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We acquire fresh beans, generally collected directly from the plantations of small and mid-sized producers, and then taken to our state of the art post-harvest processing centre, in Hacienda San Jose, in order to increase product quality.
FERMENTATION
First, the cacao enters into the fermentation process which removes the raw bitter taste and produces the components that characterizes the flavor of chocolate. The process lasts 6 days. Cacao fermentation takes place in special containers and are moved every 24-hour to allow an even and uniform fermentation.
DRYING
The cacao pass-through the drying process aimed at lowering the humidity rate to the standard level. The beans are spread out on great open-air trays, where they are turned again and again until the sun and wind have dried them completely.
The drying process is complemented by drying the beans in hot-air pipes until the desired humidity is reached. Later, the cacao is selected by gravity, a machine which is used to separate beans according to their specific weight in order to yield different product classes, to remove dust and defects, and to insure a homogenous bean count.
SELECTION AND PACKING
The beans are then stored in our warehouse in sisal bags of 60 Kilograms.
QUALITY INSPECTION
We conduct regularly quality inspections by taking random samples from the finished cacao bags, which are then tested in order to meet the quality standards required for exportation. Only the finest cacao beans are sold.
We truly believe that our devotion to quality cacao distinguish our products. We promote excellence at every stage of the value chain. We acquire fresh beans, generally collected directly from the plantations of small and mid-sized producers, and then taken to our state of the art post-harvest processing centre, in Hacienda San Jose, in order to increase product quality.