SHANAO CACAO

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Dreaming of chocolate: Part II

Chocolate... Well, cacao, but that's where it comes from.

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Dreaming of chocolate: Part II

Dreaming of chocolate: Part II

Fermentation takes anywhere from 3-7 days depending on the amount of penetration of acid into the cotyledon you desire. During the first 24 hours, peak yeast population is obtained and during this process most of the sweet coating drips off and leaves through slits in the bottom of the fermentation chamber. Part of the process at APARMASH includes the collection of this jugo (juice) for later addition to the fermentation to reboot the last two days of biological activity. Jui

Chocolate... Well, cacao, but that's where it comes from.

Chocolate... Well, cacao, but that's where it comes from.

Fields of cacao trees giving up their pods day after day. Freshly shucked seeds flowing into the co-op on the back of moto-taxis and money flowing out of my pockets at an alarming rate. Stage 1 of the project includes a 4-ton pilot project. The two main species that we could, on this trip, isolate and export were the original yellow bean "Criollo" and the "Hibrido de la chakra" (Hibrid from the farm). The reason I put Criollo in quotation marks is because we are yet to geneti

Work at the co-operative

Work at the co-operative

With some fairly serious issues to address our work began in ernest. Cacao is a sensitive seed crop and the way it is handled from the moment it is picked is of utmost importance. It's hard to imagine, when you eat a candy bar-- or of course your favorite bean to bar $15 delicacy, the amount of work and meticulous detail that has gone into every part of the the raw commodities production. To produce the best chocolate, you need the best beans. To get the best beans, you need