Fair Ecuador – the first mono-range in Sarotti’s history with sustainably grown beans from its own cocoa project. Hajok Design created for this fine chocolate range a very special packaging design.

Arriba Nacional – this great-sounding name stands for a very special cocoa bean. It is considered the original cocoa bean, grown in Ecuador and characterised by its nutty, flowery-fruity aroma. The traditional brand Sarotti, which has been inspiring fans of fine chocolate with its products since 1852, uses Arriba Nacional as a mono variety for its new dark chocolate range with a vegan recipe. The extra-long conching of the cocoa ensures a particularly creamy consistency. What’s more, the beans which are certified for sustainability come from the company’s own cocoa project, which supports family businesses in Ecuador with training and other programs. Cocoa shells, which are normally destroyed, are used in making the innovative, environmentally friendly certified paper packaging, specially manufactured for the brand.

A packaging design never seen before had to reflect the many positive characteristics of this chocolate range. However, the changing demands of consumers should also feature in the design. Quality awareness is now stronger than ever, and fair trade in agricultural products as well as sustainability play an increasingly important role. Sarotti would like to continue to strengthen these factors in the future, which is why Fair Ecuador, as a premium brand, is just the right step. In order to appeal to younger target groups, a modern look never seen before was to be created that combines the topics of quality and sustainability. For this purpose, Hajok Design was commissioned to develop a contemporary, high-impact packaging design.

The single cocoa tree visual symbolically stands for Fair Ecuador as a mono-range chocolate. Each variety has its own characteristic colour, inspired by the bright colours of the cocoa beans. The animals shown represent native species from Ecuador. The brand space has been deliberately left lighter, to clearly show the natural paper with the fragments of dark cocoa shells. When presented in the tray which HAJOK also designed, the different variants arranged next to each other look like a lush rainforest made up of original, green cocoa trees.