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 ›
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 ›
Now that the cacao beans have undergone each of the three important processes to becoming a good quality bean, it is time to assess the actual quality of the beans. This is done through the “cut test”, where the cacao… Read More ›
The next important step in cocoa processing is the drying process. Drying of cacao is an important step in cocoa processing as some of the reactions which produce good flavoured cacao are still proceeding during the drying process. Ideally, cacao… Read More ›
