Location: Camino Verde Plantation, Balao, Ecuador
We are a handcraft bean to bar chocolate company, which means we take cacao beans and turn them into chocolate. It involves a lot of hard work for both the farmer and the chocolate maker.
It takes a dedicated person to be a cacao farmer. From extracting the wet, pulpy beans from these exotic pods hanging off a tree trunk to the fermenting and drying process so many variables can go wrong. Vicente, the owner of Camino Verde, is in a class of his own. He applies both a scientific exactness and a passion to this craft.
Today we got an overview of Camino Verde's post harvest process. Most farmers use a box step system for fermentation and then dry the beans on a concrete slab. Vicente has a very different approach. He allowed us to enter his inner sanctum, behind a guarded locked gate to see it first hand. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of this process so you'll have to bear with me as I describe it. The fermentation process takes place in bags, on pallets, under special plastic wrap. All timing is controlled by monitoring the temperature rather than the typical date time table of 5 to 7 days. He also inoculates the beans several times during the fermentation process with microorganisms that were drained from the pulp of the cacao. Once fermented they are then transferred to a special drying bed, made of wood and not the typical concrete pad. I could go on forever explaining the intricate nuances of why Vicente does what he does. When I get home, buy me a drink and I'll go on forever. For tonight, just trust me that it's very unusual, complicated and unique with the end result being that Camino Verde produces one of the best cacao beans ever.
It doesn't matter how wonderful these beans are if the chocolate maker isn't equally skilled at his craft. Again, there are so many variables that could go horribly wrong during the roasting, conching or tempering process.
Which brings me back to today. The farmer and the chocolate maker are two equally important parts of the process in bringing a chocolate bar to market and yet very rarely do the two ever meet. Working on a cacao farm is hard, physical work. I wonder how often a farmer has thought about his precious bean, where it is being shipped, and if his work and toil has been appreciated.
And the chocolate maker, what must he be thinking? As he labors over this bean, turning it into a liquid form and then into a bar, with just the right amount of sweetness and coaxing out the flavor complexities, surely he imagines the farmer and the land and the origin of this special little bean. Ned and I have had many, many discussions imaging the people that have produced these beans.
And so today, after traveling several thousand miles back to its origin, a bean was returned home and the circle was completed. Three separate chocolate makers presented their chocolate bars, specially made with the Camino Verde bean, to the actual farmer and workers. It was incredibly moving and emotional for everyone.
Ned had big tears in his eyes and got a bit choked up as he presented Cello Chocolate's Ecuador bar to two of the workers. Ironically, of our six single origin bars the Ecuador bar is Ned's favorite so this had an extra special meaning to him. The workers were also very moved to receive this gift, feel appreciated and be able to taste the fruits of their labor. (The press was there to document the event and Vicente has promised to send me the article when it is published).
Ned and I make chocolate because it's fun, tastes good and keeps us connected to our local community. Today, our local community got a little bit bigger and included some special people at Camino Verde, Ecuador.
No comments:
Post a Comment