Chocolate is made from cocoa beans found in football shaped pods on trees that grow near the equator. The trees are planted and grown primarily on small farms. Hundreds of thousands of cocoa bean farmers all over the world provide chocolate companies with the raw material they need to make chocolate. Like any other agricultural product, the amount of care given to the crop has a huge impact on quality.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of the world’s cocoa farmers live in extreme poverty. They are beholden to giant chocolate companies who pay them very low prices for their cocoa. As a result, they don’t have the resources or the motivation to take great care of their cocoa crops. The chocolate made from such beans isn’t very good. The true flavors have to covered up with huge amounts of sugar and vanilla and artificial flavorings.
However, there are some artisan chocolate companies work closely with cocoa farmers and pay more for cocoa beans. They work with the farmers to ensure that the cocoa beans are grown and processed correctly. Farmers begin to see cocoa as a way to improve their lives and the lives of their family.
But just paying higher prices and lending a helping hand once in a while isn’t enough if you want to make truly spectacular chocolate. This requires truly spectacular cocoa beans. In order to take the flavor of the chocolate to the next level, a deeper commitment is needed. Somebody from the company needs to go down and live with the farmers. Trust and camaraderie must be established with the community. This can take years to achieve but it is the only way to convince farmers to change their whole outlook on working with cocoa.
Of course, it is also necessary to pay farmers higher prices. Most farmers have very large families. They also have fertile land on which they can grow a variety of crops. If they can’t support their families with one crop, they’ll switch to another.
We’ve done everything possible to make Fortunato No. 4 from Peru a truly extraordinary chocolate. Our company has made enormous commitments of time, energy, and money to the farmers and their families. In return, they’re making a tremendous effort to treat their Pure Nacional cacao like the precious jewel that it is.
When you taste Fortunato No. 4 Peru chocolate, you’ll know immediately that it is something very special. The care, the craft, and the dedication shine through. The sacrifice and attention to detail is unmatched in any other chocolate.
This can only be achieved by forming a bond with the local community. Our family company has spent over a decade working in Peru. We have Peruvian wives and Peruvian grandchildren. During the cocoa harvest season, you’ll find us in the field working with farmers. If we’re not in the field we’ll be in our processing facility where we personally ferment and dry every single bean. The facility is located in a small farm town right near our partners, the farmers. Our ten Peruvian employees have the highest paying jobs in town. All are sons and daughter of cocoa farmers.
On behalf of the entire team, we invite you taste Fortunato No. 4 Peru for yourself. A whole community has put its heart and soul into it. The result is amazing. To learn more about Fortunato No. 4 Peru chocolate and working with farmers, please visit our website www.maranonchocolate.com.
No Comments