Why regions matter more than countries

Peru grows cacao in the northern Marañón canyon, in the high Cusco valleys, in San Martín and in the Amazonian lowlands of Ucayali. Those places differ in altitude by thousands of metres, in genetics, and in fermentation practice. A bar labelled Peru could be any of them.

The same holds for Ecuador, Colombia, Indonesia and most large producers. The country name is a customs fact rather than a flavour description.

A region usually implies one climate, a shared genetic base, and often a shared fermentation convention — sometimes literally a single fermentary serving the area. That is why Sambirano, Sur del Lago, Piura and Chuao carry so much more information than their countries do.

Some regions have become effectively brand names: Chuao in Venezuela has a controlled designation, and Marañón material commands prices that reflect genetic distinctiveness rather than country of origin.

Read the most specific geography on the wrapper and use that. If a maker names a region, they are telling you they bought a separated lot. If they name only a country, they may still have — but you have less to go on.

Over time, tracking regions rather than countries is also the fastest way to build a useful mental map of what you like. Country-level notes are too coarse to be predictive.