I'm reposting this thread from last month in preparation for a lengthy exploration of CHOCOLATE. I am currently in Ecuador and will be visiting Victory Chocolate's farm and production facilities. Stay tuned for a very informative series on chocolate, from farm to table.
I'm pleased to introduce you to a good friend of mine, a true inspiration of woman on the move. At 30 years of age, Victoria has done more than many people twice her age! She cultivates, processes and packages some of the best organic, hand crafted chocolate in the world! Without further ado, here is her story...
Trade Mark: Victory Ecuadorian Chocolate
Environmental Engineer – International University SEK Ecuador
Master in Agroindustry with a mention in Food Safety and Health –
University of the Americas
Chocolate is the best sweet in the world, in my opinion. Chocolate is more than an acquired taste, chocolate is a lifestyle, to be able to work in chocolate you must understand every facet of its process. I started working in chocolate as soon as I graduated from my engineering degree. Environmental engineering is a career that allowed me to understand how important organic and sustainable production is. I had the opportunity to implement some of my knowledge in promoting quality cocoa production. In cocoa there are several production indicators that you must take into account, it is not just any type of fruit. Cocoa is a plant that starts from the pollination of the cocoa fly, this species of pollinator is very delicate, if this pollinator did not exist in the world we would not know what a chocolate is. When cocoa is old, the use of the land requires renewing the nutrients of the soil so that the plants can produce quality pods. In order to take care of my plantation, I focus on developing our own fertilizer for cocoa, and also through a biotechnological method we repower the soil with mountain microorganisms. But all these cares are not enough to produce quality chocolate.
Being an environmental engineer opened the doors to great opportunities for me, one of my first steps was to qualify as an environmental consultant, this allowed me to provide professional services and learn about various types of companies. There are several very interesting processes in the world, but for me the best process you can get to know is the production of chocolate. But knowing a process is not enough to be able to have a product, with a lot of effort I managed to pay for my master's degree in Agroindustry with a mention in food safety and health. Thanks to this master's degree I was able to consolidate and learn more about my production process. The best way to obtain quality cocoa is by implementing a good harvesting system, this is achieved by understanding that the cocoa plants cannot be mistreated in the harvesting process, in addition, when chopping the cob, the cocoa bean cannot be injured. since this would generate a bad taste in the entire batch of cocoa and attract microbial pests. The cocoa shell returns to the soil to return a part of the nutrients to it
Thanks to my specialization in agribusiness, I was able to learn about the cocoa fermentation curve and also the microorganisms involved. From then on, with a lot of research and experimentation, I was able to determine which is the most effective way to produce cocoa. The best form of cocoa fermentation is based on controlling the alcoholic fermentation of the grain by means of dairy acids, once this is done, the cocoa drying process is generated in which the grain lost all its acidity, this process must be controlled by means of the aeration and temperature, to obtain the exact humidity for processing. It is these processes that make chocolate interesting, if the production of raw material is handled correctly and all the acid is removed from the grain and its drying is carried out with all care, the cocoa obtained is of excellent quality and the better taste.
And at this moment is when the theory of sustainability is very important since, when investing in the chocolate production line, not only is our own production enough since my parents' farm is small, negotiations with others must be considered producers and provide them with our technology so that they now produce the grade we need with the quality previously determined. At that time, my passion for chocolate began to create benefits for other cocoa farmers.
In order to be able to make chocolate from the grain, I followed a chocolate making course, whose concept was the production of chocolate from the grain to the bar, this allowed me to know several control points such as the tempering process and the temperatures to be used, it also helped me to develop my process in a more specialized way. I combined all this knowledge with my experience in industrial plants, and developed the process for a semi-industrial production where we determine our critical control points, among which are the development of roasting cycles, grinding methods, granulometry, etc. Without neglecting the environment, efficiency in energy consumption, sustainability and development of the collaborating team.
From that moment on, I was able to start practicing and creating each chocolate formulation, creating products from chocolate is a very interesting and challenging process. Not all products and flavors go well with cocoa, so experimentation is very important. Our products are the following chocolates with 60% and 75% cocoa with peanuts and without peanuts, filled chocolates and much more.
That's all folks! At this point the only way to order this exclusive, premium product is directly through Dinner Thyme. We will be working with Victoria to expand her product line, and introduce it to the Canadian marketplace. Contact me directly at macgillb2@gmail.com to get yours today!
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