From bean to bar
Want to know how cocoa is transformed from a bean on a farm to a bar in your hand? Read on...
In West Africa the harvesting of the cocoa pods is a real family affair.
It's a very labour intensive process, so the whole family takes part, often with the help of friends and neighbours.
During peak season the pods are gathered every few weeks.
Workers cut the high pods from the trees, taking care not to damage nearby flowers or buds.
The women in the family collect the pods in large baskets to be piled up ready for splitting.
The pods are split open by hand and the seeds or beans, which are covered with a sweet white pulp or mucilage, are removed ready to undergo the two-part curing process - fermentation followed by drying.
This prepares the beans for market and is the first stage in the development of the delicious chocolate flavour.
The great majority of Cadbury Cocoa comes from Ghana and methods of fermentation vary considerably from country to country around the world, but there are two basic methods - heap and box.
Heap: This method is traditionally used on the farms in West Africa.
Wet cocoa beans, covered by the pulp, are piled on banana or plantain leaves, which are spread out in a circle on the ground. More leaves are put on top to cover the heap and it is left for 5-6 days, occasionally being turned to ensure even fermentation.
In Nigeria the cocoa is fermented in baskets lined and covered with leaves.
During fermentation of the pulp, the astringency of the beans is removed as the sugar in the pulp turns to alcohol and vinegar-like liquids. These drain away and the true chocolate flavour starts to develop.
When fermentation is complete the wet mass of beans is dried on mats in the sun.
Box: In the West Indies, Latin America and Malaysia the box method is used in the plantations (the traditional heap method is still used on farms).
It involves the use of strong wooden boxes with drainage holes or gaps in the slats in the base to allow air through and the removal of liquid products of fermentation. The process takes six to eight days. The beans will be mixed twice during this time.
The fermented beans are then dried with special equipment, not in the sun.
The cured beans are packed into sacks for transportation all over the world, including the UK where Cadbury processes them at a purpose built factory at Chirk in North Wales.
Stringent quality control procedures are carried out. For more information about cocoa visit the Chocolate Encyclopedia at www.cadbury.co.uk
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