Local & Sustainable Food Recipe: Farmers Market Carrot-Cardamom Muffins

The abundance of delicious, sweet, carrots inspired a batch of seasonal, early spring muffins. To maximize goodness, go organic to support human and environmental health; use as many local ingredients as possible to support neighboring farms, build local economies, preserve farmland and maximum flavor….and use bulk ingredients to cut costs and eliminate packaging waste.

Farmers Market Carrot Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup organic whole wheat flour
• 2 cup organic white flour
• 1 1/2 cups unrefined cane sugar or SweetTree Coconut Palm sugar – OR reduce to 1 ¼ cups sugar if using honey (below)
• 2 tsp to 1 Tbl cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbl baking powder

• 2 organic free-range eggs
• 2 cups grated organic carrots
• 2 teaspoons organic vanilla
• ¾ to 1 cup tap water (use ¾ if using honey)
• 5/8 cup organic oil (canola, olive, etc.)
• ¼ cup honey (optional)

• organic rolled oats and extra sugar to sprinkle on top

Directions

• Grease 18-24 muffin cups or other desired baking pan (recipe makes 6 cups of batter)

• Mix dry ingredients (flour through baking powder)
• Beat eggs in separate bowl
• Preheat oven to 350 F (save energy by not preheating unnecessarily early)
• Grate carrot into eggs and blend in vanilla and water
• Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients, add oil and honey (if using), and blend until mixed (You can add oil and honey to the egg mixture before adding to the dry ingredients but clean up is easier if you add the honey and oil to the dry-wet mix using a ¼ cup measure, then use that to put batter in the pans.)
• Pour into muffin cups, filling 2/3 full (or pour into other baking pan accordingly)
• Sprinkle with organic rolled oats and sugar
• Bake 20-25 min at 350 degrees F (bake longer for a loaf pan, etc.), or until knife inserted into center comes clean

Cacao Travels: Dominican Republic – Yamasá Region & Development Agencies

Welcome to blog #6 on my cacao trip to Grenada and the Dominican Republic (DR), covering the second half of my first week in the DR: visiting development agencies in Santo Domingo; and cacao development projects, the YACAO facility and the FEDOPO producers group in the Yamasá region. See blog #1 for an overview of the trip.

1/26/12: USAID-REDDOM. After a morning run along the Malecon and Hostal Nomadas’ refreshing light breakfast, I caught a cab to the USAID office in Santo Domingo. We passed a large gathering in Duarte Park to commemorate the birthday of Juan Pablo Duarte, one of the fathers of the Dominican Republic. The park had a series of panels, which I visited later, chronicling Duarte’s life and role in the DR’s revolution to gain independence from Haiti. (The nation weathered more revolutions after this one to gain lasting freedom, including one from Spain, after willingly joining it as a colony then reversing that decision.)

I met with Pilar Ramirez of the REDDOM Foundation, a Dominican NGO established to implement USAID’s Project REDDOM (Rural Economic Diversification, Dominican Republic). (Thanks Kate C. for making this connection!) A five-year effort, Project REDDOM is focused on helping small farmers and related small/medium enterprises (SME’s) diversify and compete better, in local and global markets, to improve their incomes. It was established after the passage of DR-CAFTA (DR-Central America Free Trade Act, 2007) to help farmers and agricultural SME’s meet the challenges (e.g., competition, quality/food safety standards, etc) and tap the opportunities (e.g., increased market access) this would bring. USAID works with diverse technical experts, government, academics, industry, financial entities and others to implement this.

Key foci include building producer capacity, developing value chains and providing small grants that help farmers and SME’s tap higher value markets. It has also helped producers obtain over $10MM in affordable credit through program partners. Capacity building addresses needs and opportunities on a case-by-case basis, such as supporting farmers in obtaining organic certification or meeting increasingly stringent food safety requirements. Developing value chains is a core component of USAID’s global work, and involves connecting entities in the supply chain to stimulate domestic economies and create sustained, mutually beneficial business relationships. For example, the project’s yucca-casaba cluster unites yucca farmers, casaba producers (bread made with yucca flour) and distributors to take the crop from field to retail stores. Small grants, totaling over $2.8MM to date, support projects such as helping a women’s association in a CONACADO community purchase equipment to make fine chocolates for high-opportunity tourist markets.

Pilar gave me an excellent, concise report (which I need to find and link here), encapsulating specific efforts and impacts. This work has yielded measurable gains in exports and domestic sales for small farmers and SME’s, and benefits Americans as well. The U.S benefits by developing a secure supply of quality agricultural imports, and sustaining industries that depend on those, such as chocolate makers and suppliers of chocolate ingredients like milk, almonds and beet sugar. Thanks very much to Pilar for helping me understand this work and the processes behind it.

After the meeting, I walked around the Zona Colonial on an extended tour, and later enjoyed a dusk run along the Malecon.

1/27/12: Cacao project in Boya, IDDI, Cortes Chocolate. Getting an early start, I met up with Pam Schreirer, who works for the Dominican Institute for Integral Development (IDDI), and was a Peace Corps volunteer on a beekeeping project in the country. Thank you Pam, for so generously sharing your time and knowledge! IDDI is a DR development agency focused on social, environmental and microcredit projects in numerous sectors, including agriculture. IDDI is also working to help establish and promote small enterprises, such as ecotourism, to stimulate community economies. They partner with other development entities, including the Peace Corps, to implement and support projects.

We drove to visit a cacao development project in the Yamasá region, north of Santo Domingo. En route, we passed palm oil plantations with stands of dead trees, an unfortunate example of unsustainable agriculture. We arrived in Boya, Monte Plata, a small community with a well-preserved church from 1533. IDDI, Cortes chocolate (Puerto Rico/DR) and the Peace Corps are collaborating on the project, which involves a cooperative of 116 members representing multiple sectors and roles, half of whom are cacao producers. We met Mateo DeSantis, a Peace Corps volunteer who is working with the cacao producers on their nursery, an ecotourism project and chocolate processing. He’s also undertaking a community needs survey, standard part of Peace Corps service that helps volunteers identify secondary projects to benefit the community. Mateo noted that he is working to instill independence and self-determination among the farmers so they don’t become complacent or dependent on Cortes, which helped organize the producers two years ago and provides support for farmer training.

The cooperative isn’t selling much cacao since their farms had been abandoned and need to be replanted. Thus, the project is an opportunity for Cortes to influence the development of new supply that meets their specifications by recommending varietals, training producers on agronomic practices and collaborating on (or handling) post-harvest processing. The nursery has 16,000 trees (capacity 20,000), comprising seven hybrid varietals grown from seed. Cortes owns the land the nursery is on, but the co-op owns the infrastructure and trees, an interesting arrangement. Cortes is also working to buy land for drying, fermentation, a demonstration and training farm, and an ecotourism site. This has been a complex process because the owner doesn’t have the title and has already sold some pieces of it through verbal arrangements. It’s not uncommon for a landowner to lack a title, since the added cost for this can be formidable.

We met briefly with one of the co-op’s leaders, an industrious woman who is also the school principal and runs a small colmado (grocery/sundries). Pam and Mateo discussed a loan and finance with her. (Later, Pam told me a bit about the education system. Teachers are not typically credentialed and students attend for only a half-day due to lack of school space.)

