Download - Boquete chocolate presentation
From Cacao
to Chocolate
Theobroma, cacao’s scientific name, means ‘the food and
drink of the gods’
After sugar and coffee, cacao is the third most valued
world food commodity.
Cacao Around The World
• Cacao is native to the Americas and was found growing wild in the Amazon River Basin.
• Cacao was so valued by Aztec and Mayan cultures, the beans were used as currency.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF CACAO:
Cacao is a sustainable option for farmers, providing
income while avoiding
deforestation.
A well maintained
farm can produce cacao all year round.
CACAO: A Friend of Biodiversity
The Cacao Tree
BLOSSOM
BUD
PODS
Bocas Peace Corps Volunteers are
working to increase cacao
yields by training farmers in
pruning, grafting and disease
control techniques.
Cacao production can
be increased through grafting
trees that are disease resistant
and produce more pods.
FROM CACAO POD TO CHOCOLATE
HARVEST
DRYING & FERMENTATION
TOASTING & PEELING
HAND GRINDING& SHAPING
In order for this chocolate to make it from a Panamanian farm to your mouth,
cacao must be:
• harvested,• fermented for 5 to 7 days, • dried in sun for 20hrs, • toasted to perfection• hand peeled• and ground.
• Fine chocolate is made by grinding and pressing cacao beans, adding cacao butter extracted from other beans,
and then heating the mixture to 135° F and cooling it to 90° F.
Cacao Market
Las Chocolateras de Valle Las Perlas
• The complex flavor of chocolate is created through the processing of
cacao. • The result is 550 flavor compounds.
• A carrot has only 96.
FUN FACT:
The Kuna Study•Flavanols: epicatechin and procyanidins improve blood vessel functions.
CACAO HEALTH BENEFITS
• High in Antioxidants (flavanols)• Blood Pressure Benefits• Lower LDL Cholesterol• Natural Anti-Depressant• Cancer Fighter
CACAO HEALTH BENEFITS
• Prevents Tooth Decay• Longer Life and Less Disease• High in Magnesium• Artery Cleanup• Brain Health
CACAO HEALTH BENEFITS
• "All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then
doesn't hurt."
- Charles M. Schulz