THE JOURNEY OF THE COCOA BEAN
TRINITARIO COCOA
origin: Ecuador
cru: Arriba
This precious cocoa is the result of the hybridisation between Criollo and Forastero varieties. The curious story of this hybridisation originated from a natural disaster which hit the island of Trinidad (located few kilometres from Venezuela) which destroyed the whole Criollo cocoa plantation of the island. Subsequently, in the attempt to give new life to a local production on the island, new cocoa plants of the Forastero variety were planted which, by hybridising them with the surviving Criollo plants, gave life to a new variety which takes its name from the island of Trinidad: Trinitario cocoa. Currently the production of Trinitario cocoa represents about 10% of global production. This cocoa is characterised by particularly floral aromatic notes, with sweet hints of banana, hazelnut and tobacco.
CRIOLLO COCOA
origin: Venezuela
cru: Sur de Lago Clasificado
The term "criollo" comes from the Spanish "creole", meaning "of the place", "native". This rare and ancient variety is in fact native to the Venezuelan Andes and about 10,000 years ago it was introduced throughout central America. The Criollo cocoa variety can be defined as the most precious one in the world, despite it only represents 2% of the global production of cocoa. The reason of such a low percentage can be explained by the complexity of its cultivation due to the intrinsic delicacy of the plant, the easiness of hybridisation with the consequent loss of the species and the low resistance to parasites. This cocoa plant produces a similar colour to cinnamon, with low astringency and great persistence on the palate. This variety of cocoa also has an excellent natural sweetness, which is accompanied by very aromatic and evident notes of nuts, wood and underbrush.The extreme ease of hybridization of the cocoa plant determines the continuous multiplication and evolution of varieties and therefore of crus. The choice of the best ones is one of the strengths of Gioari.
THE COCOA TREE
Theobroma derives from the Greek word Theos which means "God" and Broma which means Food, "the food of the Gods", or more commonly the cocoa plant which is a very fragile tree of the sterculiaceae family. The cocoa tree grows in tropical environments at 20 degrees latitude north and south of the equator. This tree needs a stable climate with a temperature ranging from 21° to 32°C (70° to 86°F), with a minimum annual rainfall of 1500 mm (1,500 inches). Preferring the shade, it is cultivated under the tallest trees. It can reach 12 metres in height and live for more than 40 years. Fruit production begins at the age of ¾ years for several decades depending on the maintenance of the plots.
CABOSSA (POD)
Cabossa (term coming from the Spanish "cabeza" which means head) is the fruit of the cocoa plant that has an oval shape and measures between 12 and 20 cm, is yellow or orange in colour when ripe, depending on the variety, weighs 200-800 grams and has a ripening time of between 5 and 6 months.
HARVEST
Cocoa pods are harvested on trees: each one contains from 20 to 50 beans. Harvesting takes place around October and the second harvest around March/April and more generally at the end of the wet season. Afterwards the pods are opened, and the beans are removed.
FERMENTATION
The beans are fermented for two to five days. Fermentation is a natural process that is triggered by the yeasts and bacteria present in the white pulp that encloses the beans. It is used to release all the aromas contained in the beans which will then characterise the chocolate. Depending on the country, it is obtained by using wooden boxes directly in the plantation or in the harvesting centres. The beans are generally covered by banana leaves, 100 kg of fresh beans yield about 35 kg of fermented beans.
DRYING
The beans are subsequently dried in the sun or in special dryers. This practice is fundamental because in addition to stopping the fermentation process it reduces the humidity and acidity of the seeds.
PACKAGING AND SHIPPING
The cocoa is sorted, packed in the characteristic jute bags and sent to the Gioari production plant for processing.
