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Cocoa comes from the beans of the cacao tree's fruit. This tree (and its fruit, the cacao pods) grows in tropical regions, requiring warmth and humidity. However, it is a fragile tree that does not tolerate direct sunlight or strong winds. Therefore, it thrives in the shelter and shade of tropical rainforests.
The cacao tree's fruit shares many similarities with grapes. It is a mineral-rich fruit whose flavor depends on the quality of the soil and the minerals present in it. Also, like grapevines, heirloom varieties produce exceptional flavor, at the expense of yield. The Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, a former Portuguese colony located 200 km west of Africa and just above the equator, is renowned for the exceptional quality of its cacao (dense forests, volcanic soil, very high humidity, and very old varieties brought by the Portuguese several centuries ago), even though its production no longer represents a significant percentage of global output.
São Tomé cacao is perfectly suited to the gourmet market, producing a chocolate with a complex flavor profile and a long finish, much like the finest terroir wines.
Our cacao comes from the small island of Príncipe, located 180 km north of the main island. It is only 10 km long. We have purchasing agreements with a local cooperative. This year, we acquired 15 hectares of plantation there.
The cocoa pods are harvested when ripe (once or twice a year, but without a set season) and opened with a machete. The beans and pulp are placed in a container and then transported to the fermentation tanks.
The beans and pulp are poured into fermentation vats, covered with banana leaves. There are three fermentation periods of two days each.
Then the beans are spread out on clay mats to dry in the sun for a week (depending on the humidity level and clear weather).
The quality of the fermentation is checked using a "guillotine" tool that cuts the beans in half. The presence of mold or incomplete fermentation (purple spots inside) is checked.
Once dried (moisture content < 6.5% verified by testing equipment), the beans are poured into tied bags (raffia or jute, 50 kg per bag), then the bags are loaded into the container, which is transported to Antwerp.
We sell our cocoa beans to the finest chocolatiers in Belgium, under the name of our São Tomé-based company, Eco Concept e Servicos, and our Portuguese company, Glamorous Bytes.
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