Bean to Bar: Making Chocolate in Ecuador

By Linnea Covington 

In the tiny town of Balao, Ecuador, Vicente Norero grows and produces some of the best cacao in the world on his plantation Camino Verde. Every step in the process —outlined below — involves a watchful eye, attention to detail, and Norero’s approval on each move. The result: Quality cacao that gets made into amazing chocolate bars like Red Thalhammer’s Antidote, which you can find all over the United States.

1. Select the cacao pod
2. Break the pod to get the seeds
3. Clean and cull the seeds
4. Ferment the seeds
5. Dry the fermented seeds on wooden slates in the sun
6. Ship finished cacao to producer
7. Make a liquor, or liquefy the cacao
8. Blend sugar and cream to make chocolate
9. Add fennel, lavender, salt, cardamom, and coffee to bar
10. Package and sell