Shattell is an artisan chocolate factory founded in 2009 in Lima, Peru by visionary entrepreneur and expert chocolatier, Lisi Montoya. Lisi launched Shattell with the vision to make high quality chocolate with the finest native cocoa beans from the Peruvian Amazon.

Peruvian cocoa beans are world-renowned and are popular with some of the most famous chocolate brands in Europe, Asia, and North America. However, until just recently, there wasn’t a strong representation for Peruvian chocolate made with Peruvian cacao. This realization, combined with Lisi’s deep love for chocolate, were the driving forces that led her to learn more about the art and science of chocolate making and eventually launch Shattell.

Since Shattell’s beginnings, Lisi has had the opportunity to work with amazing Peruvian cacao farmers and build a team of talented chocolatiers, to not only make world-class chocolate but also to share the treasure of Peruvian-made dark chocolate with the rest of the world.

The brand’s philosophy is that great chocolate is born in the field and starts with the best quality cacao beans. They go above and beyond to build strong and lasting relationships with the cacao farmers they work with through direct trade, providing wages nearly 3 times higher than market value. Furthermore, Shattell facilitates training and mentoring about organic farming practices, fruit selection and fermentation process, which increases the value of each harvest and ensures the highest quality cacao. Finally, they provide field training and internships in their own chocolate factory. That is the essence of how they aim to give back to the communities they work with.

It’s worth noting that many of the farmers who work with Shattell used to grow coca plants. Not only is this practice illegal, it also puts farmers in harm’s way because of dangerous exchanges with narcotraffickers. Working with Shattell helps them step away from coca harvesting by providing a safer and more stable source of income.