Chocolate Consultancy

Working with Luciana was very important for our start. In addition to immense technical knowledge that she has, she also has an important network of contacts who helped us to shorten paths! Always available to help us, she is the “fairy godmother” of our brand.

With Ara Cacao, we succeeded optimizing our planning and workability of chocolates and candies. We learned manufacturing techniques and procedures that we would spend years understanding on our own. Our partnership represents a important intangible value in learning and results for our industry.

Ara Cacao was a key partner for us at a time when we needed to decide which way to go with our chocolate recipes and how to position ourselves in the market. With Ara we were able to make the connections. It was crucial to have their advice on numerous aspects, especially related to the quality of the product and the development of new products.

In 2020 we started producing chocolate on our farm with the cacao that was planted in 2012 by our parents. Initially we had several issues, like the overall quality and the tempering. On top of that, we used Micryo for the tempering and approximately a month before Easter we ran out of Micryo without any possibility of buying it in the market. That’s when Luciana came into scene and she swiftly helped us to master stone tempering and that saved our Easter season. Moreover, Luciana analyzed our whole production process and showed us where and how to improve it as well as suggesting new products and models to make use of.

In September of 2021 our women’s group of Acará-Açu, a small community in the Amazon region, participated in a cocoa subproduct workshop led by chocolatier Cesar de Mendes and Luciana Monteiro of Ara Cacao. Since then we have been producing artisan chocolates that embody our identity, heritage and the use of sustainable naturally-grown practices in order to preserve the Amazon rainforest.  Our group is thriving with the help of Luciana Monteiro on our side, who is always ready to help us with her wit and expertise. Thank you!

It really was a gift to have the opportunity to meet Luciana Monteiro, this great professional, competent, specialist in product development and sensory analysis, who has contributed to promote improvements and more quality in my work. I am very happy with our partnership. We will certainly build great projects together over the years.

Professionalism, knowledge and sweetness in the same person. Luciana knows a lot about chocolate, both at the artisanal level and at the large industrial level, and is also an expert in design thinking and product development. I've taken classes with her and I've also hired her as a consultant. I was very satisfied in both situations. When someone tells me they want to set up a chocolate factory or need one specialized consultancy, I immediately think of her. I have recommended Ara Cacao several times and I will continue to recommend it. Luciana is an important referral for me as a person and as a professional.

Ara Cacao has had a key role at Majucau. She has helped us increase our production capacity, organize our processes and the planning or our routines. Today our company prepares and develops itself in a healthy manner. Thank you Luciana for helping us be a bit better every day.

When we started working with Ara Cacao we felt a click right away. We were able to make the idea of using the nectar of cocoa to make a product come true. This changed our efficiency, our business and the ecosystem. Luciana teaches everything she knows about cocoa and its processes with love. It was an amazing experience to work with her and I am very thankful for all she has contributed.

I want to thank Luciana who has participated in our dream since the layout of the factory and now with the development of chocolates. Her mentoring has been fundamental to give me certainty, save time as well as product feedback, which is always a special moment for me.

Luciana Monteiro has consulted for our company, Chocolates De Mendes. It has been transformative to implement her proposals and have her train our operators. Luciana conducts her work with both professional maturity as well as enthusiasm, respect for all and kindness, resulting in business results and a pleasant work atmosphere.