Cocoa and Chocolate: Their History from Plantation to Consumer

. 1-1/2d. 6d. 4-1/2d.

. 1-1/2d. 6d. 4-1/2d. f

t. 2s. 3s. 12s. 6s.

0.5 per cent.; roasted, which causes a loss by volatilisation of 7 per cent.; and shelled, the husks being about 12 per cent. Therefore, the actual yield of usable nib, which has to bear the whole d

ion of Co

he excess of butter which floats to the top) it is a little heavy for less hardy digestions. Van Houten (of the well-known Dutch house of that name) in 1828 invented a method of pressing out part of the butter, and thus obtained a lighter, more appetising, and more easily assimilated preparation. As the butter is useful in cho

arity of Caca

throne the cacao cleared for home consumption was about four or five thousand tons, more than half of which was consumed by the Navy. At the time of Queen Vi

the pseudonym of the late Richard Cadbury). This work is out of print, but those who are for

EXICAN DR

ish M

t's Conques

PTE

D ITS CU

aised in fa

Chocolate

tropics, moving in the shade, cutting the pods from the cacao tree; the deep-chested sailor helping to load from lighters or surf-boats the precious bags of cacao into the hold of the ocean liner; the skilful workman roasting the beans until they fill the room with a fine aroma; and the girl with dextero

e Nece

o flower and bear fruit. The mean temperature in the countries in which it thrives is about 80 degrees F. in the shade, and the average of the maximum temperatures is seldom more than 90 degrees F., or the average of the minimum temperatures less than 70 degrees F. The rainfall can be as low as 45 i

eographical

hem round the world. First the Indians spread cacao over the tropical belt of the American continent and cultivated it as far North as Mexico. Then came the Spanish explorers of the New World, who carried it from the mainland to the adjacent West Indian islands. Cacao was planted by them in Trinidad as early as 1525. Since that date it has been successfully introduced into many a tropical island. It was an important day in the history of Ceylon when S

WITH PODS

acao

OWING PODS GRO

vered with little bosses (cushions) from which many flowers spring. I saw one fellow, very tall and gnarled, and with many pods on it; turning to the planter I enquired "How old is that tree?" He replied, almost reverentially: "It's a good deal older than I am; must be at least fifty years old." "It's one of the tallest cacao trees I've seen. I wonder-." The planter perceived my thoug

TS ON MAIN BRANC

's Cocoa, by permisson of

s, Leaves

ot see the flowers because they are so dainty and so small. The buds are the size of rice grains, and the flowers are not more than half an inch across when the petals are fully out. The flowers are pink or yellow, of wax-like appearance, and have no odour. They were commonly stated to be pollinated by thrips and other insects. Dr. von Faber of Java has recently shown that whilst self-pollination is the rule, cross fertilisation occurs between the flowers on adjacent or interlocking trees. These graceful flowers are so small that one can walk through a plantation without observing them, although an average tree will produce six thousand blossoms in a year. Not more than one per cent. of these will become fruit. Usually it takes six months

AO

Caca

THE WHITE PULP ROUN

ranate. One pod shows many shades of dull crimson, another grades from gold to the yellow of leather, and yet another is all lack-lustre pea-green. They may be likened to Chinese lanterns hanging in the woods. One does not conclude from the appearance of the pod that the contents are edible, any more than one would surmise that tea-leaves could be used to produce a refreshing drink. I say as much to the planter, who smiles. With one deft cut with his machete or cutlass, which hangs in a leather scabbard by his side, the planter severs the pod from the tree, and with another slash cuts the thick, almost woody rind and brea

SHEWING BE

al Desc

and to the same order as the Limes and Mallows. It is descri

. Sterc

s. The flowers are borne on the main stem or the older branches, and arise from dormant axillary buds (Cauliflory). Each petal is bulged up at the base, narrows considerably above this, and ends in an expanded tip. The form of the reddish flowers is thus somewhat urn-shaped with five radiatin

ttle when found in nature in the pod. They are juicy and fleshy. And it is only after the seed has rece

of Theob

trees according to the shape and colour of the pods and seeds. The existence of so many classifications has led to a good deal of confusion, and we are indebted to Van Hal

CAL PODS, illust

of Charac

io

aracas, etc

from C

cked) to

oo

s. Thin

Large a

it

ee

and

and

ope to

ing

ody, the surface smooth, the furrows indistinct, and the shape globular. The seeds in these pods are purple in colour, flat in appearance, and bitter to taste. This is a very convenient classification. Personally I believe it would be possible to find pods varying by almost imperceptible gradations from the finest, purest, criollo t

ao Plan

u going into the cocoa?" they ask, just as in Engla

D. This has to be cleare

aves against the sky so like a fine etching-but "the slender coco's drooping crown of plumes" is altogether foreign to English eyes. Sugar estates are generally marred by the prosaic factory in the background. They are dead l

inidad plantations the trees are planted in parallel lines twelve feet apart, with a tree every twelve feet along the line; and as you push your way through the plantation the apparently irregularly scattered t

ng the

ork. It is well to leave the trees on the ridges for about sixty feet on either side, and thus form a belt of trees to act as wind screen. Cacao trees are as sensitive to a draught as some human

able

rs of assimilation of the tree in question and the "digestibility" of the soil constituents. However, it is agreed that soils rich in potash and lime (e.g., those obtained by the decomposition of certain volcanic rocks) are good for cacao. An open sandy or loamy alluvial soil is con