Leaving the community, we returned to Santo Domingo and met with a staff member from Cortes. The company has a post-harvest site in San Francisco de Macoris and a manufacturing facility in Santo Domingo for liquor, cake, butter, powder, drinking chocolate blocks, candy bars and cocoa mix. Talking about the development project, he noted that Cortes is using hybrid cacao instead of clonal grafts to save labor and costs, and that these have been developed from a “cocktail” of 15 varieties selected by a researcher-agronomist to optimize tree, pod and seed indices (yield metrics—pods per tree, seeds per pod, etc.) and flavor. He also remarked on the strategic opportunities the project delivers, such as building a strong buying relationship in an area where they don’t face competition from other cacao buyers, and creating a customized supply.

Their buying practices exemplify the market dynamics for individual farmers. Cortes picks up cacao from farmers (or they drop off), pays them on the spot per their reported weight and any certifications (e.g., organic), weighs the cacao and assesses quality at their post-harvest processing center, then adjusts the famer’s account if needed. They benchmark on market prices with a deduction for cover pick up costs (no specifics provided). The staff said they prefer to establish pre-harvest contracts to set prices and secure supply, and lamented how difficult it could be to get farmers to commit, since many prefer to remain free to seek out the highest purchasing price when they’re ready to sell their harvest. This is an indicator of the competition among buyers, who pursue the same farmers and seek to offer prices that are just high enough to win out while maximizing profits. Farmers who sign contracts are eligible for advance payments/credit, an added incentive. Cortes also supports farmer training, as do an increasing number of buyers and companies, which helps improve quality, productivity and long-term supply.

After this full day, I returned to my lodging, enjoyed an early evening Malecón run and dinner, and rested up for another early start the next day.

1/28/12: YACAO and FUNDOPO producer group. After a quick morning run, Christian of YACAO picked me up at 7:30 am for another trip to the Yamasá region. He studied marketing but handles inventory for the company. I was incredibly grateful that he was willing and able to drive me, especially so early – thank you Christian! YACAO is a subsidiary of Pronatec, a Swiss processor/manufacturer (makes bars for Art Bar, Equal Exchange and others) with a strong focus on organic and fair trade. Their buying and producer engagement practices represent a positive alternative to mainstream buyers, for producers who don’t own post-harvest processing facilities.

We drove to the San Cristóbal province and met with FUNDOPO (Fundacion Dominicana de Productores Orgánicos), in Villa Altagracia. Founded in 2002 with support from YACAO, they’e incorporated as a “foundation.” (Note: FLO Fairtrade doesn’t specifically require small producers to form a cooperative, but a democratic organization of several types.) They’re not obligated to sell to YACAO, but the company has committed to buy all of their cacao at a premium (a price differential, separate from FLO Fairtrade social premiums), cover organic certification costs, and provide credit, training and grafted seedlings at cost. (Background here.)

We met in a community center that FUNDOPO built with the social premium from cacao sales under FLO Fairtrade terms. Nicolas Gomera, president and agronomist (photo on the right), presented a power point (en Español) on the group and its activities, along with their certification manager, a few producers and YACAO staff from Peru. Receiving an individual presentation was truly an honor – thank you FUNDOPO!

FUNDOPO has 877 members (15% women, 675 are organic, 202 are in transition). Member farms average 2 ha—very small-scale (though 20% of members aren’t defined “small producers”), spread across the eastern and central DR. They have several committees (environmental, projects) and multiple certifications including Biosuisse, USDA and EU Organic, CERES, FLO Fairtrade and Utz Certified.

They’ve realized steady growth in FLO Fairtrade sales but sell only about 20% of their crop under FLO Fairtrade terms—the reality for many fair trade producers. They allocate their FLO Fairtrade social premium wisely, across diverse projects with results, including purchasing cacao trees, obtaining post-harvest training, establishing demonstration plots, repairing a critical road, building a bridge, an aqueduct, a community center, an office and a multiuse site with a technical school and health clinic, financing police services, and buying a truck and backpacks for schoolchildren. Fairtrade premium funds are split 50/50 across farm improvements and community/infrastructure projects. FUNDOPO also has established 30 cacao collection points, and invested in producer capacity building and quality improvement, with funding from their Fairtrade premium and USAID. Of note—78% of their FLO Fairtrade premium goes to projects while 22% covers certification-related costs (annual fees, staff), etc. It’s critical to realize these costs when considering the feasibility and net benefits of certification for small farmers.

After the presentation, we walked through a farm with a yield of 280/ha, quite low relative to the national average of 800 the producers cited. The producers explained that the Yamasá region is characterized by soil that is less than ideal for cacao cultivation—with low organic matter, a low pH (4.5 versus ideal 6.5) and sloping land that engenders nutrient loss. Many farms are owned by older producers who have aging trees they don’t prune, since they do just what’s needed to earn a basic income.

From here, we drove one of YACAO’s post harvest processing sites in Medina (another is in San Francisco de Macoris). (See YACAO photos here.) The site has a nursery to produce hybrids and clones, sold to producers for ten pesos and 100 pesos respectively. Fermentation takes six days, with the cacao turned daily (including some large freestanding bins turned with a forklift – photo above). Like CONACADO’s facilities, YACAO uses solar dryers (multiple types, photos at right and top), augmented by artificial dryers (natural gas) in the rainy season. Dried beans are put in a destoning machine that removes foreign matter, the packed into labeled bags for shipment.

With the tour at an end, we headed to Santo Domingo and talked about Dominican agriculture. Christian remarked that the country imports many crops that are grown domestically, while exporting the same Dominican-grown crops, and how this seems to be weakening domestic agriculture.

After returning, I confirmed arrangements for the next week and ran out to shoot some photos in the early evening light. The Malecón had a hip hop act, rapping mostly in English to a Dominican audience, sponsored by numerous beer companies. I also perused an artisan market in a park, featuring traditional handcrafts and interesting repurposed items, like a handbags made from records. I settled in bed feeling much gratefulness for all who had shared their time so generously to support this learning journey, and deeper inspiration to engage in positive development work, and looked forward to a week in the homestay-type “Casa de Las Anas” in Moncion….the next journal entry.

Cacao Travels: Dominican Republic – CONACADO Northwest

Here’s blog #5 on my cacao trip to Grenada and the Dominican Republic (DR), covering first half of my first week in the DR: visiting the CONACADO cacao cooperative’s offices and northwestern producer communities. This is a bit long, as it’s meant to inform those interested in the details of the cacao sector, and bring alive the people, places and experiences I encountered. See blog #1 for an overview of the trip and its purpose.

Sunday 1/22/12 (First day in DR): I landed in Santo Domingo, settled in at Hostal Nomadas, and went out to explore the vicinity and find some food. I stayed in the Zona Colonial, which is on the south edge of the City along the Caribbean and has many well-preserved/restored Spanish colonial buildings and museums (great for those interested in history, architecture and culture). It’s known as one of the safest areas in the City, due to the presence of many tourist police.

