Dr. Quirino Olivera receives MIDAGRI award for his contribution to the knowledge of cacao in Peru
- Huaca Montegrande
- Jul 19
- 2 min read
On July 17, 2025, Dr. Quirino Olivera, director of Huaca Montegrande, was awarded the “Medal of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI)” during the inauguration of the Cacao and Chocolate Salon, held in Lima.
The distinction, formalized by Ministerial Resolution 0273-2025-MIDAGRI published in El Peruano, government newsletter, recognizes his outstanding work in disseminating knowledge about cacao and its role as an original and early domesticated fruit in Peru and the Americas.
During the ceremony, Dr. Olivera dedicated the recognition to the farmers, native peoples and scientists who keep the memory of cacao alive.
"This award does not belong to me alone. It belongs to the farmers who still cultivate with their souls; to the native peoples who have preserved their spirit; to the scientists who awaken their dormant history," said Olivera with emotion. He also recalled that it was in the Great Spiral of Montegrande where evidence of the ceremonial use of cacao was found more than six thousand years ago: “A fruit that not only nourished, but also united worlds”.
Dr. Olivera reaffirmed his commitment to continue sowing memory and honoring cacao.
"I thank, with sincere emotion, Minister Ángel Manuel Manero Campos, for this honor that I receive as a collective song. I assume it with the commitment to continue sowing memory, to continue honoring cacao as a bridge between the past and the future, as a symbol of a humanity that still knows how to listen to the earth. Thank you, in the name of cacao, in the name of life."
From Huaca Montegrande, we express our deepest congratulations to our director.
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