Museum
Fermentary
Culture
Garden
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The
adventure at Belmont begins with a visit to the cocoa fermentary
where unfolds the captivating story of the transformation of raw cocoa
beans into a delicate product that is used for making
chocolate.
Cocoa is harvested by sniping the oval shaped
pods of the trees using mitten-shaped knives (called cocoa
knives). The pods are heaped into piles, then cracked with a
cutlass or machete and the white beans (seeds) are removed and
placed into buckets or bags for transportation to the cocoa buying
point. There the beans are placed into a sifter where excess water
are drained out and debris (leaves, stones, broken pods etc.,) are
removed. The
beans are then weighed and placed in large wooden bins (fermenting
boxes), covered with banana leaves and jute bags. The beans remain
in boxes for 7-8 days during which time fermentation takes place.
During fermentation the white substance covering the beans,
disappears; the beans turn a rich shade of brown and flavour
develops. The beans are turned from one box into another every two
days to allow an even distribution of the heat that is produced
during fermentation. Once fermented the beans are placed outside
to dry in the sun on big wooden trays, for six to seven days.
During that period workers walk through the beans to allow air to
flow evenly through the beans
and to aid with the drying. The beans then go through a cosmetic
process called polishing and then they are bagged and sold to the
Grenada Cocoa Association (GCA), the local cocoa farmers
association responsible for selling and marketing cocoa overseas.
Belmont Estate is an agent for the GCA
and is responsible for buying wet cocoa from the farmers, drying
the beans and selling them back to the Association. On buying days at
Belmont, visitors can see the actually
purchasing of the beans from farmers. And on any day of the week
there is one surety ...you will see beans being fermented, dried
and then polished. The story of the cocoa is brought to life at
the fermentary with the display of
several pieces of machinery that are used in the semi-processing
and by the demonstration of the traditional method of polishing
the bean, by dancin' in old copper pots.
Visitors are shown a video entitled
"Cocoa - Food of the Gods, From the Field to
Chocolate
" and can sample Belmont's "cocoa tea" (local
hot chocolate) as they allow the fine bouquet of fermenting cocoa beans and the aroma of
nutmegs, cloves, bay, pimento and other local spices to permeate
their senses.
Together with The
Grenada Chocolate Company, we have begun the Grenada Organic
Chocolate Project. We have received organic certification
for our farms and our organic cocoa is used by the Grenada
Chocolate Company to produce Certified Organic Fine Dark Chocolate. We are the only company in the Caribbean to be
producing this product.
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Weighing
cocoa |
Drying
cocoa |
Walking
cocoa |
Dancin'
cocoa |
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