Being Sunday in a predominantly Catholic country, most stores were closed. However, several restaurants and souvenir shops were open on El Conde, a shopping and tourist hub. This pedestrian-only street has benches and tables where locals played chess and checkers as they enjoyed the late afternoon ambience. Parque Colon and an old cathedral sit at one end. Locals and tourists alike strolled the park as the early evening light gave the cathedral a beautiful golden hue. Tourists filled several restaurants across from the park, drawing roving musicians playing merengue and bachata. Finding a tiny corner store that was open, I bought some deliciously rich cornbread made with coconut milk, which had a consistency between cake and bread pudding. I’m generally not a coconut fan, but this was incredibly delicious and something I sought out again. The store owner’s son said his Grandmother made it fresh. What a lucky grandson—and customers!

1/23/12 (CONACADO office): My day began with a run on the Malecón, a paved boardwalk. The Caribbean view was lovely, though it was sad to see so much litter washing up on shore, and it’s for looks only as the water is not safe for swimming. The Malecón is a popular place to run so, unlike Granada, I wasn’t an anomaly. After Hostal Nomadas’ complimentary breakfast (fruit, toast, marmalade, coffee) I called Abel Fernandez, Export Manager of the CONACADO cacao cooperative to arrange a time to meet.

CONACADO (National Federation of Dominican Cacao Producers) is a 10,000-member cooperative founded in 1988 that has enabled small-scale farmers (~3-5 hectares/ha) to succeed in the fierce global market and returned significant benefits to their communities. It’s of particular interest to me due to its manufacturing of semi-finished cacao products (liquor, butter, powder, nibs) and its multiple certifications (FLO Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, Utz, USDA Organic, BioSuisse, EU Organic and Biodynamic, among others). Producers are grouped into seven bloques across the country and elect a governing body for their bloque, and the cooperative, among themselves (bloque numbers go up to nine because two split off). By pooling their production and investing in shared services, the producers are able to export cacao directly to buyers—unlike many farmers who sell through one or more middlemen.

Early on, the co-op made a strategic decision to focus on quality (flavor varietals, centralized fermentation and drying), organic and fair trade, which paid off by helping the co-op differentiate itself and capture nascent, higher-value markets that have since grown. CONACADO represents about 40% of the DR’s cocoa and sells about 85% of its crop under FLO Fairtrade terms, remarkably high for a FLO Fairtrade co-op. About 80% of its members are organic, dropping from 90% as declining market interest and prices have led some to drop organic. (Note: All producers are FLO Fairtrade certified because that requires compliance at the co-op level. Other certifications are done at the farm or bloque level.)

I met Abel around 2003, when I was working at Global Exchange and organized a national Fair Trade cacao speaking tour featuring him. The stories he shared inspired me to work to improve producer livelihoods since, and motivated this trip. Abel and I discussed the cooperative’s structure, markets, certifications and goals, and a plan to visit producer communities. CONACADO has several arms: the producer-owners, a processing operation, administration, export and a credit union. Abel stated that key goals include increasing efficiency and growing sales of semi-processed products. He noted some formidable challenges with the latter: the industry’s model of purchasing beans to process elsewhere is firmly entrenched, many buyers perceive origin processing as being prone to higher microbiological levels and lower quality (since other countries export their best cacao and process lower quality in-country), and brands prefer to control bean processing.

Abel and a colleague who manages certification shared that, as the mainstream market has embraced certification, more buyers view it as a baseline expectation and are not willing to pay the price differentials (versus market) the co-op has received in the past. Growth of certified supply is also certainly reducing producers’ negotiating power. (Note – No certification except FLO Fairtrade guarantees a minimum price, and the world cacao price as been above the FLO Fairtrade floor price for years, making that the effective floor. FLO Fairtrade involves and added social premium, but that’s for cooperative, social and farm development projects only, not farmer income. Many producers use some part of it to pay certification fees, reducing effective benefits to producer communities.)  Changing dynamics in the fair trade landscape, such as the increase of large farms, and buyers’ increasing involvement in allocating fair trade premiums have further impacted small producers.

After the meeting, I visited Parque Colon, took in the neighborhood’s evening happenings and checked out the major grocery, Jumbo. The DR has many more domestically produced foods than Grenada, including a few brands of hot cocoa, drinking chocolate blocks and eating chocolate (all with lots of sugar and vanillin).

1/24/12 (CONACADO NW – Factory & Bloque 8): The day began with a 2-hour Caribe Tours bus ride to San Francisco de Macoris (SFC), gateway to the country’s northwest, and largest, cacao region (61% NW, 20% E 10% Central). (Caribe Tours travels major routes in the country’s western half and is predominantly used by Dominicans.) We traversed verdant country with mountains, rice fields, cattle pasture and other agriculture. Jaime Gomez, who manages agronomic training/improvement and development projects for five CONACADO bloques, met me at the bus station and we enjoyed lunch at a great cafeteria-type place (rice with vegetables, guandole/pigeon pea soup, more vegetables). Jaime is a co-founder of CONACADO, and founded two of its bloques. He has deep experience and expertise, and I truly appreciate the generous time he shared (thanks to Ted Weihe, inspiring co-op/development professional extraordinaire, for connecting me with him).

Our first stop was CONACADO’s factory (see more photos) in SFC, used to make semi-finished products. It’s an impressive and inspiring operation for smallholders to own. Several wood-fired drying bins—a large open circular unit and closed drums—sit outside (beans must be dried to 7 percent moisture). A machine to sort beans from chaff also sits outside the factory wall, with conduit directing cleaned beans inside. Processing equipment includes standard machines such as a winnower (breaks beans, separates shells from nib/bean pieces), roaster,  grinder, refiner, cocoa butter press and cocoa powder machine. A closed piping system moves product through each step without contamination. The plant processes only organic, and both alkalized and non-alkalized powder.

It has 25 employees, representing a great economic boost to the community. For many employees, it’s their first job with a company. The plant is in an economic development zone with several other ag plants that are absolved of their tax burden, incentivizing job creation in low income rural areas. Semi-processed products represent only a small percentage of the co-op’s sales and production is below capacity since demand isn’t higher, representing a significant marketing need and opportunity. Equal Exchange uses CONACADO’s powder in their baking cocoa and hot cocoa. Buying this product not only gives you a treat (and a great gift for others), but a real economic boost to small-scale producers and their economies. Look for it at a food co-op or natural foods store near you.

After this, we visited a cacao nursery ( see more photos) run by Jaime, which produces hybrids from seed (trinitario and criollo blend), and grafts of trinitario and criollo. The nursery has a small test plot and clonal garden with cacao varietals, fruit and leguminous trees. Seed germinates in about a week, and the bloque delivers trees to producers to transplant when they’re three months old.

Our next stop was the Bloque 8 Center (see all photos from Bloque 8) in Castillo. Each bloque has one of these, serving as the point of sale for farmers, a central fermentation and drying site for the co-op, and the home of the bloque’s administration and credit union. The Credit Union’s interest rates are 1.5% vs 2.5-3% at banks, and it makes loans possible for farmers who may lack land title (due to added costs), and thus have no loan collateral. Everyone welcomed Jaime warmly and he remarked later how it felt like a big family given his extensive, longtime involvement. Bloque 8 has 468 members (260 organic) with an average farm size of 5 ha and average production of 450 kg/ha (industry range 320-960, average ~ 500).

