Check out the journey of Grocer's Daughter Chocolate in the Glen Arbor Sun, then follow the journey here, in pictures!...
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Blossoms and baby cacao pods emerge on the trunk of a tree
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Just a few of the buds will develop into pods, the red pods are CCN51, the genetic clone of the heirloom variety, Arriba Nacional
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Alberto Zamora shows off his homemade, organic fertilizers
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Alberto Zamora, a cacao farmer in the Fortaleza del Valle Cooperative, shows off a cacao pod
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Cacao beans are removed from the pods and placed in buckets, after that the pulp is removed
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Farmers deliver small batches of beans to the co-op at the end of the day. At the co-op they begin the post harvest processing
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Berto Zambrano, co-op manager, slices open a cacao bean
Large boxes set up in tiers are used during the fermentation process
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Jody Hayden, GDC owner, looks at the drying beans at Fortaleza del Valle
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Jenny Samaniego and Pablo Torres show off some Arriba Nacional cacao pods, a variety unique to the western region of Ecuador
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Jenny and Berto show off some cacao pods
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GDC staff Brady Dotson, Molly Flerlage, and Jody Hayden pose with Alberto Zamora on his farm
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Jody and DC Hayden pose at Fortaleza del Valle
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Jenny, Jody, and Alberto smile for the camera
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Jenny Samaniego and Pablo Torres of Conexion (our friends and primary chocolate supplier) pay a visit to the shop to spend some time with the staff