Dom. Republic Öko Caribe Organic

Region and Country

San Francisco de Macorís, Duarte province, Dominican Republic

Story

The Spanish introduced cacao to the island of Hispaniola at the end of the XVI and the beginning of the XVII century. Throughout the centuries, cocoa remained a big part of the agricultural production of the island.

Dominican cocoa has historically been exported as two qualities: Sánchez, natural, unfermented cacao sold mainly to the U.S.A., and Hispaniola, good fermented cocoa. At the time of writing, Dominican Republic is considered to be the biggest exporter of organic certified cocoa in the world.

Öko-Caribe was founded in 2006 by Gualberto Acebey and Adriano Rodríguez. Between them, they have decades of experience working in the improvement and commercialization of organic cocoa, working with small holder farmers in the northeast of the island.

The cocoa producers represented by Öko Caribe are organized in grassroots associations. This allows Öko Caribe to organize more efficient trainings, plan a timely collection of the wet beans and develop a collection plan that will allow the cocoa to reach the fermentation centre in less than 6 hours. This is crucial to ensure a good fermentation and therefore produce a very good quality cocoa.

All cacao cultivated by the producers is grown in agroforestry schemes along with timber species, fruit and other crops. This contributes to maintaining a healthy plant ecosystem free of pests and disease.

Harvest

March – July (main crop) October – February mid-crop)

Genetics

Dominican cacao is a mixture of different genetic varieties: Jamaican, Amazon Amelonado, Ecuadorian Nacional, Venezuelan Criollo, Rio Caribe, and Trinitario hybrids. 85% of all plantations in the country use high quality genetic material.

Post Harvesting Process

Cacao is collected fresh and brought within the first 4 to 6 hours to a centralized fermentation station. Beans are fermented in tiered wooden boxes during 5 to 6 days and during this period is turned three times. Once fermented, the cacao is dried in solar tunnels and bagged in 70 kg. polypropylene bags.

Flavour

Strong chocolate base with notes of coconut milk, caramel, vanilla, crème bruleé, lavender & violets