The Organic Chocolate Revolution

The cocoa industry in Venezuela is


seeing a big comeback as farmers


in that country are going organic.


In recent years the news from


Venezuela was more about oil and


politics than anything else,


however, chocolate is now taking


over. The price for organically


grown cocoa products is nearly 4


times higher than non-organic


cocoa. Organic cocoa is being


bought for the high end single


bean malt whiskies in Europe and


the USA. In addition to growing


cacao trees, the farmers in


Venezuela are also producing their


own chocolate.


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Nearly half the day is spent


nurturing the trees, protecting


them from pests, insects and bad


weather. Using only natural


compost instead of man made


fertilizers is twice the work, but


well worth it to the Venezuelan


cocoa farmers. The price of


conventional cacao beans was $2.00


per kilogram, now they receive


$7.00 per kilogram, quite an


increase. Their products are now


sold directly to foreign chocolate


manufacturers, eliminating the


local intermediaries who have been


priced out of the cacao market.


Fifty families have banded


together to create an association


of organic cacao farmers.


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The cacao seed are fermented for


six days in large wooden boxes,


then sun dried on the cement patio


of the association building.


After that they are cleaned,


sorted, weighed and put into sacks


ready for export. During the


rainy season a flood can wipe out


the entire crop a river bursting


its banks can destroy several


acres or trees in a few hours


time. In the last three years the


annual cacao production has


doubled, and the owners believe it


is due to the conversion to


organic farming.


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The majority of the funding to


start this program came from the


Venezuelan government who has


provided 10 million dollars in


research and training. In


addition the European Union has


been funding them through a


non-government organization called


Tierra Viva. America, France and


Italy are all purchasing organic


beans in Venezuela, the "single


bean origin" label denotes aroma


and purity and only Venezuela can


offer that at this time.


Thank you,


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About The Author, Carmen Sandago