Sustainable cocoa fermentation method
7 February 2011- Barry Callebaut has launched the Terra Cacao range: an exciting new innovation in superior tasting chocolate. Based on revolutionary new cocoa cultivation and fermentation methods developed by Barry Callebaut in collaboration with local growers, the Terra Cacao range represents a giant leap forward in terms of both quality and sustainability. Thanks mostly to improvements in the fermentation of the raw cocoa beans, the cocoa used to make Terra Cacao has virtually zero defects or off flavors, resulting in a 100% natural chocolate with an unprecedented harmony of pure tastes and rich aromas.
The Terra Cacao range covers several milk and dark chocolate references varying from 33.5% to 70.5% cocoa mass. The range, shaped as callets, is available for industrial customers worldwide and packed in 10kg bags.
Enhanced Fermentation
The innovation in Terra Cacao is applied after the harvest, during the critical initial fermentation of the cocoa beans at the plantations. Years of painstaking research into the intricacies of this complex process have yielded important insights into how flavor precursors are developed during fermentation. Barry Callebaut has developed a revolutionary technique to naturally enhance this process and promote the growth of the right ferment cultures to awaken even the most delicate and refined flavor precursors in the cocoa beans.
Superior Selection
Terra Cacao is very much a product of Barry Callebaut’s long-standing commitment to fostering sustainability in the cocoa industry through forging close ties with local farming organizations. The process begins with the careful selection of cocoa varieties and growing conditions to ensure the best possible stock. Barry Callebaut seeks out the most favorable altitudes and flavor-enhancing terroirs in equatorial regions where the soil is fertile and farmers tend the trees with patience and respect. Only the best fruits are picked by hand at precisely the right moment, ensuring a maximum of latent flavors and aromas in the bean.
Genuine Craftsmanship
Because the new, advanced fermentation method and sun-drying process produce cocoa beans with virtually zero defects or off-flavors, Barry Callebaut’s master craftsmen can go to work with the very finest ingredients to produce potentially the finest chocolate the world has ever seen or tasted. Mild roasting and patient conching produce a truly exquisite chocolate whose texture, aroma, taste and flavors are blended to perfection.
Nicholas Camu, fermentation innovation manager, Barry Callebaut says, “We are extremely proud of the achievement Terra Cacao represents. Years of research, experimentation, trial and error have gone into perfecting the fermentation process to generate vastly superior quality cocoa beans in a 100% natural way. Most importantly, Terra Cacao is helping to build a more sustainable future for the cocoa industry. By improving over all quality, local farmers are able to earn better incomes and thus a better livelihood for themselves and their communities.”
