Bean to Bar

The cocoa tree produces two harvests a year, one larger crop and a secondary crop. Harvest periods depend on the country of growth. Ripe cocoa pods are harvested by cutting the pod from the tree or knocking it off with a stick. The pod is then sliced in half and the beans and the surrounding pulp are scooped out. They are then placed into large wooden crates, usually lined with banana leaves-the sweet pulp aids the fermentation process that develops the flavour of the cocoa. The fermentation takes around 4-6 days.