Grenada Chocolate - Chocolate from Grenada Islands
Grenada is a sovereign state in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and several small islands, Grenada is also known as the "Island of Spices" due to the production of nutmeg. The island state forms an independent member state of the "Commonwealth of Nations" with Queen Elisabeth II as head.
The French brought cocoa beans to the Caribbean, including Grenada, in the late 17th century. Unfortunately, over the years the cultivation of cocoa has been neglected in favor of nutmeg, cloves and ginger and no longer played a role.
Grenada is now known far beyond its borders for its high-quality, fruity cocoa and we have only one man to thank for that: Mott Green, the founder of " Grenada Chocolate Company ". He moved from New York to the island in the late 1980s and found wild cocoa trees everywhere. In 1999 the time had come - with the help of friends and locals, he built a small, solar-powered chocolate factory, which, because of the high Caribbean temperatures, was of course equipped with an air conditioning system so that the chocolate does not melt away from the start. He hires neighbors to pack the chocolates individually by hand. He got the cocoa beans from the surrounding farmers. The finished chocolates are then transported climate-neutrally by sailing ship all over the world. Unfortunately, Mott Green died in an accident in 2013, but his company became a role model for ethical and sustainable tree-to-bar cocoa cultivation.
The cocoa beans in Grenada are still processed on site in the 300-year-old way: After fermentation, the beans are spread out on wooden platforms and dry in the sun. The workers regularly kick the cocoa beans from the dry remains of the pulp with their feet. At the same time, they are turned over so that they can dry evenly.
The main harvest season on Grenada is between April and November and around 730 tons are harvested per year, which corresponds to a share of 0.02% of the world harvest. (Source: Dom Ramsey)
