As Silva team we are sending our warmest Christmas wishes your way. We hope your home will be filled with happiness. Because we want to thank you for the great partnership, lovely encounters, and delicious chocolate, we get one step ahead of Santa Claus and give you a little something already: a tree in the Dominican Republic!
Despite perfect climatic conditions and abundant fertile soils, cacao arrived relatively late in Congo DRC. The first trees were planted in the late 19th century, when Congo was a colony of Belgian's King Leopold II. Commercial cacao plantations sprung up along the Congo River in western Congo in the 1920-30s. After independence in 1960 the cacao industry slowly disappeared, only to make a comeback some twenty years ago. Today, the centre of the cacao industry moved from west to east Congo, especially Kivu and Ituri. This used to be a coffee growing area, but in the late 1990s the coffee plants were affected by a serious disease, and farmers started to look for an alternative. And in came cacao! Silva Cacao, together with a team of specialists, helped to develop specialty cacao in the Ituri Province. Each cacao quality has a unique flavour profile, and a great story about improving the livelihood of smallholder farmers, conservation and protection of forests and wildlife, and increasing safety through mobile banking.
If you are interested to read more about our cacao origins (of course, all have perfect humidity), read on!
If you are interested to read more about our cacao origins (of course, all have perfect humidity), read on!
When sourcing cacao, it is interesting to know who is involved in the production, as it tells you more about the impact you are making on the field. At Silva we select our cacao suppliers because they bring something extra: Flavour, Farmer, Forest and the Future.
You might have seen pictures like the one above. Cut tests are quite photogenic. However, good looks are not the prime reason this test is performed. It is an important tool to identify problems in an early stage, assess the level of fermentation and evaluate beans. One of the most interesting difference between cacao purchaser for bulk industry and specialty cacao purchasers is that they use cut tests in completely different ways.
Unlike its neighbors Ivory Coast and Ghana, Togo is not known for its cacao. Nor is it recognized as a producer of first class, fine flavor, specialty cacao. However, this situation is changing. Along with coffee, cacao is Togo's third export product and an important source of income for the country. But it takes the energy and inspiration of individuals like Abra Benczedi to bring it all together and create a community. Read here her extraordinary life story.
All chocolate makers recognize the excitement of seeing (and hearing) a constant flow of cacao nibs falling out of the winnower, ready for the grinder. And then their eye falls on the husks... Read on to discover a way to give them a new life!