuaçu”. His property has (at least) 8,000 trees and is a true cupuaçu forest, started in 1987. “The beauty of the wood is irresistible.” The pulp and seeds used in Gaudens’ Cupulate (700 kg per year) come from the company, which was one of the pioneers in commercializing the product, even before Sebrae gave it its name.

Raquel Luna recalls that the trees grow in the shadows of the forest, “nourishing people and animals and providing sustenance and prosperity for communities.”