Most farmers sell wet cacao (fresh beans in pulp) for centralized post-harvest processing, rather than processing it themselves, ensuring higher, more even quality. Most farmers deliver, though bloque workers pick up if needed. It must arrive at the Center within four hours of harvest to maintain quality. Producer prices are based in the daily market and bean quality, rated as Grade 1 or 2 beans. They also get an annual bonus, dependent on revenue.

Wet cacao is dried if it will be sold as unfermented (“Sanchez”), or fermented for five days under plastic sacks if it will be sold as fermented (“Hispanola,” see Grenada blog for fermentation process detail). The cacao cycles through three fermentation boxes, one day in the first and two each in the following two. The boxes are tiered for easier work and even fermentation (i.e., beans on top of one box easily transferred to the bottom of the next).

After fermentation, beans are dried, currently for two days in “solar dryers”— plasticized greenhouses with a vented roof (where they are raked, not walked through, to turn them), then finished in an “artificial” dryer (powered by some external energy). Wetter than usual weather—attributed to global climate change, which is hitting poor, tropical communities first and hardest—necessitates artificial dryers. Dried beans are bagged and organized for export or processing. CONACADO is careful to separate product with different certifications throughout each step, using dedicated fermentation bins, drying areas and color-coded sacks

To cap off the day, we visited one of the first farms to join the bloque (see photos). It was diversified, as is typical for CONACADO’s members, with pigs, chickens and citrus as well as cacao. We enjoyed sucking the pulp off cacao beans (always my favorite) and oranges peeled in a spiral with a machete, an art and a treat.

The co-op is rebuilding the family’s home with FLO Fairtrade premium funds ($200/metric ton above bean price, to be used for social or farm development as voted upon by producers). Jaime told me about other Fairtrade premium projects such as installing pipes to bring water to homes, building and rebuilding schools, constructing an athletic area for a school and supporting a women’s association in making products to sell. Bloques request funds for projects annually and the national office reviews proposals and determines allocation. Some Fairtrade buyers also influence funding allocation by requiring proposals to approve and requesting progress reports, desiring concrete results.

Wednesday 1/25/12 (CONACADO NW– Bloque 9 and IDIAF Research Center), After a hotel stay over in SFC/Castillo, I took a short, early run to get a feel for the area, packed some breakfast to go, and jumped in the car with Jaime to head north to Bloque 9 in Los Pajones. Along the way, we discussed current funded development projects, which tend to focus on quality improvement and critical social needs. Quality efforts include improving tree stock, especially replacing forestero varietals with trinitarios, post harvest training and setting up facilities to make beans into liquor for taste tests.

One significant effort is a five-year joint venture between USAID, TCHO and Equal Exchange (EE) involving 2,000 CONACADO members (see below). Jaime is also developing projects with other chocolate companies, including Cocova (productivity improvement using high yield grafts/clones with different flavor profiles, tested on five demo farms,) and Green & Black’s (funded through FLO fairtrade premiums—productivity improvement and social projects such as school building/improvement, water pipe installation, rebuilding homes) and ICAM (processor/co-manufacturer). Green & Black’s has also sent volunteers to help install a community water line and plans to implement further volunteer projects at origin, representing another positive model.

Our first stop was Bloque 9′s Center (see more photos). The bloque has 1017 members, 76% of which are organic and Rainforest Alliance (RFA) certified.  The average farm is 3.5 hectares, yielding an average income of $410 US per month. The bloque’s current needs are drying space, communication, particularly for emergencies, and farm improvements (productivity, farm management1, shade management, pruning, better tree stock).

At the Center, I saw CONACADO’s system for tracking (“internal control” in certification lingo) related to certifications. They use software to track deliveries by farm, with each farm’s certifications and other data noted (e.g., involvement in EE-THCO-USAID project), allowing them to generate reports by certification and other parameters. Staff also train and assess producers to help them get certified, and audit farms to self-report for annual recertifications. (Some certifications allow self-audits/reports.) This brought home the reality of the resources involved to obtain and maintain certifications, and fulfill reporting requirements for certifiers, customers, funders and others.  I also got a glimpse of Jaime’s excellent project management system when he shared the overall workplan and detailed implementation plan (farm selection methodology, farm activity plan, etc.) for the EE-TCHO-USAID project, which involves 160 farms in the bloque.

Outside, we walked through the fermenting and drying areas, and talked to the QA staff. QA does a visual inspection to assess overall bean quality and the proportion of white (desirable/fresh) versus black (not) beans. Lower quality cacao is generally used for Sanchez (unfermented). Here, fermentation bins have four levels, doubling capacity Liquid from fermentation is currently drained off but the bloque wants to capture and digest it into biogas. Here, beans are dried for three days in sun then finished in an artificial dryer powered by wood from producers and local tree farmers. Dried beans are cleaned to remove chaff (in a wood fired machine) and bagged for export or processing.

Then, we visited a test plot for the EE-TCHO-USAID project ( see more photos), which is is focused on improving productivity, crop quality, postharvest handling and semi-finished goods quality. The project spans Peru and the DR. TCHO and EE are contributing significant resources and expertise, and both companies are engaged in several producer development and support efforts at any given time. Their practices are a model for how companies can and should go beyond practices like simply purchasing fair trade or other certified ingredients to yield essential, mutual benefits. (Knowing about this project prior to my trip, I packed chocolate from both brands to share with CONACADO staff and producers at each stop, which was always thoroughly enjoyed. (Thanks to John Kehoe at TCHO, another inspiring pioneer and role model in the sustainable cacao movement,, for the THCO!)

Project test plots are located on producers’ farms and serve to evaluate varieties and agronomic practices for wider adoption, and provide hands-on/experiential learning for famers. Test plot activities include replacing old trees, pruning, weed control and shade management, with maintaining biodiversity serving as a foundational guide.

We then visited a producer community (see more photos) and saw a small two-room school that was built with FLO Fairtrade premium funds to replace an old, deteriorating school next to it (new construction costs about $400 US per sq meter). The adjacent homes were clearly in need of repairs or improvements.

After this, Jaime, the QA manager and I enjoyed lunch in Nagua on the north coast, which is also home of the La Red Guaconejo cooperative (TAZA Chocolate is doing great work with them). We ate at Chen restaurant, featuring typical Dominican food (beans, rice, guandoles, tostones…mmmmm), seafood and, of course, the DR’s own Pesidente Light beer (a light, bubbly pilsner served quite chilled). The ocean view was beautiful.

After lunch, we visited IDIAF (Instituto Dominicano de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales – Dominican Research Institute in Agriculture, livestock and Forestry) (see more photos) where one of the cacao agronomists guided us around the site. This serves as an important gene bank and research center for many of the country’s crops. It has four hectares of cacao planted with 59 varieties from across the Americas (and beyond?). Seeing and tasting different varieties was fascinating. The spread of cacao diseases in other countries has hampered the acquisition of further varietals, since the country can’t afford to risk its cacao production by bringing in affected trees.

