THE AROMATIC PROFILE

Chocolate with slight notes of coffee and sour cherry.

THE COUNTRY AND REGION

Island of Saint Vincent, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

THE HARVEST

November – March (Main) April – October (Mid-crop)

THE STORY

Cocoa was grown extensively in Saint Vincent since the 18th century when the British introduced the crop to the island. Cacao production declined after banana exports became the main agricultural export in the 1970’s. In 2014, a couple of very committed Vincentians took over a foreign cacao investment and founded the Saint Vincent Cocoa Company. The Company owns about 250 hectares of land and buys cocoa from around 100 local small farmers around the island. On average, these farms are 2 hectares. Cocoa is grown along with short cycle crops such as banana, plantain, ginger, maize and local root crops. Timber species such as coconut, melina and mahogany are used as shade trees.

THE GENETICS

Trinitarios from Trinidad introduced in the 60’s/70’s and ICS varieties from Reading University

THE PROCESS

Fermentation and drying take place in a central facility owned and operated by the Company. Beans are fermented in tiered fermentation boxes for 6-7 days depending on the desired flavour profile. They are then dried in a solar dryer to get the moisture level to around 6-7%