Chuao and its cocoa have a long history. It was one of the first coastal towns founded in Venezuela. Located within the Henri Pittier National Park, Chuao is at the foot of the coastal mountain range. It is a relatively isolated town. This same isolation makes Chuao a heavenly land, full of landscapes of beaches and mountains.

It is a town with African American influence. Almost 100% of its inhabitants are natives, of which the majority are descendants of slaves brought to Venezuela during the Spanish colonization. They have preserved their roots through music by dancing to the beat of the African drum.

It has a population of approximately 3,000 inhabitants, of which around 200 people are involved in the cocoa business, an activity that has been carried out in the town for more than 400 years. After the cultivation of cocoa, fishing is the second characteristic activity of Chuao.

The first records of Chuao were reviewed by Alonzo de Ojeda in 1502, who described the area as a beautiful valley, endowed with great natural wealth. From that moment, the valley began to stand out as an important cocoa farm in the coastal area of Venezuela.

Around 1649, the Spanish governor Pedro Luis Villareal gave the lands of Chuao for the development of cocoa production to Mr. Pedro Liendo, who was married to Catalina Mejías de Ávila.

Before her death, and as an act of reconciliation with her religious belief, Mrs. Mejías ceded the lands of Chuao to the Catholic Church. The donation gave origin to a historic site. A church was built, as well as a patio and surrounded areas dedicated to cocoa production, processing, drying yard, and social and cultural gathering. This site was called “Obras Pías.”

Currently, the farmland is exploited directly by workers belonging to the "Empresa Campesina Chuao" (Chuao Farmers Association), a civil association constituted by 131 members. To be part of the association, the person must have been born in Chuao and be a descendant of its population. This rule aims to guarantee throughout the years the continuity of the centuries-old tradition of cocoa cultivation.
Para ser parte de esta asociación, se establece que se debe haber nacido en Chuao y ser descendiente de esta población. Esto ha garantizado a través de los años la continuidad de la tradición centenaria del cultivo de este cacao único en el mundo.