What Is
Chocho?

An Ancient Legume. A Modern Superfood.

Chocho (Lupinus mutabilis) is a member of the Fabaceae (legume) family, closely related to the lupin plants found across the Mediterranean and Americas. Unlike its relatives, chocho has been selectively cultivated at extreme altitude in the Andes for over 3,000 years — resulting in a genetically unique species with a nutritional density unmatched in the plant kingdom.

The bean itself is roughly the size of a soybean, white to cream in color, with a smooth, firm seed coat. Its natural alkaloid content — which protects the plant from pests without requiring pesticides — also makes it inedible in raw form. A traditional multi-stage debittering process removes these compounds, transforming it into one of the most digestible and complete protein sources available from any plant.

What distinguishes Chocho from every other plant protein is its combination of characteristics that individually exist in other sources but have never appeared together in one: complete amino acid profile, high fiber, zero sugar, lectin-free, oxalate-free, gluten-free, no pesticides, and non-isolate — all from a single whole-food ingredient requiring minimal processing.

The Most Complete Plant Protein Profile.

Chocho's nutritional superiority stems from its unique growing environment. At 11,000–14,000 feet, the plant must develop extraordinary resilience and nutrient density to survive. The volcanic soil provides an exceptional mineral base. The result: a protein composition that outperforms every common plant protein source, with a digestibility profile comparable to animal proteins.1,2

Of particular significance is Chocho's complete essential amino acid profile. Unlike pea protein — which is deficient in methionine and cysteine — or hemp and rice proteins, which lack key BCAAs, Chocho contains all nine essential amino acids in proportions that support muscle synthesis, recovery, and metabolic function.3

Complete Amino Acid Profile — per 100g raw material

* Essential amino acids    ** Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs). Source: Eurofins Scientific COA CPP5LBPC, Nov 2025. Subject to natural variability.

Chocho vs. Major Plant Proteins — per 100g

*Rice protein listed as isolate (78g). Whole grain rice protein ~7g/100g. Sources: Eurofins COA CPP5LBPC; USDA FoodData Central; Su√°rez et al., 2022.

From Nazca Tombs to Modern Nutrition.

The earliest evidence of Chocho cultivation has been recovered from the tombs of the Nazca culture and imprinted on Tiahuanaco ceramics, dating to approximately 1200 B.C.4 The Tiwanaku culture stored Chocho alongside kaniwa and amaranth for its exceptional shelf life and caloric density.

By 500 A.D., the Caranquis — an Incan subculture in northern Ecuador — had integrated Chocho as a dietary staple, cultivating it similarly to wheat in terms of scale and culinary importance.5 The Inca empire further refined its cultivation by engineering stone agricultural terraces (andenes) that created precise microclimates ideal for a cold-tolerant, well-drained crop like Chocho. These terraces prevented erosion, stabilized steep slopes, and captured solar heat at altitude.

The colonial era (1500–1850 A.D.) brought near-extinction. Spanish conquistadors introduced European crops, enacted policies favoring cash crops, and deliberately stigmatized Chocho as "food for Indigenous people" — a social stigma that persisted into the 20th century. Chocho nearly disappeared from the global food system entirely.

It survived through the stewardship of Indigenous communities, particularly women who maintained seed-saving practices and oral traditions across generations. In Quechua and Aymara communities, crop cultivation is not separable from spiritual practice — seeds are living entities tied to Pachamama (Mother Earth), and their preservation is a form of cultural and ecological responsibility.

Today, Mikuna is the first company to introduce single-ingredient Chocho protein to the U.S. market at scale — working directly with Indigenous Andean farmers in Ecuador. Founder Ricky Echanique, a fifth-generation Ecuadorian farmer, exports approximately 80% of Ecuador's Chocho harvest, generating 40% more profit per hectare for partner farmers than the average Andean crop.

Grown in Volcano Alley.

