Qantu is physically based in Montreal, Canada, but its spiritual home is in Peru, where its founders, Elfi and Maxime, met and discovered their love for chocolate. It's also where they found inspiration for their name, taken from the country’s national flower (pronounced 'Kantu', from the Quechua language). Peru is also where the two source all their beans directly from cooperatives, importing them without any middlemen. Elfi and Maxime often visit the farms where possible, or meet with cooperatives in Lima to ensure good post-harvest and business practices. They also always sample the beans first to evaluate their quality and characteristics. Beans are important: Qantu's mission is to promote and preserve native cocoa beans. They educate people on the differences between hybrid and native cocoa beans and the importance of preserving native beans for biodiversity. The two have accumulated so much award bling you need to wear sunglasses when viewing their accolades!