A given varietal is planted in different growing environments (e.g., amount of sun) and managed with different agronomic practices (e.g., pruning) to evaluate how these impact productivity and crop qualities. Researchers in the US and Puerto Rico have assessed each variety’s DNA and flavor characteristics to optimize breeding and production practices. IDIAF also does quality and flavor testing on cacao for processors and brands, and produces grafted cacao trees and seed from its stock.

This concluded my visit. After profusely thanking Jaime, I hopped on the bus to Santo Domingo. We had to switch to another bus after a breakdown en route, which Caribe Tours and the passengers handled quite smoothly. Not yet over-cacao-ified, I stopped at Jumbo Grocery to get some domestic cacao powder to try. There are two main brands, Sobrino (Cortes) and Munnei. Both are alkalized and add soy lecithin. I tried the Sobrino, which was quite astringent and dry.

Next entry: USAID-REDDOM, IDDI-Peace Corps-Cortes Chocolate cacao development project, YACAO post-harvest facility, FUNDOPO producers’ organization

Dominican Republic Trip: Casa de Las Anas and Moncion

During a month-long trip to Grenada and the Dominican Republic, focused on learning about cacao and the wider agricultural sector, I spent week in at Casa de las Anas in Moncion. It was absolutely wonderful. (photos!)

Moncion is a small municipality about two hours west of Santiago, one of the DR’s major cities.  Nestled at about 1,200 ft elevation in a rural area, it offers stunning mountain views, and lakes, rivers and mountain trails for recreation. Cattle and yuca (a starchy tuber) are its main agricultural activities, and it’s a center for casaba production (bread made from yuca flour). Very few of its residents speak English, so it’s a perfect place to practice and improve one’s Spanish. It’s tranquil, so it’s a great place to relax and rejuvenate.

Initially, I planned to stay in Santiago as a base for visiting the northern cacao regions. As I searched for lodging in Santiago, and read about the city, I wasn’t drawn to an extended stay there. However, a listing for Casa de las Anas, a small guesthouse/B&B with all meals included, caught my eye (read rave reivews). After perusing the website, my heart was set on staying there and I was thrilled to snag a reservation.

Given the distance to Santiago, which itself is a few hours from the northern cacao regions, I didn’t foresee more than one cacao-related trip. However I was excited to experience everyday Dominican life, see another part of the country and improve my rather basic Spanish. It also appealed to me because I wanted to maximize the economic impact of my trip on the communities I visited by patronizing locally owned and operated places. (The nation’s signature high-end, all-inclusive beach resorts are generally foreign owned and funnel most of their profits to their headquarters while maintaining very low-wage jobs locally.)

Casa de las Anas, located in a family home in the center of Moncion, is an ‘all-inclusive’ getaway for those who want to experience a slice of everyday life in the Dominican Republic. It’s owned by an American couple who lived there for many years, then hired Ana Julia, a welcoming wonder woman and long-time friend in Moncion, to run it. (Their daughter, Anita handles reservations and arrangements from the U.S, and is one of the ‘Anas’ in the lodging name.) Ana Julia and her wonderful college-student daughter, Ana Maria, live in one bedroom and the others are kept for guests (very comfortable beds with excellent mosquito nets). The home has several sustainability features dictated by necessity—such as a catchment tank for non-potable water (purified water is provided for drinking and cooking), and a lovely garden with some fruit trees and guandole, among other plants. Traditional hand-woven chairs and art provide a strong sense of the culture.

Staying at Casa de las Anas is like being a guest of the family, though Ana Julia and Ana Maria are not obtrusive and if you want to relax alone and do your own thing, no problem. Of course it’s enriching and enjoyable to spend some quality time with them and their extended family and friends who visit. Guests can opt to add activities with Ana Julia such as a trip to Santiago, lunch at a nearby lake—featuring a traditional stew cooked over an open fire, a hike in the mountains or a visit to a casaba producer; and rent motorcycles and kayaks for recreation.

Ana Julia and Ana Maria don’t speak English, so one should really know a bit more Spanish that what you’ll find in tourist phrase book, to make the most of things.  It’s the ideal venue to improve your Spanish, no matter what your level. Julia is very patient, encouraging respectful and good at non-verbal communication, and Ana Maria is terrific to chat with.  The neighbors, Julia’s extended family and locals are also very friendly and welcome conversations. My vocabulary grew significantly and I became much more comfortable with verb conjugation and tenses.

The meals were absolutely wonderful, leading me to photograph them to remember and share with family and friends—much to Ana Julia’s amusement. Watching her in the kitchen was also fascinating. She makes truly delicious food in a small kitchen with a basic four-burner gas stove. Casa de las Anas’ website provides a menu listing options for each meal. Guests can request particular dishes or let Ana Julia surprise them, the latter generally being my choice. I eat a mostly vegan diet and had communicated that in advance. Ana Julia kept me satisfied and delighted every day.

Favorite foods included sautéed onions (cooked in some oil and vinegar, a deceptively simple, richly flavored condiment), tostones, eggplant, guandoles (pigeon peas, often cooked into something link split pea soup) and habicheulas (often pinto), cabbage-based salads and ultra-local fresh fruit for breakfast. Ana Julia is a master of the Dominican rice cooking technique, which involves frying a bit of rice at the bottom of the pot before adding the rest of the rice and boiling it to cook, in order to add texture and flavor. It’s considered a lucky treat to get rice from the bottom.

Yuca proved to be a yummy alternative to rice, and mongu—mashed boiled plantains—with sautéed onions, always hit the spot. Her fried cheese and fried eggs were also quite delicious, perfectly cooked to yield a light crispness without oily heaviness. (I ate eggs and dairy, since these were sourced from small, local farms where animals graze freely and aren’t given chemicals.)

During the week I relaxed, explored the area, gave my Spanish a workout and enjoyed getting to know Ana Julia, her friends and family. Morning runs in various directions took me to long mountain views, cattle fields, other agricultural operations, various casaba operations and a large lake created by a dam that provides electricity for Moncion. After this, I ate breakfast, worked on my Spanish vocabulary list and trip photos, did some reading on the country, region and agricultural issues, and spent a bit of time around Julia and various visitors.

It was always a pleasure to see Julia’s hard-working brother, who sells ice cream and stores it in a freezer at the house, when he came to pick up ice cream to sell at local schools (during lunch and/or when classes ended). Julia also babysits a toddler, which kept her busy in addition to preparing meals and maintaining the home. Her industriousness is truly admirable, and reminded me how hard many Dominicans must work to advance their lives. Ana Maria is attending college to pursue medicine, and is working hard while attending classes that last into the evening and require an hour commute on a guagua each way.

In the afternoons, I often walked around different parts of the town, checking out local stores, homes and gardens (guandole is prevalent), schools, various casaba operations (a warehouse, production supply store and the Casaba cluster facilities associated with USAID REDDOM) and the community park, while making a bit of small talk (given my limited Spanish) with friendly locals. These walks often involved enjoying snacks of new foods from neighborhood grocery stores and colmados (tiny grocery stores where you get things at a counter), such as casaba with guava jelly filling and Malta Morena, a rather sweet non-alcoholic malt beverage that tastes like beer and is marketed heavily toward youth.

