Here is the first of several descriptions of our visit to an impressive organization — Kallari Cacao Cooperative. This one is writen by Kara Hostetter:
We participated in a simulated Minga, a collective community harvest on a cacao farm. For about an hour we twisted yellow cacao fruit off, tossed the fruit down assembly lines, split them open and dug out the slimy seeds with our hands. This organic farm, like many others, was a part of a co-op with Kallari, an Ecuadorian chocolate company. Being a part of this co-op gives better sale prices for the beans, allowing for an increased financial security for the farmer.
We quickly toured the rest of the chocolate making process, seeing the bean fermentation, drying and sorting facilities, before going to the Kallari headquarters for my favorite part of the morning, chocolate tasting! It was so good! The flavors were all really creative to attempt to set themselves apart from the competition: vanilla, ginger, lemongrass, banana, chili, and my personal favorite, coffee. If you ever see a bar of Kallari chocolate for sale, get it! It will totally be worth it!
