☀️ Sweet Paradise ☀️

Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe, country of central Africa, located on the Equator in the Gulf of Guinea. It consists of two main islands—São Tomé and Príncipe—and several rocky islets, including Rôlas, south of São Tomé island, and Caroço, Pedras, and Tinhosas, south of Príncipe.

Climate: The climate is basically maritime and tropical, but, because of the rough topography, there is a wide range of microclimates. Average temperatures decline sharply with elevation, and night temperatures fall below 50 °F (10 °C) at about 2,300 feet (700 metres). Above 3,300 feet (1,000 metres) fine misty rain falls almost continuously and the nights are cold, although frost and snow are unknown.

Plant and Animal Life: The original vegetation of the islands was luxuriant tropical rainforest, with a gradual transition from lowland forest to mist forest. Some of the islands’ area, mainly in the south and west, is still covered with rainforest. Much of this is secondary growth on abandoned plantation land. The flora and fauna include many rare and endemic species, reflecting the isolation and environmental diversity of the islands. Birds such as the ibis, shrike, and grosbeak can be found in Sao Tome and Principe. Many of the plants, birds, reptiles, and small mammals are threatened by pressure on the remaining rainforest.

Languages Standard Portuguese is the official language and is understood by virtually all islanders. In addition, three Portuguese-based creoles are spoken: Sãotomense, spoken by the Forros and having by far the largest number of speakers; Angolar, the language of the Angolares, spoken on the southern tip of São Tomé; and Principense, spoken by only a few hundred individuals on Príncipe.

Claudio Corallo fell in love with the paradisic islands and we can't blame him. Claudio has always believed that the only way you can make great products is to do this in harmony with the environment, nature and the people living there. His work in Zaire and Sao Tome and Principe is exemplary in this respect both on his own plantations and also with the farmers he works with. Originally trained by Claudio, they work in teams and also teach each other to work in this way. They have pride in the quality of their work. Then there is the attention for the product itself. He works with the best ingredients and a careful production process, which is done entirely by hand. This way of working ensures that the cultivation of the bean and the production of the chocolate always go hand in hand whereby we aim for the highest possible quality.