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Cocoa
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During the cocoa harvest year (October 1 to September 30, in our country), there are two main harvest seasons. In the winter (between October and February), we cultivate 20 percent of our cocoa and in the summer (between March and July) the remaining 80 percent.
From bloom to harvest, cobs take five to six months to ripen. We harvest the cobs only when they are completely ripened. At that time, the cocoa contains maximum sugar concentration in the mucilage, a very important phase for a good subsequent fermentation.
The harvest is performed with well sharpened blades or machetes to avoid harming the flowers’ cushions and therefore causing lesions to the plant which can be potential entry points for plagues and diseases.
In times of high production, we harvest every 15 days to avoid over ripening and germination of the nibs. During the harvest, we separate the finest ripened cobs from the ones that are either over ripened or green as well as those contaminated by some form of plague or disease.
Once selected, the cobs are broken or punctured with a machete or rebar. This is performed superficially and with great caution to avoid harming the underlying nibs. We manually separate the core from the grains to obtain cocoa beans free of shells, cores and black or damaged beans.
To guarantee an optimal fermentation, we transport cocoa beans in very clean bags or crates to the fermentation centre within 4 to 6 hours after having picked them. |