In the evenings, I enjoyed dinner with Ana Julia and Ana Maria, and spent some time with them. One of the highlights here was watching the Dominican Republic win a tight game in the Caribbean baseball series with a gathering of family and neighbors. Each time the DR scored, cheers resounded through the town. The Dominican Republic is fanatical about baseball, and a fertile source of talent for U.S baseball. Being election season, presidential candidates were advertising extensively—including announcements during the game as well as commercials—at a much higher level than one would find in the U.S.

During a day trip to Santiago, I explored a local park, an extended market featuring a lot of precious metals (bought and sold), CDs, clothing and souvenirs; and the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration. The latter is a towering building with sculptures of revolutionary leaders and quotes/statements from them on the ground level, a diorama depicting the revolutionary history on one of the middle levels, and a fantastic 360-degree view of Santiago and beyond, and an interesting collection of Carnival costumes, at the top. (Note to self: go to the DR during Carnival next time—end of January.) Unfortunately, I got a digestive bug as my souvenir and spent the next 1.5 days recovering. Julia was, of course, wonderful—making ginger tea and offering various foods to see what my stomach would accept. I credit her magical cooking and care for such a speedy recovery.

On my last night in Moncion, we enjoyed dulces for dessert and went to the local bar, which had a dance floor and played bachata and merengue over a speaker system. Not inclined to trip around the floor, I enjoyed watching Julia and her companions, and the other dancers. It was particularly interesting to see variations across the couples.

When it was time to leave, it was a bittersweet moment, as I knew I would miss Julia and the wonderful experience she offers guests, yet was excited for my last week in the country—a homestay in Los Botados, a community of CONACADO producers. Something tells me I will return, as Julia and taste her delicious cooking, and the mountains, water and agricultural operations, are not content to remain simple memories.

Cacao Travels: Grenada – Cacao Enterprises & Other Sites

This is blog#3 on my Grenada-Dominican Republic cacao trip, highlighting my travels around Grenada, including visits to cacao/chocolate enterprises. (Part one covers my experience volunteering on a cacao farm.)

Grenada is beautiful. Check out some photos of the natural environs here (scroll through end of photo set), and a video with some bird sounds from the cacao farm.

It’s a small island that’s easy to explore, which I did quite a bit by running. The first day, I ran from my lodging in St. George’s up a mountain to Grand Etang Park, which was a delightful adventure with some heavy rain and wind thrown in at no extra cost. Several tourist busses passed me on the way up and down, and not once did I wish I were on them. Out in the open, going at a slower pace, I felt I was able to see more of the surroundings and experience them with all of my senses, including hearing jubilant music from several churches and diverse birds, scents of flowers, ocean and pure air, and the coolness of the day’s weather. On other mornings, I ran north and south on the road that passed by Kim’s farm, past a vibrant palette of mixed colonial-style homes (photos). (Interesting running-related side note: On the flight leaving Grenada, I sat next to Grenadian runner Kirani James, current 400m world record holder, until the flight attendant moved him to a seat with more legroom. I’m rooting for him in the Olympics, along with our American runners of course, and hope some of his speed rubs off on me. UPDATE – He won, bringing home Grenada’s first Olympic gold medal!!!)

On weekdays, I saw children and workers on their way to school and work. Schools have different uniforms, so the road becomes a rainbow of cute kids each morning and afternoon. One morning, I stopped to explore some petroglyphs (see photos) north of Kim’s farm, which I later photographed after rubbings proved lackluster. On my last day, I enjoyed one last walk through the beautiful farm path then took a longer run up to Caribs’ Leap in Sauters, on the northern tip of the island. On this precipice overlooking the ocean, the Carib natives leapt to their deaths to escape the French invader-colonists

The bus system is user-friendly and efficient, making Grenada a great place to travel on the cheap. It’s a decentralized network of independent minivan operators that travel different interconnecting routes around the island. You can get on and off the bus anywhere along the road on which it travels. You just wave for it to stop to get on, and knock on the wall or roof to request a stop. Each van has a large sign on top of the windshield naming the towns/cities at its endpoints and other major cities in between, so they’re easy to spot. There’s a conductor in each vehicle who takes your fare (charged by distance), and who will help you fid your stop and transfer if needed. (The Dominican Republic, where I traveled after Grandada, has the same system, called guagas, for transit off commercial bus routes. It was great to get the hang of it in an English-speaking country first.)

I visited several sights through the week. On my first day, I walked around St. George’s, which was essentially closed and had no public busses running, being Sunday. I explored the harbor, Fort George (see photos), an old church being restored (see photos) and the town (see photos), and enjoyed local food at a cafeteria-style restaurant. Midweek, I took the bus to Belmont Estate (see photos, and more photos), an agrotourism destination and one of the farms in the co-op that sells cacao to the Grenada chocolate Company (GCC). It features a multi-crop estate with significant cacao plantings, cacao fermentation and drying (the main site for GCC’s post-harvest processing), a restaurant, cultural performances, a small native animal zoo and GCC’s retail shop. It also has a credit union where I changed money—how nice to find a cooperative bank! I walked the farm on my own and took a tour focused on cacao processing, with a really well informed and energetic guide.

After the tour, it was past closing hours so I had to skip the restaurant but hit the jackpot at GCC’s retail shop, which has fabulous confections as well as their standard bars and powders. As the day was hot, I had to eat the confections right away. So good. Waiting for the bus back, I met Maurice, GCC’s confectioner, who was working in construction before landing his current job. GCC arranged training for him, and he’s clearly a natural, given the quality of his creations. (Photo of copper pots – once used to polish cacao so it looked pristine, in order to maximize prices.)

Kim took us on numerous excursions, being a fabulous host. A big highlight was visiting Diamond Estate, a soon-to-open chocolate factory in Victoria that’s co-owned by L.A. Burdick, a U.S. Chocolate Company, and the Grenada Cocoa Association. The Burdicks visited Grenada after Hurricane George and felt compelled to help cacao farmers rebuild and improve their incomes, leading to the creation of a non-profit that supports farmer training and crop improvement (funded, in part, by sales of L.A. Burdick’s Grenada-based products), and, eventually establish a joint venture chocolate company. Diamond Estate was once a working cacao farm and post-harvest processing facility, so both parties are excited to see the operation revived and expanded.

The factory will handle all steps from fermentation and drying to roasting, grinding, blending and tempering to produce bulk chocolate for L.A. Burdick and, hopefully, other customers, using beans from multiple origins. It’s a great economic development for the local community and stands to boost farmer prices through direct sales to a processing plant. Larry Burdick happened to be in Grenada the same week, and it was terrific to meet and talk with him. He’s really excited about the potential to improve the local economy and farmer livelihoods. Apart from this endeavor, the Burdick’s have been funding effort to map cacao genomics on the island and promote the planting of fine-flavor strains that would fetch a higher value for farmers. The Burdicks are a model for the chocolate industry, blending high quality, passion, innovation and ethics with a spirit of humility, collaboration and open-minded learning. Getting to know Larry left me hopeful about the potential to expand those values and inspired to help make that happen.

