Cacao Fiji was founded by Arif Kahn in 2014. It’s amazing what he has accomplished in such a short time. At one time Fiji had a thriving cocoa crop, but cyclones, politics, and labor issues saw the decline of cacao being exported over the last 50 years. Cacao Fiji is the only company that is currently exporting beans here. I believe they export 1 to 1.5 tons of cocoa beans per month. We feel so fortunate to have discovered these beans and so honored to get a personal up close tour of their farm and production.
Beans drying in the sun..
When a sudden rainstorm appears they can easily be rolled under the roofed drying area. Note the wheels on the beds. When we arrived it was blue skies and then out of nowhere it began to downpour. Arif and his team had the drill down! Within minutes everything was tucked away out of the rain.
The fermenting boxes.
It usually takes about 5 to 7 days to ferment the beans. The wet beans are put in boxes and moved from box to box every day. The stair step system lets gravity do the work.
Other drying beds. The one outside is quickly able to be covered with a cloth.
One of the challenges of growing cacao and producing great beans is the constant struggle between rain and sun. The cacao needs plenty of rain to grow well, which is why they are so prolific in the tropics. Once fermented they also need to be sun-dried for approximately 7 days. Thus, the tropical weather that was so great for the trees is not so great for drying the beans.
I’m not sure what magic goes on in the production of these beans, but they are definitely one of the sweeter cacao beans we use. Often times when people say they don’t like dark chocolate, we have them taste our Fiji chocolate. Many times we bring them over to the dark side.
As a back-up, in case of too much rain, Cacao Fiji has a steam boiler drying system. They inherited it from the previous owner and it needs some work to get it up and running.
Beans being carried to the storage area and ready for export!
Arif has great plans to expand his farm and production. He’s purchasing 25 adjacent acres with a plan to plant 10,000 more trees! Here’s his nursery that has some seedlings.
Cacao Fiji resides in the land of enchantment. The river and waterfall on the property only adds to the magical experience. I can see one day there being small burres (Fiji huts) being built next to the river and maybe even Eco Tours being given here.
My favorite part of the day was sharing lunch with all the workers and having them taste our chocolate. For some of them it was the first time they had tasted chocolate made from these beans!
No comments:
Post a Comment