Who would have thought of the Basque Country as one of the first places in Europe to be home to chocolate-making as we know it today? Surprisingly, this aspect of the region’s rich heritage is only beginning to receive recognition…. Read More ›
Cocoa
When the cocoa trail becomes the chocolate trail
All good things come to an end. Now it is time for me to return to Europe. But rest assured! It is not the end of the cocoa trail! It is going to swiftly lead into the chocolate trail. With… Read More ›
The essentials of cacao tree pruning
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 ›
Learning how to manage a cocoa plantation
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 ›
On the road to Ecuador to discover the national cacao variety
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 ›
Getting producers to taste their very own cocoa liquor
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 ins and out of cocoa production
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 ›
A week in the life of a local cacao farming community
Last week I was kindly invited to spend a week living with a local family in the small farming community in the region of Piura, North of Peru. I stayed with Juan Franciso and his wife Fidelina Pena. Juan Francisco,… Read More ›
Peru’s most exquisite white cacao beans
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 ›
Discovering a very rare cacao variety
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 ›
