Location: El Seibo, Dominican Republic
Making chocolate is a labor of love. Once we receive the cocoa beans from our suppliers we need to roast, winnow, grind, melange, temper, mould, and package the chocolate. But that is only part of the process. Growing the cacao, harvesting and cracking the pods, fermenting and drying the beans must happen first. We have a tremendous amount of appreciation for our suppliers for all this hard work that occurs in a very hot and humid climate. Most of the farmers live in very modest conditions and struggle to eek out a living. They rarely get a chance to taste the end chocolate product. It's our personal goal to meet each of our cocoa suppliers, thank them for their hard work and present them with a bar of chocolate.
Today we traveled to the Conacado Co-op in El Sebo. It was a special treat to have my sister and brother-in-law with us on this adventure. It was their first trip to the cacao source.
Also working on the farm was Blake, a Peace Corp worker. She's been there for 14 months helping them with their business and marketing.
Ned in front of the fermentation area.
Ned and Debi in the drying shed.
Doing the cut test to see if the beans have been fermented long enough.
One of the "cocoa dancers" flipping the beans to help the drying process. To fully appreciate this, the temperature was extremely hot and humid and he's in the baking sun fully dressed.
Ned and I giving some more of the workers a Cello Chocolate bar made with their beans.
In the field seeing the cacao growing on the trees.
We had an opportunity to see how they prepare "cocoa balls." This is coarseley ground cocoa nibs rolled into ball form to be grated and sweetened for hot chocolate.
Of course Linda and I had to taste them.
They prepared a beautiful, typical Dominican lunch for us.
We had rice with peas, chicken, a type of spaghetti and a vegetable salad.
Ned especially enjoyed the cacao wine, which tasted like port.
They've invited Ned and I back to help them make chocolate. We are thinking of coming back next January. If we do, this will be our living quarters. We can't wait!!
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