ROOT SYSTEM OF

e long

series of Handbooks to the Commercial

nu

cropped consecutively for over a hundred years, there is as yet no sign of decadence, nor does a necessity yet arise for artificial manure."[1] However, manures are useful with all soils, and necessary with many. Happy is the planter who is so placed that he can obtain a plentiful supply of farmyard or pen manure, as this gives excellent results. "Mulching" is

nti

YOUNG CACAO PLANTS

's Cocoa, by permission o

two or three seeds in each hole, and destroy the weaker plants when about a foot high. The seeds are planted from twelve to fifteen feet apart. The distance chosen depends chiefly on the richness of the soil; the richer the soil, the more ample room is allowed for the trees to spread without choking each other. Interesting results have been obtained by Hart and others by grafting the fine but tender crio

IDAD, FROM YOUNG SEE

days it was the custom to solemnize the planting, for example, by sacrifici

S FOURTH YE

porary and

nt growth in the tropics that in three or four years the cacao tree is taller than a man, and begins to bear fruit in its fourth or fifth year. Now it is agreed that, as with men, the cacao tree needs protection in its youth, but whether it needs shade trees when it is fully grown is one of the controverted questions. When the planter is sitting after his day's work is done, and no fresh topic comes to his mind, he often re-opens the discussion on the question of shade. The idea that cacao trees need shade is a very ancient one, as is

G SHOWING THE CACAO TRE

ntekoe's

Y KAPOK (Eriodendron

's Cocoa, by permission o

lley, richly planted with cacao, one sees in every direction the silver-grey trunks of the Immortel. In the early months of the year these trees have no leaves, they are a mass of flame-coloured flowers, each "shafted like a scimitar." It well repays the labour of climbing a hill to look down on this vermilion glory. Some Trinidad planters believe that their trees would die without shade, yet in Grenada, only a hundred miles North as the steamer sails, there are whole plantations without a single shade tree. The Grenadians say: "You cannot have pods without flowers, and you cannot have good flowering without light and air." Shade trees are not used on some estates in San Thomé, and in Brazil there are cocoa kings with 200,000 trees w

ADED BY BOIS IM

-growth Desi

essary always to bear in mind that the best shape for cacao trees is that of an enlarged open umbrella," with a height under the umbrella not exceeding seven feet. With this ideal

er will in time bear more than its mother.'"[3] There seems to be some evidence that old trees profit from the "chupons" because they continue to bear when the old trunk is weary, but this is compensated for by the fact that the "chupons" (Portuguese for suckers) were grown at the expense of the tree in its youth. Hence other planters call them "thieves," and "gormandizers," saying that the

WITH SUCKE

reat scope for the application of physical and chemical knowledge to the production of the raw materials of the tropics. In one or two instances notable advances have been made, thus the direct production of a white sugar (as now practised at Java) at the tropical factory will have far-reaching effects, but with many tropical products the methods practised are as ancient as they are haphazard. Like all methods founded on long experience, they suit the environment and the tempera

an agricultural school at Peradenija. Trinidad has for a number of years had an agricultural school, and is eager to have a college devoted to agriculture. In 1919, Messrs. Cadbury Bros. gave ￡5000 to form the nucleus of a special educational fund for the Gold Coast. The scientists attached to the several government agricultural departmen

LAS

of the Ca

rasites can be. In the tropics their power for destruction is very great, and they are a constant menace to economic products like cacao. The importance of

as either from ignorance or by careless handling he can do the tree much harm. Other animal pests are the wanton thieves: monkeys, squirrels and rats, who destroy more fruit than they consume. The insect pests i

ers who wish to know more of this or other division of the science of cacao cult

bert Wright (

inchley Hart (

. Johnson (Ni

.J. van Hall

anic Dept., Jamai

t. of Agricultur

formed his C

PTE

D PREPARATION

reaking of the cacao are the

ormed his C

ng and

off the tree even when over-ripe. Shall we knock off or pluck the pods? To do so would make a scar on the trunk of the tree, and these wounds are dangerous in tropical climates, as they are often attacked by canker. A sharp machete or cutlass is used to cut off the pods which grow on the lower part of the trunk. As the tree is not often strong enough to bear a man, climbing is out of the question, and a knife on a pole is used for cutting off the pods on the upp

TYPE OF C

TINI CAC

rally only at rare intervals. Cacao is gathered the whole year round. There is, h

CACAO PODS

ts the stalk of a pod, which falls from the tree to the ground. Only the ripe pods must be picked. To do this, not only must the picker's aim be true, but he must also have a good eye for colour. Whether the pods be red or green, as soon as the colour begins to be tinted with yellow it is ripe for picking. This change occurs first along the furrows in the pod. Fewer unripe pods would be gathered if only one kind of pod were grown on one plantation. The confusion of kinds and colours which is often found makes sound judgment very difficult. That the men generally judge correctly the ripeness of pods high in the trees is something to wonder at. The pickers pass on, strewing the earth with ripe pods.

