How a 2023 encounter turned into a partnership – and why the sanctuary in Cusco has just reached a milestone that changes everything.

The Beginning: An Encounter in 2023

Before the Kakao Mischa Impact Fund even existed, I stood before the gates of the Cochahuasi Reserve for the first time in 2023. By my side was Rosaura from Original Beans, our sourcing partner and bean expert on the ground in Peru. She ensures that only the best cacao beans find their way into our chocolate – and it was she who introduced me that day to Dante, the founder of the sanctuary.

What started as a day trip became the spark for a partnership we couldn’t have imagined at the time.

Why Cochahuasi is needed at all

What many don't know – and what Dante explained to me impressively that day: In Peru, the trade and abuse of wild animals is prohibited. But the state does not maintain any rescue centers of its own. When the police confiscate abused animals, there is simply no official place to take them. The tragic result: Many of these animals are euthanized because no one knows where to put them.

Cochahuasi fills exactly this gap – and has been doing so since 2007, entirely on its own. Without state funding, without major NGO grants, financed solely by tourism, donations, and partnerships like ours.

The stories behind the animals

During my tour with Dante – over an hour through the entire grounds – he told me the story behind every resident. And these stories are harsh:

• Pumas held as attractions in nightclubs in Lima
• Spectacled bears from traveling circuses
• Parrots that were to be smuggled into Europe hidden in plastic tubes
• Andean condors whose feathers were plucked for shamanic rituals – driven by the superstition that they would bring luck or were dangerous predators (incidentally, both are false: Andean condors feed exclusively on carrion)

Many of these animals are threatened with extinction, some even critically. Cochahuasi is the last chance for them.

The most impressive part: Almost half are released

What surprised me most about that first visit: Almost half of all animals taken in here can eventually be released back into the wild.

This requires immense work, knowledge, and skill – and only succeeds thanks to dedicated volunteers (many of whom, incidentally, are from Germany) who help on-site as volunteer veterinarians.

A highlight of the sanctuary is the Andean Condor Release Program. Cochahuasi is possibly one of the most successful condor release projects in all of South America. In 2019, a condor was even released with a GPS transmitter, whose data on flight behavior, altitude, and nesting sites flows directly into research.

From a visit to a partnership: The Impact Fund

In 2024, the time finally came: We launched the Kakao Mischa Impact Fund. The principle is simple – for every kilo of cacao traded, €1 flows into the fund. This supports projects along our cacao supply chain and beyond in a transparent and long-term manner.

Since 2024, over €50,000 have flowed into the Impact Fund – a significant portion of which went directly to Cochahuasi. We have reported here in detail on the concrete measures from our visit in March 2025 (tortoise and Huallata enclosures, renovation of the condor bridge, food for the low season).

A historic step: Official recognition in 2026

And now for what excites us the most right now.

For a long time, it was incredibly arduous for Dante and his team to do their work. Even just to be allowed to officially release a rescued animal, it required formal applications that could drag on for months. A bureaucratic hurdle that really has no place in animal welfare.

Thanks to the persistent, expert work of Dante and his team, Cochahuasi has had official recognition as an Animal Sanctuary from the Peruvian government since 2026. This means:

• Significantly less paperwork in daily operations
• Faster admission processes for confiscated animals
• Simplified release procedures
• And above all: more animals that can be rescued and released in time

We are incredibly proud and grateful to be a small part of this journey.

Looking ahead: A new plot for the wild

Even though so many animals find a home at Cochahuasi – the reality is: There are still many more animals in Peru that urgently need help. Animals that currently either have to be euthanized or continue to live in terrible conditions because of a lack of capacity.

That is why something new is being built across from Cochahuasi: On an additional plot of land – which Rosaura from Original Beans co-owns – further enclosures are being built, especially for condors and pumas. But not as a tourist attraction, but as the final stage before release: areas where animals can get used to the wild without human influence.

It is a balancing act that every sanctuary knows: Tourism finances the work – but the actual goal is for the animals to be able to leave again. With the new plot, which will hopefully be realized in 2026, this balancing act can be better managed.

What remains: Creating connection

What moved me especially during the second visit was seeing how deeply other visitors were touched by these innocent, rare creatures. How people, perhaps for the first time in their lives looking a condor in the eye, build a real connection to the animal world.

And that is exactly what we are about with the Impact Fund. It is not charity from a distance. It is a bridge between the people who enjoy our cacao and the animals who are getting a second life in the Andes.

🌱 🦅 🍫