BBC Highlights Belize Bean To Bar Chocolate Making Experience

May 23, 2022
by Larry Waight +

The British Broadcasting Cooperation(BBC) recently highlighted Belize, in an article entitled ”The true world cradle of chocolate,” where it detailed the country’s robust movement to reclaim its rich chocolate heritage.

The article focused on the deep south of the country where the cocoa veins run the deepest, even to date where Maya families are still known to consume the rich product in their household. In contrast, the very livelihood of others depends on it. According to the article, archeological evidence even suggests that Belize was the earliest hub of cacao cultivation where the ancient Mayas were drinking cocoa beverages as far back as 600 BCE.

While that evidence points to prehistoric times, fast forward to today there are several Maya families across Belize who are engaged in the bean-to-bar experience which includes fermenting, drying and grinding the beans for consumption. BBC spoke to one phenomenal Maya woman who identified herself as Abelina Cho or affectionately known as the Chocolate Queen, who indicated that ”cocoa is so important to our culture that it is our culture. You cannot separate it.”

Chocolate also holds the key to the future as Cho, who is the owner of Ixcacao Chocolate, and other small-batch producers are finding out. Recently Belize once more became the center of chocolate sourcing, locally as well as internationally. According to the BBC, nearly a dozen artisan chocolate companies are getting engaged in the bean to bar movement, which uses traditional methods and draws on long Maya history to source the best quality products for local use and ship to big chocolate producers. Two major suppliers who are the Maya Mountain Cacao and the Toledo Cacao Growers Association have been working directly with hundreds of small farmers to source premium organic beans. Those efforts have nearly doubled over the past five years.

In fact, BBC said that the efforts of Maya Mountain Cacao have received acclaim for its innovative method that centralizes post-harvest processing, streamlining production, and increasing market access for growers. Via this agreement, local farmers in Belize, sell ”wet” unfermented cacao seeds to Maya Mountain Cacao, who then ferment the bean and dry it in a central location. This process allows for higher quality control, consistent product and more revenue, and less work for the local farmers.

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The BBC’s coverage of chocolate also focused on the environmental benefits that cacao has on the Belizean rainforest. That was highlighted on BBC’s trip to Ixcacao farm, which was one of the first farms to ever offer chocolate-based facial spas and massages as a product on its own. The owner Juan, who from a very tender age planted and tended cocoa trees on his family farm has been a proponent of sustainable agriculture by employing indigenous permaculture principles. Juan, as well as his Maya ancestors, believe that the Cacao trees, which have shallow roots, prevent erosion and enrich the soil for native fruit trees and other crops.

He told the BBC, ”When we talk about chocolate saving the rainforest, it’s not a gimmick. These are the sustainable practices that keep our community strong.”

Once harvested manually the fruit is fermented for six days, at which time the pulp becomes watery and slides away leaving just the seed. The seeds are sundried for two weeks before they are ready to be roasted and then shelled. Traditionally those beans would be grounded to a creamy paste by rolling a stone slab along a matate for up to five hours. Now while other traditional practice remains in place, the manual grinding of the beans have been discontinued due to its arduous process and have been replaced with machines that get the job done a lot quicker.