Hacienda La Paz Takes Top Prize at Ecuador's Pepa de Oro Amid World Cacao Summit in Guayaquil
Hacienda La Paz, a family-run cacao farm in Ecuador's Guayas province, has been named winner of the 2026 Pepa de Oro contest, a recognition presented during the World Cacao Summit in Guayaquil. The award, which centers on cocoa bean quality and sensory excellence, stands as one of the most visible honors in the country's cacao sector this year.
According to regional coverage, the recognition was awarded during a summit that brought together producers, exporters, researchers, and academics for a multi-day discussion of the cacao industry's direction. For a farm with deep roots in the region, the win is being framed locally as a milestone moment.
Family Farm Takes Top Honors at Ecuador's Premier Cacao Contest
Hacienda La Paz was named winner of the 2026 edition of Pepa de Oro, with the award presented during the World Cacao Summit held in Guayaquil. Coverage describes the recognition as centered on the quality of the farm's cocoa beans and their sensory characteristics, criteria commonly associated with this type of industry contest.
A recurring theme in reporting on the win is the emphasis on craftsmanship and consistency built up over the farm's long operating history, though the specific technical benchmarks used to judge entries were not detailed in the available coverage.
Five Decades of Cacao Cultivation in Guayas Province
Hacienda La Paz was founded in 1969 by Estuardo Quirola Lojas, and reporting indicates it has remained a family-run operation for more than fifty years. Guayas province has long been associated with cacao production in Ecuador, and farms with multi-generational histories are often cited as anchors of the region's agricultural identity.
The farm's longevity is presented in available coverage as part of the narrative behind the win, though independent verification of specific historical details beyond what has been reported was not available in the source materials reviewed.
The Podium: Runner-Up Farms and What the Rankings Signal
Second place in the contest was awarded to Hacienda Balao Chico, with Hacienda Bola de Oro placing third. Beyond the ranking order, public detail on the judging criteria or methodology used to evaluate entries appears limited in the coverage currently available.
A recurring consumer and industry curiosity in contests of this kind involves how sensory evaluation and quality benchmarks are actually applied. Without more granular methodological detail from event organizers, it is difficult to characterize the full scope of what distinguished the winning entry from the runners-up.
Guayaquil's Turn on the Global Cacao Stage
The World Cacao Summit itself is described as a three-day event that convened producers, exporters, researchers, and academics, reflecting an effort to position Guayaquil as a hub for regional and international conversation around the cacao industry. Gatherings like this are often framed by organizers and local media as opportunities to showcase both agricultural heritage and forward-looking industry initiatives.
Observers following Ecuador's cacao sector may see the summit and the Pepa de Oro results as connected signals of the country's ongoing effort to elevate its profile in global cacao markets, though the summit's broader long-term impact remains to be seen.
A Note on Sourcing
Coverage of this story draws primarily from regional Ecuadorian outlets, several of which share overlapping details and framing, suggesting the reporting may stem from a common press release or shared source material rather than fully independent investigation. An official summit website exists, but its content could not be directly cross-verified against the specific contest claims cited in secondary coverage.
As a result, readers should treat details such as exact judging methodology, historical specifics about the farms involved, and the full scope of summit programming as reported by regional media rather than independently confirmed facts. No investigative-tier or international outlet coverage was identified to corroborate these details further at this time.