Can I participate in the farming/harvesting of chocolate/cacao as a tourist anywhere in the world?
Even us chocolate lovers don't know much about where chocolate comes from. It comes from a plant. Can tourists help out where it is grown anywhere?
Apparently most cacao/cocoa comes from Ivory Coast and Ghana in Africa, and there are stories of child labour and even child trafficking in the industry. I'm not sure if this would make it more dangerous to participate here. Or maybe the presence of organizations working to prevent illegal child labour would make it easier for a tourist to get involved.
But besides Africa it also apparently produced in Indonesia and Malaysia in Southeast Asia and in many parts of Latin America, both Central America and South America.
I remember once buying some cocoa beans with a friend in a small indigenous market town near Oaxaca in Mexico so it must be produced in the Valles de oaxaca for instance.
I guess some kind of eco-farm or finca that takes tourists as volunteers would be the best options, but I'm open to anything, and likely to travel in any region on my future trips. It would be great to get some hands-on chocolate farming experience!
BONUS I didn't think of this at the time I asked my question, but if there's some place that does the whole process from growing cacao to making chocolate bars that would be perfect. As far as I know most cacao is grown in developing countries but made into what we know as chocolate in developed countries.
Best Answer
Take a look at http://www.claudiocorallo.com/
His story is amazing, and he is probably one of the best cacao producers in the world.
They do the whole growing of cacao to sell and they produce their own chocolate also.
I know of a friend that went to Claudios farm in S. Tome e Principe and they have a guided tour where they explain the whole process of making chocolate, from the cacao plant to the chocolate itself. In the end you have a chocolate tasting session, very similar to wine tasting, with an explanation. You can even taste chocolate 100% cacao - no sugar. I had the opportunity to try it in Lisbon, where they have a small shop and the aroma is just amazing (They also have tasting sessions in Lisbon). I never thought it would be possible to have 100% cacao chocolate. But it is, all thanks to the grain selection. Accourding to Claudio bad quality grain makes it bitter.
Claudio applies the most advanced agriculture techniques to cacao. By advanced I don't mean heavy machinery or mass production. I mean careful grain selection, not necessarily the one that produces more, but the tastier. He takes into account the "terroir" - the place where you grow the plant, sun exposition, etc. Everything to produce the finest cacao.
As far as I know they don't have growing / harvesting "programs" for tourists. But than again, although very beautiful S. Tome e Principe is not very known so tourists there are a bit scarce, even more to participate in harvesting. Contact them. They will probably let you participate in the harvesting. They are small enough that you can speak to them personally and have that arranged.
You can read from a visitor description here.
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Can you grow cacao anywhere?
Cocoa beans do indeed grow in the USA, but only in very limited areas. There is a narrow band known as the Cocoa Bet or the Chocolate Belt. That sounds more enticing that the Rust Belt or the Snow Belt! The Cocoa Belt essentially follows the tropics, extending twenty degrees north and south of the equator.Where is cacao harvested?
Even though chocolate is largely manufactured in Europe and North America, cacao is largely grown in Africa and Central & South America. Cacao can be grown in humid climates within 25 degrees of the equator, so it doesn't grow in Europe at all, with the exception of Spain's Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa.Where is cacao grown in the world?
The Theobroma cacao tree originated in the upper Amazon basin region (Brazil, Colombia, and Peru). Today, cacao is grown by 40-50 million cocoa farmers in more than 50 countries around the world. 90% of the world's cocoa is grown on small family farms, while only 5% is grown on larger commercial plantations.How profitable is cacao farming?
According to his conservative estimate, with proper cultivation and maintenance, a tree can produce about 60-80 pods a year. 20 pods is about a kilo of dried beans. At 60 pods, that's three kilos a year per tree. A kilo sells for an average of P150, but even at P100, three kilos would be P3000 per tree per year.Cocoa Fruit Harvesting - Cocoa bean Processing - Cocoa Processing To Make Chocolate in Factory
More answers regarding can I participate in the farming/harvesting of chocolate/cacao as a tourist anywhere in the world?
Answer 2
I only have a partial answer. If you are in Europe and you lack the funds, a substitute for the sensation of chocolate and cacao can be found in the Chocolate museum (DE) in Cologne, Germany. They actually have a greenhouse with cacao trees. Although you will not be allowed to pick them.
You can also go to Suriname. There is no commercial plantation anymore, but there are still quite some cacao trees in the wild. Your best chances are in the Commewijne District. Most plantation switched to citrus when the Dutch abolished slavery in 1863. So no commercial cacao there. Still there are some enthousiasts active in keeping the plant alive and making some artisan chocolat.
There is also a tourist resort (Peperpot) built around the coffee and cacao plantations of yesteryear.
Answer 3
If you are really on the lookout for cacao and chocolate from start to finish, Chuao in Venezuela is the place to go.
They do not have an official 'assist on the plantation' arrangement, but local life revolves around the process, and you will certainly be able to see every part of it, and taste the products at various stages.
In my opinion, the BEST chocolate in the world originates in Chuao.
Answer 4
Since 1978 Côte d'Ivoire has been the world's biggest producer of cocoa with production of 1.65 million tonnes, more than nearby Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Togo combined (1.55 million tonnes) and West Africa produces two thirds of the world's cocoa crop.
At the time this question was asked Côte d'Ivoire had no chocolate factory in country. However in May 2015 the French chocolate manufacturer CÉMOI opened a plant in Abidjan. So there is now production and processing there.
The link also mentions the chocolatier Dana Mroueh and furiously pedals away on her exercise bike (for crushing cocoa beans in an attached grinder!).
(same source)
"Here it's really bean to bar," says Mroueh. "We want to be local. We want to show to the world that Ivory Coast is rich." She buys the cocoa beans straight from the farmer and then dries them on the roof of her factory in Abidjan, or in her newly purchased tumble dryer.
Ivorians are extremely hospitable and I simply can't imagine her declining an offer of free help from you to pedal her bicycle, or at least assist in some way.
Answer 5
If you are really on the lookout for cacao and chocolate form start to finish, Africa in Ghana is the place to go.They do not have an official 'assist on the plantation' arrangement, but local life revolves around the process, and you will certainly be able to see every part of it, and taste the products at various stages.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Rachel Claire, Matheus Bertelli, Monstera, Pixabay