Discover Mexican Cacao:
Visiting the AH CACAO factory in Playa del Carmen.
Some time ago I visited the "AH CACAO" factory, located in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It was very entertaining and I happened upon a children's activity, where children with their parents created their own cacao cookies; while I, personally, was tasting chocolate with cardamom.
...since you cannot taste the flavor through a screen, I would rather tell you about the creative process of making the chocolates, the history of cacao in Mexico and the products they offer for Mother's Day.
Written by:
Facilitator of Integral and Creative Solutions, Graphic Design Professional.
General Manager of Visibles.World , Creative Agency and Magazine".
Behind the Flavor: The Creative Process
At the AH CACAO factory, I learned more about the process of creating the delicious flavor combinations in their creative laboratory. Two talented women, Sofía Herrera and Saidy Áviles, dedicate themselves to this important mission, which involves much more than tasting.
They carry out more than 300 recipe combination tests to arrive at a product that will delight their customers' palates.
Saidy Aviles Canche Food Development Assistant, and Sofía Herrera, Food Manager at Ah Cacao
Talking with Sofía Herrera, Food Manager at Ah Cacao, she explained more about the flavor creation process:
"The creations begin with ideas and/or needs; after that, through a work methodology in which we incorporate all the possible variables to take into account in this creative process — one that allows us to transform the product idea into a reality — we make a choice to begin the development.
Broadly speaking, the steps are:
- Ideas
- Conceptualization
- Research
- Formulation and initial process
- Sensory and process evaluations
- Process evaluations
- ...and we could keep going around until reaching the goal(s)".
The History of Ah Cacao
The history of AH CACAO began in 2002, when its founders explored a plot planted with cacao trees (a cacaotal), in Tabasco, Mexico; this exploration led them to learn about chocolate, its origin and how it is made.
One of the motivations behind AH CACAO is to educate; they want to spread the knowledge that chocolate comes from a plant, the cacao tree. They also highlight that cacao is beneficial both for health and for the environment.
Commitment to Sustainability
In 2004, AH CACAO was formally established. In addition to creating chocolate delights, the factory cares about sustainability. They work closely with producing families to conserve nature and be more sustainable, and the factory has solar panels to be friendlier to the environment.
Sofía Herrera, Food Manager, together with Mónica Tello, Ah Cacao Chocolate Café Experience.
Today, Ah Cacao has a factory, a wide distribution network that includes prominent places such as the Xcaret tourist complex, and its online store. They also have physical stores that work as cafés along the main tourist street, Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue).
Creative Talents of Children and Parents at the Factory
Discover in this video summary the wonderful activity in which families participated during my visit to the factory.
The Cacao Process:
Source: Ah Cacao website
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1) The cacao seeds
Chocolate is made from the seeds of the fruit of the cacao tree. These little seeds are also sown to grow new cacao trees and ensure their numbers.
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Germination
Cacao trees are planted under the shade of "mother trees" (larger trees), creating forest areas that are home to tropical birds and animals.
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First fruits
Some 3 to 5 years after planting, the cacao trees begin to produce fruits whose seeds can be transformed into chocolate.
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The harvest
Each cacao fruit is harvested by hand, carefully cutting it from the tree with a special blade placed at the end of a long pole to reach all the pods.
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The pod
Each cacao pod is opened with a machete to extract the sweet pulp that contains the cacao beans. In each fruit there are approximately 40 cacao seeds; this is roughly the amount needed to make half a chocolate bar.
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Cacao Trace Center
The cacao seeds are fermented to develop their best chocolate flavor. This is done at a "Cacao-Trace" collection and fermentation center. Here, producers who follow the strict quality and natural cultivation guidelines receive a premium price for their cacao. The name of the producer and the location of their trees are recorded so the origin of the cacao contained in each Ah Cacao chocolate bar can be traced.
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Fermentation boxes
The freshly extracted cacao seeds are fermented in wooden boxes for a few days, where the sugars of the pulp are transformed by microorganisms through a natural process, and thus the seeds develop the deep flavor of chocolate.
During this period it is necessary to stir the seeds daily to ensure uniform fermentation. This is done by passing the seeds from one box to another, breaking up any lumps. -
Drying
After fermentation, the cacao seeds are dried in spacious greenhouses.
The seeds are turned with wooden rakes continuously for a couple of weeks to ensure uniform drying. While raking, they are inspected to remove any defective seed. -
Quality check
After drying, quality is verified by cutting a selection of seeds in half to inspect their interior.
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Roasting and shelling
To increase the flavor, the cacao seeds are lightly roasted and then the husk is removed.
The shelled seeds are called "nibs" or little pieces of cacao, and they have a somewhat bitter, toasted-nut-like flavor. They can be eaten as a healthy snack or used as a condiment for almost any food. -
Refining
The cacao nibs are ground until they form a fine paste of pure cacao. Traditionally, refining was done by hand using a stone metate, as in the photo — a technological innovation of the Maya and their ancestors.
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Chocolate bars
The cacao paste is sweetened with cane sugar to create the chocolate that is molded into bars and figures at Ah Cacao's clean-energy factory in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
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Cocoa powder
By pressing and pulverizing the cacao paste, cocoa powder is obtained, which serves to add the delicious chocolate flavor in a simple way.
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Chocolate drinks and desserts
Pure cacao is also used to make chocolate drinks and desserts; such as the famous gluten-free chocolate brownies.
Author's reflections:
During the visit, and upon coinciding with the activity of the children and their parents, I reflected and could appreciate, on a philosophical level, the change and/or conceptual transformation of the use of cacao as a food.
On the one hand, cacao unites two civilizations: the current Mexican culture with the Maya culture and its ancestral wisdom; and this change is located in the use of the connection with cacao, which in the Maya civilization came from a more spiritual and practical connection, and which today happens through an implementation of cacao within Mexican cultural and traditional beliefs around these dates of October / November.
Written by:
Facilitator of Integral and Creative Solutions, Graphic Design Professional. / General Manager Creative Solutions Agency "Visibles.World" and "Visibles World Media Magazine".
