After the Harvest
Preparing the Crop for Shipment
Once the beans have been removed from the pods, the farmer packs the beans into boxes or heaps them into piles and covers them with mats. A layer of pulp that naturally surrounds the beans heats up and ferments the beans themselves.
Fermentation is an important step, lasting three to nine days, that removes the raw, bitter taste of cocoa. The sugars contained in the beans are converted to acid, primarily lactic and acetic, during fermentation.
The process generates temperatures as high as 125 degrees Fahrenheit (52 degrees Celsius), activating existing enzymes in the beans to form compounds that produce the chocolate flavor when the beans are roasted. The result is a fully developed bean with a rich brown color, a sign that the cocoa is now ready for drying.
Drying, a Natural Preservative
Like any moist fruit, the cocoa beans must be dried if they are to keep from spoiling. In some months, the cocoa farmer can dry his beans simply by laying them on trays or matting and leaving them to bask in the sun. Sometimes farmers use solar dryers to help dry the crop.
With favorable weather, the drying process usually takes several days. The cocoa farmer turns the beans frequently and checks for foreign matter and flat, broken or germinated beans. During drying, beans lose nearly all their moisture and more than half their weight.
Finally, when beans are dried, they are packed in 130 to 200 pound sacks for shipping.