{"id":398417,"date":"2025-10-31T10:44:58","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T13:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=398417"},"modified":"2025-11-06T10:11:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T13:11:06","slug":"chocolate-sustains-forest-on-island-in-para","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/chocolate-sustains-forest-on-island-in-para\/","title":{"rendered":"Chocolate sustains forest on island in Par\u00e1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Izete Costa, known as Dona Nena, is an entrepreneur who produces chocolate on an island in Bel\u00e9m, Brazil\u2019s Par\u00e1 state, called Combu. Unlike most entrepreneurs in Brazil, Dona Nena doesn\u2019t aspire to build a business empire or become a major exporter. Her dreams are to keep the forest where she lives standing and to generate income for the surrounding community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to bring people here, so they can spend money and generate income within the community,\u201d she explains, speaking to a group of journalists in facilities built to welcome visitors amid the island\u2019s lush greenery. \u201cI depend on the forest to grow, so if I were to expand, I\u2019d have to cut down the forest to plant more cocoa\u2014and that\u2019s not the goal. The goal is to keep the forest standing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Chocolates
Chocolates are produced on Combu Island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The chocolate company is called Filha do Combu Chocolates e Doces Regionais<\/a><\/strong> and processes around four metric tons of cocoa per year to produce various derivatives, including chocolate bars ranging from 55% to 100% cocoa, brigadeiros, nibs, and liqueurs. The business has a store on the island and another in urban Bel\u00e9m, and ships its products throughout Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the island, the business has a simple and welcoming structure, featuring a thatched hut for visitors, a store, a caf\u00e9, processing and chocolate production areas, among other spaces\u2014all surrounded by river and forest. \u201cNow I feel very happy to be the protagonist of my own business, and everything the forest offers me, I\u2019m able to transform and add value to,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Cocoa
Cocoa grows in the forest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

But Izete Costa\u2019s journey to reach this point was long and filled with many chapters of perseverance in the forest. Born on the island, the Par\u00e1 native\u2019s family lived off extractivism\u2014cocoa, fruits, fish, shrimp, and other foods provided by the natural environment. During the off-season, however, they had to seek income in the city. \u201cWe had to leave to make a living. That went on for a long time,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an adult, Dona Nena began her own journey to make a living for herself and her family from the forest. One of her first attempts was producing bio-jewelry as part of a local collective initiative. But the bio-jewelry didn\u2019t find a market. It was while taking part in fairs to sell the pieces in the city, however, that the Par\u00e1 native remembered the habit of making her own homemade chocolate and wrapping it in a green leaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe used to grind cocoa in a wooden mortar and add sugar, turning it into a paste that was placed in a folded leaf,\u201d she recalls. This chocolate was grated and eaten during festive occasions or when guests visited. \u201cAnd I decided to take it to the fair. My family said, \u2018You\u2019re going crazy, who\u2019s going to buy a product in a leaf?\u2019\u201d she laughs. But the leaf-wrapped chocolate sparked consumers\u2019 nostalgic memories and became a hit. She continued making this chocolate until she replaced the mortar with a manual mill to meet sanitary standards.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Nena
Dona Nena (from behind) showcases the best brigadeiro in the world<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A connection with chef Thiago Castanho came with the advice that she shouldn\u2019t change her product, as it was both high-quality and unique. He also taught her how to make brigadeiro in a jar. \u201cBased on his product, I made my own brigadeiro, which is now the world’s best,\u201d she says, smiling. Nena then supplied this brigadeiro to the chef and other renowned cooks, turning it into a showcase for the island\u2019s products. This helped attract visitors to Combu, leading to an increase in local restaurants and the formation of transportation cooperatives for tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Nena still wanted to refine her chocolate, and she pursued it\u2014and succeeded. Now, although she focuses mainly on chocolate production, she is also involved in several activities, including tourism, and is happy that these businesses employ around 50 people. The cocoa used in her chocolate comes from the forest, grown among other trees in a system she calls agroecological.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The
The chocolates range from 55% to 100% cocoa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Dona Nena is an entrepreneur, but when she talks to visitors, she doesn\u2019t dwell on revenue or business figures. She shares that they use solar energy, collect rainwater, and explains how the tide spreads cocoa seeds and organic matter across the island, naturally fertilizing and irrigating it. She also points out that the island\u2019s forest provides a\u00e7a\u00ed, cupua\u00e7u, pupunha, ara\u00e7\u00e1, and other products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combu Island is located in the Amazon rainforest. The presence of this biome in the state of Par\u00e1 led to Bel\u00e9m, the state capital, being chosen to host the United Nations COP30 climate summit, taking place in November. One of the goals is to help other countries understand the reality of the Brazilian Amazon and its global importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the other features in the series:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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New directions in COP30 host Par\u00e1\u2019s agriculture<\/a><\/blockquote>