St. Vincent and the Grenadines (1KG)

REGION AND COUNTRY
Island of Saint Vincent, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

THE STORY
Cocoa was grown extensively in Saint Vincent since the 18th
century when the British introduced the crop to the island.
Cacao production declined after banana exports became the
main agricultural export in the 1970’s. In 2014, a couple of very
committed Vincentians took over a foreign cacao investment
and founded the Saint Vincent Cocoa Company. The Company
owns about 250 hectares of land and buys cocoa from around
100 local small farmers around the island. On average, these
farms are 2 hectares. Cocoa is grown along with short cycle
crops such as banana, plantain, ginger, maize and local root
crops. Timber species such as coconut, melina and mahogany
are used as shade trees.

HARVEST
November – March (Main) April – October (Mid-crop)

GENETICS
Trinitarios from Trinidad introduced in the 60’s/70’s and ICS
varieties from Reading University

POST HARVESTING PROCESS
Fermentation and drying take place in a central facility owned
and operated by the Company. Beans are fermented in tiered
fermentation boxes for 6-7 days depending on the desired
flavour profile. They are then dried in a solar dryer to get the
moisture level to around 6-7%

Flavour
The bean has a bright citrus acidity with hints of passion
fruit and floral honey followed by tones of bread,
cashew and ends with a light sprinkle of saffron