Cacao Fermentation

Picking our fresh cacao fruits to be fermented by using fruit picker.

Cacao fruit inside the fruit picker.

Harvested cacao fruits like Criollo and nacional varieties

Materials needed are knives, board, and disposable gloves

Also, banana leaves are used for covering in fermentation

Trays to drain the cacao juice

We used this box as a storage with banana leaves as covering and trays at the bottom as drainer

Cutting the fruit to get the cacao beans

It can be cut as lengthwise or crosswise depends on preference

Cacao beans…

Laying banana leaves as the covering

Putting some yeast in it as part of fermentation

Picture shows after 24 hours

Checking the beans for it is ready to sun dry

Put cacao beans on the tray

Inside our experimental solar dryer

2-3 days inside depends on the sunlight

Ready for harvesting…Let it cool and store and then for milling to make fresh choco drinks or tablea…