1-Harvest of cocoa beans in the producing country.

The cocoa tree, the tree from which cocoa pods are harvested, grows in countries included in a belt of more or less 20 degrees north and south of the earth's equator. Depending on the origin of the beans, the aromas released by the future chocolate will be very different. Hence the interest of  "bean to bar" chocolate, which allows the personality of each origin to be expressed.

Cocoa pods are the fruits of the cocoa tree and grow on both the branches and the trunk.

Inside each cocoa pod are around forty beans surrounded by white pulp, the mucilage.

These beans are removed from the pods and placed in anaerobic fermentation wooden containers where the sugar in the pulp will be transformed into ethanol by native yeasts. The beans will then be transferred to aerobic fermentation wooden containers where the ethanol will be transformed into acetic acid by bacterias.

These fermentations are essential to the development of cocoa flavor precursors.

The beans thus stripped of their pulp are left to dry in the sun on huge racks for a period of 7 to 14 days. They are then packaged in jute bags to be shipped to the country where they will be transformed into chocolate.

It is important to me to carefully choose a bean supplier who works bioethically. Then, select the beans whose aromatic profile appeals to me.

In summary, when I receive the beans they have been harvested, fermented, dried and are ready to be made into chocolate.