The chocolate bar you enjoy starts its life as a humble pod on a cacao tree. Let's trace its journey.
Harvesting
It all begins on the farm. Ripe cocoa pods are carefully harvested by hand to avoid damaging the tree. The pods are cracked open to reveal the wet beans covered in a white, sweet pulp.
Fermentation
This is a critical step for flavor development. The beans are placed in boxes or heaps and covered with banana leaves. Over 5-7 days, natural fermentation occurs, changing the beans' color from purple to brown and developing the chocolate precursor flavors.
Drying
After fermentation, the beans are spread out in the sun to dry. This reduces moisture content to prevent mold during storage and shipping. The drying process must be carefully managed to ensure even drying.
Shipping & Processing
The dried beans are packed into jute bags and shipped to processing factories. There, they are roasted, cracked, and winnowed to remove the shell, leaving the cocoa nibs. The nibs are ground into cocoa liquor, which is then separated into cocoa butter and cocoa powder or mixed with sugar and milk to make chocolate.
