India - Idukki
The green hills of the Idukki region are a delight for cacao trees. The region sees plenty of sunshine and rainfall, and the cacao pods are surrounded by fragrant spices and tall coconut trees. Despite these excellent conditions, fine flavor cacao never received much attention in the Idukki region in South-India. Until GoGround entered the stage.
The GoGround team is headed by Ellen and Luca, a husband-and-wife team with an engineering background and a passion for creating change in rural communities. With support from the Italian RIVA foundation, GoGround set out to build a dedicated fermentation and drying center in Udumbannoor, Idukki, India.
At the farms in Idukki you can find an impressive number of food crops. Mango, papaya and coconuts grow everywhere, but even more enchanting are the fragrant spices. Pepper, nutmeg and cardamom grow in abundance on the farms in this region and fill the air with a spicy aroma.
The GoGround team built a post-harvesting facility with fermentation boxes in four rows, each row consisting of three boxes. As can be expected from two engineers, the research on processing the fresh cacao beans are endless. Ongoing experiments with variables such as pulp reduction, aeration and moisture-levels, ensure the team finds the best protocol which fits the beans and the seasonal and climatic circumstances.
After fermentation, the cacao moves to one of the seventeen drying tables. On these tables, the beans are constantly shuffled and monitored. Once the drying stage is completed, the beans are sorted, and bagged.
