Peru is probably not the first country that comes to mind when you think of the world’s finest chocolate producers. However, the cacao bean thrives in Latin America, and has since ancient times dating back 3,000 years or more. The local people enjoyed hot chocolate long before it hit the cafés of the Western world. In actuality, the origins of chocolate trace to the Amazon basin of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
Fortunately, ChocoMuseo, with multiple locations in Peru, offers an informative and delicious glimpse into this rich history. Not to mention, the tastings and workshops will leave you in state of chocolate-induced bliss.
To make a long story short and sweet, if you’re a chocolate-lover headed for Lima, Cusco or the Sacred Valley, you’re in luck. Right off the central plaza in these prized Peru destinations you will find an inviting chocolate museum beckoning you to stay awhile. Whether it’s a prelude to your epic adventure to Machu Picchu or a spontaneous pop-in after your Parque Kennedy stroll in Lima, you’ll find ChocoMuseo to be a highlight of your trip.
- What is ChocoMuseo?
- ChocoMuseo Chocolate Workshops
- Cafe Offerings
- ChocoMuseo Gift Shop
- Locations
- Your ChocoMuseo Experience
The original version of this article was created in 2013 by Rachel Ricks.
What is ChocoMuseo?
ChocoMuseo, which is a mix of the words chocolate and museo (Spanish for museum), is a chocolate museum with locations in Lima, Cusco and the Sacred Valley of Peru. Really, it feels more like an inviting boutique chocolate shop than a museum, with tons of samples, a cafe area and a workshop space. Entry is free and no check-in required.
Cusco Tours:
6 Days / from $1249
4 Days / from $989
All visitors are offered free samples of chocolate, flavored liquors, homemade marmalades, cacao tea and more. Even if you don’t buy a single thing, stopping into the shop is a serious treat and the friendly staff are more than happy to assist and provide information about Peruvian cacao. It is also an excellent place to grab tasty souvenirs for loved ones back home, sit for a while in the cafe and enjoy one of their many handcrafted offerings, or sign up for a workshop so you can actually learn about and make your own chocolate. ChocoMuseo offers some of the best chocolate in Peru.
Chocolate-making workshop area at ChocoMuseo in the Miraflores district of Lima. Image: Chocomuseo (1) by Municipalidad de Miraflores, used under CC BY 2.0 /Compressed from original
ChocoMuseo Chocolate Workshops
The chocolate-making workshops at ChocoMuseo are simply too good to resist. You can schedule your workshop ahead of time with your travel advisor, the day before right in the shop, or oftentimes even day-of you can easily stop in and find slots available.
Upon arrival, you will check in and receive a chef’s hat and apron. Then, you’ll learn the fascinating journey of how the cacao bean is grown, harvested and made into chocolate. Next, you’ll roast and grind the cacao beans into a tasty paste. Finally, you’ll choose from dark, milk and white chocolate and refine this irresistible melted chocolate into your own bar and shapes, and choose from many toppings like coconut, Peruvian pink salt, cookie crumbles, gummy bears, coca powder, etc. to sprinkle in. Once cooled and set, you take your very own chocolate home as a souvenir to enjoy at a later time (or as you walk out the door, we understand).
Other chocolate classes include chocolate sculpting, cupcake making and truffle filling. Are you drooling yet? The best part is that these cacao beans are grown in the jungle just beyond Machu Picchu. In fact, the founders of ChocoMuseo have teamed up with local Peruvian farmers in a small cooperative there to produce the high-quality beans.
Family enjoying a chocolate-making workshop at ChocoMuseo. Image: ChocoMuseo
Cafe Offerings
The cafe is the perfect spot to enjoy locally grown, harvested and prepared Peruvian chocolates and other homemade desserts. Browse a heavenly menu of brownies, fondues, volcano cakes, cheesecakes, and artisanal ice cream bars. These can be paired with a Mayan-style hot chocolate, a Mochaccino made with coffee from the Peruvian highlands, or even a delightful cacao tea made simply from the cacao bean shell steeped in water and lightly sweetened (or unsweetened if preferred). A chocolate experience in the ChocoMuseo cafe is a great way to lift your spirits, bond with your loved ones and appreciate the regional treasures of Peru.
Fresh hot cocoa and cacao shells for tea at ChocoMuseo. Image: choco-museo-15 by Shriram Rajagopalan, used under CC BY 2.0 / Compressed from original.
ChocoMuseo Gift Shop
The gift shop is full of chocolate and chocolate-related items – the ultimate souvenirs for any other chocolate lovers in your life. If you want to know the best chocolate to buy in Peru, look no further than this inviting shop. Browse the shelves, replete with free samples, that include Peruvian-made items like:
- Dark, milk and white chocolate bars, either pure or with toppings like almonds, salt, coffee, red pepper, aguaymanto, coca, coconut, brazil nuts, ginger and orange.
- Sweetened and unsweetened cacao powders and hot cocoa
- Cacao shell loose tea
- Different varieties of dried fruits and nuts
- Handmade jams with flavors of mango maracuya, banana, lucuma, strawberry and pineapple
- Sweet marmalades like chocolate, coffee, coconut and moccachino
- Nut butters like peanut, almond and cashew
- Superfood flours like coca, aguaje, camu camu and maca
- Cereals and seeds including quinoa, avena, chia and kiwicha
- Beauty products like shampoo, conditioner, face cream, body lotion, soap, lip balm and essential oils.
- Shirts and other ChocoMuseo memorabilia, with cute quotes like “Save the Planet, It’s the Only One with Chocolate”
Follow ChocoMuseo on Facebook for more info about their cafe and current gift shop offerings.
White, milk and dark chocolate bars for sale in the ChocoMuseo gift shop. Image: ChocoMuseo.
Locations
Chocomuseo Lima
- Berlin: Calle Berlin 375, Miraflores (Located just 3 blocks from Parque Kennedy down Calle Berlin, which intersects with Diagonal)
- Parque Kennedy: Diagonal 400 Entrada, Calle de las Pizzas, Miraflores (located just across the street from Parque Kennedy at the intersection of Diagonal and Calle Pizza)
- Historic Center: Jirón Carabaya 191, Cercado de Lima (located just off the Plaza de Armas on Jiron Carabaya)
chocomuseo Cusco
- Calle Garcilaso 210 (located just 2 blocks from the Plaza de Armas of Cusco, just in front of Plazoleta Regocijo)
chocomuseo Sacred Valley
- Ollantaytambo: Calle Principal, Ollantaytambo (located just a block away from the Archaeological Fortress of Ollantaytambo)
- Pisac: Mariscal Castilla, Pisac (located between Grau and Bolognesi)
Entry to ChocoMuseo in Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley. Image: Ollantaytambo ChocoMuseo by Unukorno, used under CC BY 3.0 / Compressed from original.
Your ChocoMuseo Experience
A trip to ChocoMuseo is possible in any of our travel packages. You can independently walk in on your free time in Cusco, Lima, Pisac or Ollantaytambo or you can talk to your travel advisor and formally schedule a workshop and transfer. Because each location is centrally located in three top Peru destinations, it can be a spontaneous and unforgettable addition, seamlessly working into even the busiest of itineraries. Peruvian chocolate is one of a kind and brings you back to the very origins of this incredible superfood. Don’t miss the opportunity to book a chocolate tour and learn about all things cacao at ChocoMuseo Peru.
Truffles at ChocoMuseo. ChocoMuseo.
Gina loves the hidden turquoise rivers of the Andes, the magical pink dolphins of the Amazon, and the lush ocean-view parks of Lima. She finds Peru to be the most inspiring country in the world, and has been exploring and writing about this sacred place since 2014.