Chocho's exceptional nutrient density is directly attributable to its growing environment. The Ecuadorian Andes — locally called Volcano Alley due to the presence of Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, and Sangay — creates a specific combination of altitude, volcanic soil, equatorial sunlight, and pure rainwater that is effectively irreproducible at lower elevations or in conventional agricultural settings.

At 11,000–14,000 feet above sea level, Chocho grows in soil enriched by centuries of volcanic ash deposits. This volcanic substrate provides an exceptional mineral base including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and trace micronutrients that are directly absorbed into the bean. The intense equatorial sunlight at altitude — the strongest UV exposure on earth due to proximity to the equator — drives unusually dense photosynthesis and nutrient accumulation.

Chocho's growth cycle is adapted to the harsh, variable conditions of the high Andes. It germinates in April–June, produces its signature purple and blue flowers in June–July (used for cross-pollination), develops pods containing 4–10 seeds through August–September, and reaches full maturity by October when vines dry and fall for hand-harvest.

The Only Protein That Feeds the Soil.

Most protein crops — soy, pea, and corn — deplete the soil they're grown in, requiring synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and extensive irrigation to maintain yields. Chocho does the opposite. As a nitrogen-fixing legume, it enriches the soil while producing protein, making it one of the most ecologically intelligent crops in existence.6

Nitrogen Fixation Mechanism

Chocho forms symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Rhizobium) in its root nodules. This biological process converts atmospheric nitrogen (N‚ÇÇ) into ammonium (NH‚ÇÑ‚Å∫) — a form that plants and soil organisms can directly use. The result: Chocho enriches the soil with bioavailable nitrogen, reducing or eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers in subsequent crop cycles.7

Removing the Bitter. Keeping Everything Else.

In its raw form, Chocho contains quinolizidine alkaloids — naturally occurring bitter compounds that protect the plant from pests and predators. These alkaloids are mildly toxic in large quantities and give unprocessed Chocho an intensely bitter taste. Traditional Andean communities developed a water-based debittering technique over centuries: soaking and rinsing the seeds until alkaloid content dropped to safe levels.

Mikuna's proprietary debittering process refines this ancient method using controlled water immersion, temperature management, and precise timing. No solvents. No chemicals. No hexane. This is fundamentally different from soy, pea, and rice protein production, which uses solvent extraction (typically hexane) to isolate protein from the seed matrix — a process that strips most micronutrients and requires chemical inputs.

The Most Versatile Protein Ingredient.

Chocho's mild, nutty flavor and fine powder consistency distinguish it from most plant proteins, which carry strong beany, grassy, or chalky characteristics that limit culinary application. Chocho blends cleanly without overpowering, making it a genuinely culinary-grade ingredient rather than a supplement that must be disguised.

Its heat stability (it does not denature at normal cooking and baking temperatures) and partial flour-replacement capability give foodservice operators and home cooks applications that no other plant protein can match at the same protein concentration.

More Than a Crop. A Covenant with the Earth.

Chocho cannot be understood through a purely agronomic lens. In the Andean cosmology of the communities that have cultivated it for millennia, crops are living participants in a relationship between humans and Pachamama — Mother Earth. This relationship involves reciprocity, care, and spiritual accountability.

Before planting, Andean farming communities make offerings to the Apus (mountain spirits of Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, and Sangay) — acknowledging that harvests depend on balance between people, land, water, and mountain. The planting itself follows lunar calendars refined over centuries. Chocho is known as the crop of the highlands: resilient, restorative, and deeply practical.

The near-extinction of Chocho following colonial suppression was not only an agricultural loss — it was a cultural one. Its survival across five centuries of stigma and neglect was enabled almost entirely by women, who maintained seed-saving practices and oral cultivation knowledge through matrilineal transmission when colonial and republican institutions failed to value it.

Today, Mikuna's sourcing model is designed to restore the economic dignity of these communities. By paying premium prices directly to Indigenous farmers, Mikuna enables the continuation of traditional farming practices while introducing Chocho to global markets for the first time at scale.