Cocoa Slideshow

7/30/2019 Cocoa Slideshow

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Chocolate: TheFood of the

Gods

The Journey fromBeans to Bar


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-One of the oldestcultivated plants, cocoa

originated in the Amazonbasin in South Americaand traveled north as faras Mexico.

-Indigenous tribesbelieved it was planted bygods.

A Brief History


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-Aztecs and Mayans firstcreated xocolatl a hot chocolate drink often

mixed with vanilla or chilipeppers.

-Cocoa beans were so

highly valued they wereused as money until the1800s.

-Ecuador was once theprimary producer of cocoa,but today about 80% isgrown in the West Africannations of Cote dIvoire

and Ghana.


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Theobroma cacao : the Cacao Tree

Cacao trees need a

humid climate with alot of rain. They growbest in the partialshade of large

rainforest trees.

Cocoa beans come from the

cacao tree. The cocoa belt isfound exclusively around theequator, with most cacaotrees growing within 10 of

the equator.


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The CacaoTree

-The cacao tree is an evergreen that growsto be 15-25 feet tall.

-The fruit, which is called a pod, growsdirectly from the trunk and can reach 4-12inches in length.

-The pods ripen into a variety of colors suchas red, yellow and purple.


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-Each podcontains 20-60

cocoa beans,enclosed bysweet pulp.

-Because cacaotrees tolerate theshade of tallerrainforest trees,

the rainforestdoes not need tobe destroyed togrow cocoa.


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Each tree produces only 50-60 pods a year,yielding 15-20 pounds of beans. A single pod

can contain 20-40 beans, and it takes around400 beans to make only 1 pound of chocolate!


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And now let us followthe production of a

chocolate bar fromthe bean to our tastebuds.


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Harvest

-Harvest takes place twice a year fromNovember to January and May to July.

-The fruit is hand-picked to protect the trees.

-Once harvested from the trees, the pods are

opened and their seeds are removed.


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Fermentation

-First, the beans and pulp arelaid in fermentation boxes.

-The process of fermentationproduces heat requiring thebeans to be stirred.

-At the end of the 5-dayfermentation process, the beansbecome brown, bitternesssubsides and the flavor develops.


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Drying

-After fermentation, the beans still contain toomuch water to be turned into chocolate.

-The beans are spread out in the sunshine to dry.Most beans are sun-dried for up to 14 days.

-After drying, the beans are inspected andseparated.


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Roasting takes place at 210 F for 10-115minutes. Roasting sterilizes the beans,enhances flavor, and makes the next stepmuch easier.

Roasting

Photo by www.fieldmuseum.org


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Winnowing is theprocess of taking

the shells off of the beans.

What is left overis the nib, themost desired partof the bean.

Winnowing


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GrindingThe nibs are thenground, either bymachine orbetween twostones. A liquidmass called cocoaliquor isproduced.

With moregrinding and theaddition of sugar,chocolate ismade! Photo by www.grenadachocolate.com/pictures/melangeur.jpg


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ConchingConching is the processof mixing the cocoa

mass (not yetchocolate). It iscontinuously mixed at acertain temperature todevelop flavor, removemoisture and breakdown large pieces. Thiscan take hours to days,depending on thedesired outcome. Thefinest chocolates are

conched for 5 days. Photo by www.fieldmuseum.org


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Tempering

The next step istempering. Thechocolate is slowlyheated and cooled

allowing the cocoamass to solidify andstabilize. Withouttempering, thechocolate wouldseparate and wouldnot harden well.

Photo by www.chocolatealchemy.com


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Today

-Americans consume 11.7 pounds of

chocolate per person each year!- Cocoa is the worlds 3 rd most tradedagricultural product after coffee andsugar.


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- The Rainforest Alliance works with cocoafarming communities to protect ecosystemsand the people and wildlife that depend on

them by transforming land-use practices.Companies, cooperatives and landownersthat participate in our programs meetrigorous standards that conservebiodiversity and provide sustainable

livelihoods.- Plantations Arriba chocolate (fromEcuador) is the first ever RainforestAlliance certified chocolate available toconsumers.

- Mars, Inc., has committed to getting itsentire supply of cocoa sustainably fromRainforest Alliance certified farms by 2020.That will be over 100,000 tons of cocoaeach year!


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Sweet Sustainability

Rainforest Alliance has started working in West African countries,such as Ghana, to help communities protect their tropical rainforeststhrough responsible cocoa farming methods. Over 90% of Ghanaslush rainforests have been destroyed in the past 50 years, often dueto activities such as slash-and-burn agriculture and over cutting of fuel wood.

The Rainforest Alliance is working around the world in countries suchas Ecuador and Ghana to provide technical assistance and training tofarmers, producers and processors of cocoa to help them efficientlygrow cacao under the shade of the rainforest and while protect theirbeautiful forests.

Since 1997 the Rainforest Alliance hasworked with partners in Ecuador torestore their crippled cocoa market. Fiftyyears ago, Ecuador led the world in theproduction of high quality cocoa. Thereare over 3,000 cocoa growers noworganized into cooperatives thriving in

Ecuador.


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1. Social and environmentalmanagement system

2. Ecosystem conservation3. Wildlife protection4. Water conservation5. Fair treatment and good

working conditions for workers6. Occupational health and safety7. Community relations8. Integrated crop management9. Soil management and

conservation10. Integrated waste

management

Thesestandardswere createdwith the help

of partnerorganizationsworkingaround theglobe. Thesestandards aregoals forfarmers andcommunities .

Sustainable Cocoa Standards


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www.rainforest-alliance.org/learningsite

www.grenadachocolate.comwww.echocolates.comwww.thechocolatecure.com/make.htm

Photos by:www.chocolatealchemy.comwww.fieldmuseum.org

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Cocoa Slideshow