[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” collapsed=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_slider _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_slide heading=”Cocoa Production” use_bg_overlay=”on” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/darlingwingsfarm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Cocoa-5.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n
It all starts with the cocoa beans, without it no chocolates.\u3000Here is how we craft it all.<\/p>\n
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Our process starts with cultivating the cocoa beans on our estate farm in Adeembra a cocoa farming community in the Eastern Region of Ghana.\u00a0Cocoa grows in the zone 20\u02da North and 20\u02da South of the equator ..(What is know as the cocoa belt). Temperature range 18C to 30C, with well distributed rainfall across the year.<\/p>\n
Takes about 3 to 5 years for newly planted trees to start bearing fruit. The tree develops flowers on the trunk that turns into the fruit call cocoa pod. Each tree will yield about 20 to 40 pods per year with each weighing 300g to 540g depending the variety. Each pod contains about 20 to 60 seeds, approx 25% of the pod weight.<\/p>\n
Takes about 5 to 6 months for the flowers to develop into matured pod. The tree can grow up to 15 m, but pruned to about 3m for easier harvesting.<\/p>\n
Work on the farm like any other farming is hard labor. Pruning the trees, removing weeds etc\u2026 is an all year round work till harvest time.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/darlingwingsfarm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cultivate.jpg” title_text=”cultivate” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” border_color_all=”#e09900″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”10px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” collapsed=”off”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”50px|50px|50px|50px|true|true”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n
Cocoa harvest is spread over several month,\u00a0twice a year during the main and mid crop
season.\u00a0In Ghana main harvest times are from September through\u00a0December, while mid crop season is from April through June.<\/p>\n
Once the pods are ripe, we carefully cut each pod one at a time from the trees trunk using machetes or, for the higher pods, using long poles with a cutting edge. We take extra care to ensure that the stalks of the tree are not damaged and can produce fruit the following year.<\/p>\n
We then carry all the harvested pods and accumulate them at a central location. This is really a labor of love, I mean hard labor gathering and carrying heavy pods from different locations across a 10 acre farm to a central location where the beans can be removed from the pods for fermentation.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/darlingwingsfarm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/harvest.jpg” title_text=”harvest” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” height=”293px” max_height=”1000px” custom_margin=”55px||||false|false” custom_padding=”|0px||||”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”4px|||||” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” collapsed=”off”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” min_height=”446.8px” custom_margin=”|auto|1px|auto||” custom_padding=”0px|9px|0px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”50px|50px|50px|50px|true|true”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-41px|||||” custom_padding=”||6px|||”]<\/p>\n
This is an important process, fermentation help to kill the beans from germinating and also in the development of precursor for aroma development that determines flavor of chocolate.<\/p>\n
We first cut open each pod to remove the beans from the pod\u00a0We then heap the beans on banana or plantain leaves on the\u00a0ground and then covered with banana or plantain leaves.\u00a0The beans are left to ferment for about 4~7days.\u00a0During fermentation the temperature in the heap can rise up 50 C<\/p>\n
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Pictures on the shows before fermentation (white) and after fermentation (brownish)<\/p>\n
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[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/darlingwingsfarm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ferment.jpg” title_text=”ferment” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” height=”352px” custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px||false|false” custom_padding=”|0px||||” module_alignment_tablet=”” module_alignment_phone=”” module_alignment_last_edited=”on|phone”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/darlingwingsfarm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Heap-Fermentation–scaled-e1743252416861.jpg” title_text=”Heap Fermentation” admin_label=”One 6~7 days of fermentation” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” height=”352px” custom_margin=”|53px|8px|||” custom_padding=”|0px|65px|||”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”4px|||||” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” collapsed=”off”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” min_height=”446.8px” custom_margin=”|auto|3px|auto||” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”50px|50px|50px|50px|true|true”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-41px|||||” custom_padding=”||6px|||”]<\/p>\n
After the fermentation we sort the beans removing spoiled and black spotted bean and then dry the good beans under direct sunlight on bamboo mats for at least 4 ~ 7 days. Drying reduces about 60% to 70% of the moisture content. Once the bean have dried, we package them and transport to our factory for processing into various cocoa derivatives.<\/p>\n
We also spread the spoiled beans on the farm to decompose to enrich the soil.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/darlingwingsfarm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/LJRG1295.jpg” title_text=”LJRG1295″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”98.9%” max_width=”100%” custom_margin=”||7px|||” module_alignment_tablet=”” module_alignment_phone=”” module_alignment_last_edited=”on|phone”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/darlingwingsfarm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/drying.jpg” title_text=”drying” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” height=”357px” custom_padding=”||106px|||”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ disabled_on=”on|off|off” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” collapsed=”off”][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” collapsed=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_slider _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_slide heading=”Cocoa Production” use_bg_overlay=”on” _builder_version=”4.7.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/darlingwingsfarm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Cocoa-5.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” sticky_transition=”on”] It all starts with the cocoa beans, without it no chocolates.\u3000Here is how we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-36","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n