Company with farm in ES invests R$1 billion in cocoa | Online Tribune

Cacau Show will invest, by 2034, R$1 billion for the development of 7 thousand hectares of cocoa in Brazil. The investment will be in microregions of Espírito Santo, Bahia and Pará.

The information was given by the founder and president of Cacau Show, Alexandre Costa, in an interview with Exame magazine, and occurs due to the rise in the price of cocoa, which has reached record levels on the New York stock exchange.

To give you an idea, almond lots for May were traded, for the first time in history, at US$ 11,311 (R$ 58,364.76) per ton. “Brazil has around 600 thousand hectares for cocoa production. In this scenario, the announcement of new 7,000 hectares is a Herculean challenge.”

For 11 years, Cacau Show has invested in its own farm, Dedo de Deus, in Linhares. But currently, the farm’s production represents 3% of the raw materials used in the company’s products.

The other 97% is purchased from suppliers, from farms around the world, linked, for example, to Cargill, the world’s largest trader of agricultural products.

Costa explains that the cocoa farming expansion plan began “practically” last week. According to him, the intention is to harvest in the coming years to supply the company’s demand, which is 25 thousand tons of grain per year.

According to Costa, Brazil, on average, produces 450 kilos per hectare, but the company is above average in relation to the country, with areas with 2 thousand kilos harvested per hectare, even with the challenge of climate change, as cocoa is severely affected by phenomena such as El Niño.

The key to productivity is development in technology. “Most of Brazil works with the cabruca system, which is poetic, but does not allow for great automation. It is an expensive process and has more challenges to close the account. We are working with a harvesting system that allows more technology through actions such as greater spacing between trees.”

According to him, the company’s farm has the management techniques necessary for the growth of cocoa, with native trees of different species nearby. The development of shade and irrigation systems.

The company’s use of cocoa, however, will not be limited to cocoa: Costa highlights that Cacau Show already uses cocoa honey in a resort in Campos do Jordão, and plans to produce jams, sweets and other products with the fruit.

Seed turns into chocolate, and pulp gives juice

Origin

Cocoa originates from the Amazon region and, since the 17th century, has been cultivated as an agricultural product, rationally exploited with the establishment of cultivated areas, genetic improvement and production of seedlings.

Chocolate is made from the seed

The part of the cocoa used to make chocolate is the seed, which is not brown, has no chocolate flavor and is very bitter. It is found inside the fruit, surrounded by pulp. Therefore, the first step after harvesting is to break the fruit and extract the seeds with the pulp.

They are then placed in wooden boxes called fermentation troughs and remain there for up to 7 days. Without adding any other ingredients, the natural fermentation of the seeds takes place and the precursors of chocolate aromas begin to develop there.

And the rest?

The rest of the cocoa can be reused in different ways: it can be consumed in powder, juices, jellies, ice cream, cakes, cookies, vitamins, butter and even alcoholic drinks. It can also be used as fertilizer and even feed for livestock.