The Choclate Prince

A regular Cacao tree can grow up to 15 meters tall. However; commercially grown ones are kept at 6 meters so it will be easier for people to harvest the fruit. Commercial Cacao trees have their lower branches removed for workers to climb through the groves easier.

 

The Cacao pods grow from the trunks as well as the larger branches of the tree unlike other fruits that grow on the tips of the branches. These pods have different shapes, textures and colors. The people growing Cacao leave the ripe Cacao pods on the tree for 2 to 3 weeks as this will not spoil the fruit.

 

This will allow harvesting every 2 weeks instead of daily. It is important to harvest the fruit when it is very ripe to get its maximum flavor.

 

You can always find flowers and fruits at the same time on the tree. Harvesting is done all year round, although there are 2 peak times of the year, and the end of the wet season is the main harvest time.

 

The fruit is harvested using a machete. Harvesting should be done with extra care so as not to cut the stems and the leaves as this is where the fruits and the flowers grow. The one harvesting the fruit should avoid damaging the Chupon as the growth of the tree depends on it. Harvesting the fruit using a machine is not possible as the machine can destroy the fruits and the other flowers of the Cacao.

 

There are different ways to open the fruit, by machete, whacking it by using a piece of wood or by knocking 2 fruits together to get the pulp and the seeds. The sugary, sticky white substance surrounding the seed needs to be fermented before the seeds can be roasted and processed.

 

A pod contains around 50 to 60- smalls in seeds but this can reach 100 or more seeds depending on the size of the pod. The seeds can be kept up to 24 hours after they are removed from the pods. Since the seeds are bitter tasting, fermenting it can improve the aroma as well as the taste overtime.

 

The pulp of the fruit needs to be removed as well. Before it is fermented, the seeds need to be split into half, laid on the ground and covered with banana leaves. Fermenting the seeds need air and heat so each batch that is fermented needs to be turned several times while it is being processed. The seed will turn brown during the process, this will take around 1 to 2 weeks.

 

The seeds will then be dried under the heat of the sun after they are fermented. Proper care should be taken so it will not get wet from any rain that might occur. Once all the seeds have dried, they are ready to be shipped to the chocolate factories where they will be made into chocolate bars or any other chocolate products.