The mothers of cocoa, another “black gold” in Venezuela

Wearing rubber boots and a sharp machete, Nidia Chávez enters the plantation to harvest the “better” cocoa of Venezuelaalso called in his town the “black gold” that feeds them

It is a term that is normally reserved for oil, which is also abundant in this Caribbean country. But in Chuao, Aragua state (central-north), cocoa is everything.

“It is the black gold that we have here, from this we live”comments to AFP Chávez, 43, after collecting three containers with the fruit covered by a “slime” sweet white with a delicate citrus point.

The plantation is huge. With the machete, Chávez and other compañeras cut the cacao in two parts to extract the pulp that they later deposit in plastic containers.

In Chuao, inhabited by descendants of slaves brought from Africa for hard agricultural work, there is an important rule, which applies to tourists and natives: do not pluck the fruits.

It is tempting, since the burgundy and yellow ears abound along the 5 kilometers that connect the coast, the main access to this town, and the town, where the grains are dried in the sun.

“Is prohibited”reiterates Mauricio Sosa, 48, a boatman and tour guide from Chuao. “If not, we would be without cocoa because it is very tasty” the seed, remarks. “This is our life, our world.”

In this town, between 18 and 20 tons of cocoa are produced per year, which the Chuao Campesino Company, a civil association, sells in its entirety to a businessman very close to the community who turns it into precious chocolates with denomination of origin.

A kilo of cocoa beans can be sold for about 10 dollars.

Our pride

Estílita Aché was born 63 years ago in this town of about 3,000 inhabitants surrounded by mountains that is easier to reach by boat. The other option is a multi-day trek through the jungle.

“Cocoa is everything”insists. “It’s special, it will be because one grabs it with love.”

The recently extracted seeds rest, covered by banana leaves, in a fermentation room, an old structure with wooden ceilings and floors where women can be heard making jokes about the gifts they will receive for Mother’s Day.

The place is so hot that being inside for a few minutes is enough to make you feel suffocated: it is the perfect environment for the grain to acquire the ideal flavor and texture.

The grain is then dried in the sun for eight hours each day, and then stored and packed in 61-kilo bags. It is an artisanal process that does not admit of failure, since any error would modify the quality of the product.

Near the Chuao Peasant Company, whose premise is to produce cocoa “100% pure”, Vicenta Gámez, 66, offers spreadable chocolate, bonbons, punch and tea that she prepares with her son Robin Herrera, 28.

“We do it by hand, we don’t have big machines to prepare all this,” he describes with a smile. “Our cocoa is our greatest pride and the best in the world.”

Source: AFP