Visiting GCC, in Hermitage (see photos), was another highlight. It was later in the day so production had closed down, but we were able to tour the facility and I had a nice chat with Mott. GCC is a cacao factory in miniature, containing small-scale machinery, including a hand-made cacao butter press (built into a shop press) and winnower. GCC’s processes involve a lot of hand labor, from hand sorting beans to hand wrapping bars. The tropical humidity also creates a bit of work, as it adds moisture to the sugar so they have to dry it before use. Solar panels provide much of the power to run the operation. Mott is a very passionate and dedicated person, who founded GCC as a way to create a visible, viable model of chocolate production grounded in fair labor and wage practices, as well as exceptional quality. Production amounts to about 1,000 3.5 oz bars per day, per Mott.

GCC’s bars are all dark chocolate: 60%, 71%, 82%, 100%, 71% with nibs and 71% with sea salt. They make an incredible cacao powder as well. The chocolate is exceptional, and has won several awards. It’s not so easy to find, but the bars and powder can be found at some specialty food shops, Chocosphere.com and unexpected places like the Valencia Grocery in San Francisco. Given chocolate’s temperamental nature, it must be kept refrigerated in transit, making for high shipping costs, and thus high prices than the average chocolate bar. However, its premium quality certainly exceeds its price tag and it’s a good value for those who appreciate fine chocolate.

In addition to these, we went to a rum factory near Hermitage and a nutmeg plant in Gouyave. The rum factory (see photos) has a large water wheel that powers the machinery used to press juice from fresh cane. From there, the juice is boiled down, then fermented using natural yeasts form the environment, then distilled in a wood-powered still that uses waste wood. We had a taste of rum, which had strong flavors of cream soda, and headed on our way.

The nutmeg plant (see photos) is one of only a few on the Island, since the nutmeg and mace trades are also controlled by the government, like the cocoa industry. Here, we took a short guided tour. Farmers bring freshly harvested nutmeg, enveloped in its bright red mace, to the facility. (A pulpy fruit surrounds this, which is removed at the farm and used to make jam, among other uses.) Pricing is based on visual inspection of the mace (three grades), as well as size grading of the nutmeg. The mace is removed, then the nutmeg is placed in large trays to dry. Once dry, the nutmeg is placed in a machine that cracks the shell and drops the output on tables where women sort out spice from shell. Workers then pack the whole spices in large just bags for additional processing and export. Outside the factory, I bought some lovely mace-covered nutmeg. (Unfortunately, I left in its plastic bag, causing most of the moisture-bearing mace to mold. So, if you buy this, keep it aerated.)

Delicious food of many origins topped off the trip. Breakfast at Kim’s farm featured a smorgasbord of farm-fresh fruit and bread or oatmeal, along with eggs for those so inclined. Yvonne brought bakes one morning, a light biscuit-type bread, which were far better than what I had from commercial establishments.

On my first full day at Kim’s farm, I enjoyed a calaloo stew with dumplings made by Yvonne. Calaloo is a green leafy vegetable that Kim grows on his farm, which resembles collards a bit. The dumplings are essentially flour and water, kneaded and left to sit a bit, then cooked in the stew. Mark, one of the UK duo, made wonderful spaghetti sauce from garden tomatoes, scallions and herbs. Kim and Yvonne cooked traditional meat; legume and dumpling stew over an open fire for a group of cacao-philes including Larry Burdick and his factory operations head, Jim. I did not partake of the meat, but admired the effort and enjoyed stimulating conversation, easy camaraderie and some chocolate, capping a great week with aspects that defined my experience, and which I will remember fondly until my next visit.

Cacao Travels: Grenada – Cacao Farm Stay

In mid-January, I stayed on a cacao farm in Grenada for a week to get involved in its daily operations and increase my understanding of producer/community dynamics. (See other posts for background on the purpose of the trip, and visits to cacao enterprises in Grenada.)

I visited the independent Caribbean island nation, pronounced “gruh-nay-duh,” not the Spanish-governed “gre-nah-dah,” a point that is often confused. The British and French colonized the island, which became independent in 1974. The U.S. invaded it in 1983, during the Cold War, but it did not fall under U.S. control.

Located in the lower Antilles, its primary agricultural products are nutmeg and mace (which covers the nutmeg shell) – thus its branding as “The Spice Island.” Cocoa is an important and growing crop. Its cacao is defined as fine-flavor, being predominantly trinitario. For much of the island’s yield, post-harvest processing (fermentation and drying) is done at centralized facilities governed by the Grenada Cocoa Association, a government-run entity that controls the purchase and sale of buys virtually the entire crop. Given these factors, Grenada’s cacao can fetch more than double the world market commodity prices.

I chose to visit Grenada after scouring publicly available WWOOF lists and seeing a farm associated with the Grenada Chocolate Company (GCC), which I’d known about since working on Global Exchange’s fair trade campaign. I replied to the posting and, after emailing GCC founder, Mott Greene, got connected with Kim Russell, one of the famers who produces cacao for GCC. (GCC describes itself as a cooperative, but is more aptly a company that’s part owned by a farmer cooperative – currently nine with two more joining. According to Mott, the cooperative is the majority/largest shareholder (% not specified), and there isn’t a board including farmers, or other farmer representation in steering the business. (Read more about GCC and my visit to their shop and factory in part two of this blog.)

My week at Kim’s Farm, named Crayfish Bay, was a fabulous experience that offered more than I expected. Kim is a Grenadian citizen ex-pat from the UK with a generous spirit, ingenuity and no-holds-barred honesty. He purchased a hurricane-stricken cacao estate that he’s been rehabilitating. It’s rich is biodiversity, with banana, oranges, mango and star fruit planted amongst the cacao, as well as other fruits like guava and soursop on the farm. (See farm photos.) On this site, he built his house and a 2-bedroom cottage for travelers, who are welcome to lend a hand on the farm, and join in meals and activities. The farm overlooks the ocean and is a haven for many birds(check out a video with bird singing) making it a beautiful place to wake up each morning and watch the sunset and stars at night. (See photos of lodging & site.)

Kim’s partner, Yvonne, who is a terrific cook and cacao farm worker, and her two children, were often at Kim’s. It was a wonderful experience to engage with a local family, and inspiring to see Yvonne’s hard work and skill in so many areas. Unemployment and poverty are high in Grenada, necessitating ingenuity and effort to make ends meet. Two of Kim’s friends from the UK, Mark and Peter, were visiting at the same time, giving me a double dose of cultural immersion.

Kim his workers, and other volunteers had harvested cacao the week before I arrived, so one of my main tasks was to turn the cacao as it was fermenting (see photos). After workers cut cacao pods from the tree, they split them in half, scoop out the cacao beans and their sweet pulp, put this in a pile or contained space, and cover them with banana leaves, jute bags or the like. In the fermentation process, yeast digests the pulp and converts it to ethyl alcohol. This develops cacao beans’ flavor. The cacao must be turned (moved to another bin or spot) to ensure even fermentation and temperature.

