In my previous post, I mentioned how more and more chocolatiers are turning away from big wholesale manufacturers of chocolate in order to make their own chocolate from beans they have sourced themselves directly from producers. Willie’s Cacao, based in… Read More ›
With the festive period in full swing, many of us will be savouring chocolates of different kinds and types. But what do we know about how and where the cocoa beans used to make our chocolates are grown and processed ?… Read More ›
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of working with Valrhona, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of fine chocolate, on the inauguration of their Loma Sotavento cocoa plantation in the Dominican Republic. It was an important occasion for Valrhona. The… Read More ›
The pruning of cacao trees is essential in the management of a cacao field. When done efficiently, pruning helps to increase the tree’s productivity. Pruning generally takes place twice a year. The first pruning takes place just after the main… Read More ›
The last few weeks of my cocoa trail are spent at the Ecuadorean government’s agricultural research institute INIAP, an acronym which stands for Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. INIAP was founded in 1959 to find ways of improving sustainability and… Read More ›
After several months learning about the intricacies of Peru’s cacao production and the producer-supply chain, I decided it was time to discover another Latin American country renowned for its fine-flavoured and aromatic cocoa beans: Ecuador. Ecuador, unlike Peru, has a… Read More ›
After my week living with the farmers of Chulucanas, I really wanted to give something back to the communities who received me so kindly and with such an open heart. Surprisingly, I discovered, it is very rare for cacao farmers… Read More ›
The association, ASPROC NBT, which stands for Asociacion de Productores de Cacao de Nuevo Bambamarca Tocache, currently has 200 members, and was set up a couple of years ago by a small group of cacao farmers from Nuevo Bambamarca. Each… Read More ›
I am now in the Northern tip of Peru, where you can find Peru’s special white cacao, a genetic variety that is highly appreciated by leading chocolatiers around the world. Some of the world’s top chocolatiers, including Pierre Marcolini, Pierrick… Read More ›
Immediately after the “Salon de Cacao y Chocolate”, I was invited by the organising committee to visit the area where one of Peru’s rarest cacao varieties is grown. This special variety is a member of the Forastero del Alto Amazonas… Read More ›
