Zorzal: Sustainable, Bird-Friendly® Cacao
|
Time to read 2 min
the first certified bird friendly® bean-to-bar chocolate
Situated at roughly 19°N latitude in Duarte Province, in the heart of the Dominican Republic's cacao-growing region, Reserva Zorzal is the country's first private nature reserve. Spanning just over 1,000 acres and supporting more than 15 local landowners, this single reserve has become a sanctuary for one of North America's rarest migratory songbirds, the Bicknell's Thrush, while producing some of the most sustainable, single-origin cacao we work with.
Through many efforts from the team in Bend and in The Dominican Republic, we are proud to say that we are the worlds first certified Bird Friendly ® Chocolate
meet the bicknell's thursh
The Bicknell's Thrush is a small bird with an outsized story. It connects us across oceans and hemispheres with their 2,000-mile migration journey.
During the breeding season, it spends its time in high-elevation balsam fir forests in eastern Canada, Maine, and New York. Come winter, it migrates south to tropical habitats across the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Cuba.
However, more than 75% of its wintering habitat on those tropical islands has been lost to agriculture and logging. With less habitat to go around, competition for food and shelter has intensified, pushing the species toward endangerment.
Tietz, Jim. "Bicknell's Thrush", Living Bird Magazine, Autumn 2018
our role in sustainable cacao farming
Reserva Zorzal and Zorzal Cacao have been able to make a real, measurable impact on Bicknell's Thrush conservation. The reserve's owners have committed 70% of the land to stay "forever wild," making it the first private reserve of its kind in the Dominican Republic. One of the reserve's partners has since designated a second private reserve of roughly 865 acres nearby, expanding the protected network even further.
Reserva Zorzal has also partnered with the Loma Quita Espuela Foundation and Consorcio Ambiental Dominicano to align reforestation and habitat restoration efforts, certified under the international Plan Vivo standard. Together with more than 15 local landowners, the project has reforested 198 acres with native tree species to support the Bicknell's Thrush and the broader ecosystem it depends on. Zorzal Cacao is also Smithsonian Bird Friendly® certified, a rigorous certification that guarantees that cacao is organic, deforestation-free, and conserves habitat for migratory birds like the Bicknell’s Thrush.
a good food award-winning bird-friendly bar
When you eat a Seahorse Chocolate Zorzal bar, you're supporting bird habitat conservation in the Dominican Republic and, simply put, eating a genuinely good bar. Our 70% Zorzal has been the winner of the Good Food Award both times we entered it, in 2024 and again in 2026.
The Good Food Awards recognize crafters across food and drink categories for products that are both delicious and consciously made, holding entrants to high standards of quality, ethics, and taste. Out of more than 1,200 entries, only 198 crafters rose to the top across five regions and 18 categories.
Every bar Seahorse that has entered since 2021 has been recognized as a finalist or a winner in the chocolate category.
two landscapes, one chocolate: maine maple sugar
Some chocolates tell the story of a single place, but we recently launched a bar that tells the story of an entire migration. From the lush forests of the Dominican Republic to the northern woodlands of Maine, our new Maine Maple Sugar bars tell the remarkable story of the endangered Bicknell's Thrush migration through only two ingredients: Zorzal cacao and maple sugar from Maine. By crafting chocolate from these two linked landscapes, we're celebrating more than good ingredients - we're celebrating the people, forests, and conservation work that make this journey possible.
We're proud of the impact these projects have on wildlife and habitat, and we're just as proud of what's inside the wrapper. When you enjoy a bar of Zorzal or Maine Maple Sugar, you're tasting a connection that spans thousands of miles: a shared commitment to protecting one extraordinary bird's habitat, so that thriving forests and remarkable chocolate can both continue for generations to come.
