Doha, January 28th, 2025

Today, the Embassy of Ecuador in the State of Qatar inaugurated the permanent exhibition of the ceramic vessel with starch grain residues characteristic of the cacao genus, found in the Ecuadorian province of Zamora-Chinchipe.

This vessel is the oldest discovered so far, scientifically confirming that the origin of cacao was in the south of Ecuador, in a specific place in Santa Ana la-Florida.

The replica exhibition will be in the most important Cultural Center in Qatar, and one of the largest in the Middle East region, specifically in Katara Cultural Village.

The original vessel found and studied by several experts and even those of the scientific journal “Nature Ecology and Evolution”, certify that in its components there are starch grains characteristic of the Theobroma genus, as well as traces of Theobromine, a biochemical compound specific to mature cacao beans.

The ancient cacao DNA found in ceramic vessels, some date back up to 5,500 years.
The archaeological site discovered belongs to the ancient Mayo-Chinchipe culture, and it is evidence of the use and domestication of cocoa in Ecuador.

Ambassador Pascual Del Cioppo spoke at the event, highlighting the certification of the discovery, the veracity of its origin and also the unique and high quality of Ecuadorian cocoa. The event was led by Ambassador del Cioppo and Professor Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Sulaiti, also attended by the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps H.E Ambassador François Guillaume, Ambassadors of the accredited countries and the Directors of the Main Cultural Center of Katara Cultural Village in Doha.