It was fascinating to see, smell and feel the transformation across the week, as the beans turned from white to orange to reddish brown and from purple to brown on the insides), consistency thickened so as to require more effort to turn each day (as liquid pulp drained), the pile heated up and the smell went from acetone to fruit-floral to toasted bread-tomato (like pizza, actually) to strong ammonia. Kim’s fermentation bins are split front to back, so I got a good workout lifting the cacao over the center divider. It was heaven for cacaophiles, as I was knee-deep in cacao (in knee boots) during the process.

When the beans were fully fermented (about five or six days in this case), I helped turn them in their drying bins to ensure even drying (see photos). In Grenada, workers traditionally shuffle through the cacao every 20 minutes, so thus did I. This was the first country where I’d seen this method, rather than the use of rakes.

I also helped clear weeds in the cacao orchard on two occasions, which is quite a labor intensive process (photos). This largely involved grazing a machete across the ground to clear fast-growing vines and grasses, done with extra care around cacao tree trunks, along with some targeted cutting at more resilient plants. The two primary farm workers, Gerald and Yvonne, had great skill and strength at this task, and I appreciated their humoring me to let me try my hand at it.

Apart from farm activities, I baked a few loaves of bread and banana bread, and helped make cocoa rolls. Cocoa rolls are basically pure hand-ground cacao liquor rolled into balls, which are used for “cocoa tea,” or pure hot chocolate. One-third of a cocoa roll is as stimulating as coffee and will keep you going well through the afternoon. Yvonne heads up cocoa roll production, and the farm sells these direct and to various specialty chocolate companies, such as L.A. Burdick. To make cocoa rolls, the beans are roasted over a fire, hand peeled, hand winnowed by pouring from one calabash to another to remove remaining shells, hand ground with secret spices in something like a meat grinder, then rolled into balls. (See photos of process.)

The week involved lots of time to enjoy and explore the island—including a visit to GCC and a new, larger-scale chocolate factory, which you can read about in the next post.

Cacao Travels: Grenada and the Dominican Republic – Overview

In January-February 2012, I spent one month exploring cacao farming, processing and trade in Grenada and the Dominican Republic. It was a fantastic experience that enriched me personally and professionally in many ways. This is the first in a series of blogs on the trip, and provides an overview of the trip and its purpose.

My primary goals were to deepen my understanding of what it takes to get cacao from tree to the point of sale, market dynamics, how certifications are manifested at the producer level, how small-scale producers can engage in value-added processing and the everyday lives of farming communities, and make connections in the field. I sought this knowledge to inform my intended graduate studies and subsequent work in international agricultural development, to ensure my work would be shaped by the communities I want to benefit. Though I’d developed strong working knowledge visiting cacao producers in Nicaragua and Ecuador on shorter, organized trips, and coordinating speaking tours with fair trade producer representatives, I wanted to immerse myself in a richer experience to build on that. Practicing Spanish was also a goal, given its wide use in the cocoa sector.

My week in Grenada found me knee deep in cacao—literally. I stayed on an organic cacao farm in Northwest Grenada named Crayfish Bay. It’s run by Kim Russell, a proud Grenadian citizen from the UK who visited, fell in love with the island nation and purchased an overgrown, hurricane-stricken cacao estate that he’s rehabilitating with great dedication and effort—and a terrific crew of workers and other helping hands. Kim’s farm, Crayfish Bay, has a cottage for travelers and welcomes guests to get involved in the farms activities. His cacao is wonderful, and is used by the Grenada Chocolate Company, as he’s part of a grower’s co-op that owns part of the company and produces cacao for it. I helped ferment and dry cacao, make cocoa rolls (for cocoa tea, essentially pure hot chocolate…love them), clear ground weeds in the cocoa forest, and make bread and baked goods. I also had time for great runs along the ocean and visited a new cacao processing plant, a chocolate factory, a large cacao estate, a nutmeg processing plant and other sites.

After that, I spent three weeks in the Dominican Republic, which has become a leader in the global market for organic cacao, has several well-develop cooperatives and processing operations, and has focused diligently on implementing farming and post-harvest systems to optimize cacao quality. During the first week, I stayed in Santo Domingo, in Hostal Nomadás, a small guesthouse-type lodging in the Colonial Zone owned by a local couple. This served a base to visit cacao farms, cooperatives (CONACADO and FUNDOP), post-harvest processing centers (YACAO and CONACADO), social projects funded by cooperatives and cacao buyers, and government development projects in the country’s northern and southern cacao regions, as well as CONACADO’s processing facility (liquor, butter, powder) and the IDIAF cacao research farm in the north. I also met with representatives from CONACADO, USAID’s REDDOM project, IDDI (a development agency) and Cortés (a Dominican chocolate company), and explored the city. It’s the oldest city in the Americas, which is rich with historical buildings, sites and museums, as well as vibrant music, art and culture. (Note on certifications: Both CONACADO and FUNDOP produce FairTrade, organic and Utz Certified) CONACADO also produces Rainforest Alliance and Biodynamic.)

During my second week in the DR, I stayed in Monción, located northwest of Santo Domingo and west of Santiago (two hours by bus/guagua). I stayed at Casa de las Anas, a fabulous homestay-type lodging with all meals included, and many options for day trips and other activities. It’s owned by Americans and operated by Ana Julia, a Dominican who is a wonderful cook and hostess. My purposes for this week were to develop my Spanish conversation skills and experience life in a small town. Monción is also a center for yuca growing and cassaba (bread) production. I took a day trip to Santiago and explored the vicinity through many walks through town, and daily runs and walks past cattle and cassava fields, cassava industry supply and warehouses, and a expansive lake created by a hydroelectric dam. This was a great week and I highly recommend Casa de las Anas for anyone who wants to experience real life in the Dominican Republic and engage in travel that truly benefits local communities.

In my third week, I traveled east to Hato Mayor El Rey and Los Botados (outside El Siebo) to visit more of the CONACADO cooperative’s farms and facilities, and stayed in a producer community. I began the week by visiting CONACADO’s collection/post-harvest processing center and a farm near Hato Mayor el Rey, as well as an affiliated women’s association, Esperanzas Unidas, that makes cacao jam, cacao wine, and cocoa balls for drinking chocolate (all so good!), and is beginning to make confections for sale in tourist markets. Then, I spent four days in Los Botados, a rural community with many cacao producers, staying in a cottage operated by a women’s group affiliated with CONACADO. (They also provide Dominican breakfast and dinner as an optional add-on.) The women also oversee the “Tour de Chocolate” tours that take visitors through the steps of cacao farming and processing, and I was able to join a group for part of that (including the women’s delicious cooking).

This was the perfect way to end my trip—getting to know cacao producers, talking long walks past cacao and banana/plantain farms, ranches and living simply in a stunning natural environment. The week was a great learning experience, and both relaxing and inspiring for my future work. It was also wonderful to stay in lodging and take part in activities that directly benefitted rural communities (unlike much of the tourism in the DR, unfortunately), and that were themselves supported, in part, by CONACADO’s cacao revenues. I returned to Santo Domingo for two days prior to flying out, and enjoyed a great bon voyage thanks to Abel Fernandez, CONACADO’s export manager, who invited me to lunch on the coast near Boca Chica, just east of the city.

Subsequent blogs will delve a bit more into these experiences…stay tuned.