PODS INTO A HEAP

and Ext

most universally by hand, either by men or women. A knife which would cut the husk of the pod and was so constructed that it could not injure the beans within, would be a useful invention. The human extractor has the advantage that he or she can distinguish the diseased, unripe or germinated beans and separate them from the good ones. Picture the men sitting round the heap of pods and, farther out, in a larger circle, twice as many girls with baskets. The man breaks the pod and the girls extract the beans. The man takes the pod in his left hand and give

l and easy work, often performed to an a

BEANS, AND MULES WAITING WITH BASKETS

men

reached its destination, would be worthless. In order that a product can be handled commercially it is desirable to have it in such a condition that it does not change, and thus with cacao it becomes necessary to get rid of the pulp, and, whilst this may be done by washing or simply by drying, experience has shown that the finest and driest product is obtained when the drying is preceded by fermentation. Just as broken gr

r baskets, two of which are "crooked" on a mule's back, and carried thus to the fermentary. I

ble floor. In Trinidad and the majority of other cacao-producing areas, where the forastero variety predominates, from five to nine days are required. The cacao is put into the "sweat" boxes and covered with banana or plantain leaves to keep in the heat.

" BOXES,

e wooden spade used f

Temper

in 25° C.

ay 30° C.

ays 37° C

ys 47° C.

t is maintained, but the tem

showing that all parts are fermenting evenly. The cacao is usually shovelled from one box to another every one or two days. The chief object of this operation is

the last box the beans are sh

's Cocoa, by permission o

cao is placed on the plantation direct into trucks, which are covered with plaintain leaves, and run on rails through the plantation right into the fermentary. Some day some enterprisi

ions[1] for a good

beans must b

s must be moist,

ges there must b

must be

uring Fer

d also that there are parallel and more important changes in the interior of the bean. The difficulty of establishing a complete theory of fermentation of cacao has not daunted the scientists, for they know that the roses of philosophy are gathered by just those who can grasp the thorniest problems. Success

N TO TRUCKS IN THE P

exterior of the bean should be carefully distinguished from the s

which happens to be on the pod, in the air, or on the inside of the fermentary will multiply in the pulp, if the pulp contains suitable nourishment. Each kind of organism produces its own characteristic changes. It would thus appear a miracle if the same substances were always produced. Yet, just as grape-juice left exposed to every micro-organism of the air, generally changes in the direction of wine more or less good, so the pulp of cacao tends, broadly speaking, to ferment in one way. It would, however, be a serious error to assume that exactly the same kind of fermentation takes place in any two fermentaries in the world, and the maximum variation must be considerable. As the pulp ferments, it is destroyed; it gradually changes from white to brown, and a liquid ("sweatings") flows away from it. The "sweatings" taste like sweet cider. At present this is allowed to run away through holes in the bot

ERMENTING TRUC

anana leaves keep

judges their condition by the colour of the pulp. When they are ready to be r

simple fermentation of the pulp and the changes in the interior of the bean? This impo

. H.C. Brill[2] found raffinase, invertase, casease and protease in the pulp; oxidase, raffinase, casease and emulsinlike enzymes in the fresh bean; and all these six, together with diastase, in th

e. Whilst the micro-organisms remain outside, the juice of the pulp appears to penetrate not only the skin, but the flesh of the bean, and the brilliant violet in the isolated pigment cells becomes diffused more or l

a tasteless brown substance. The bean begins to taste less astringent as the "tannin" is destroyed. With white (criol

The action resembles the browning of a freshly-cut apple, and has been shown to be due to oxygen (activated by an oxidase, a ferment encouraging combi

fine aromatic odour characteristic of cocoa and chocolate, and which Messrs. Bainbridge and Davies have

rated theobromine, the alkaloid which gives cacao its stimulating properties, but th

ns, which are thus converted into bodies which are brittle solids on drying (compare tanning of hides). The "hide" of the bean may be similarly "tanned"-the she

s the planter to produce a drier bean, and one which has, when roasted, a finer flavour, colour, and aroma, than the unfermented. Fermentation is generally considered to produc

and those which have been ferment

AO

T. FERMENTE

bean Fl

e fitting Crisp and

-blue or mud-brown Bri

e Leather to

ce Solid O

s bitter or astring

agreed that to obtain one of the chief effects of fermentation, namely the brown colour, oxidatio

in to be

yg

ch encourages

hen the bean is killed disintegration or weakening of the cell walls, etc., occurs, and, as a result, the enzyme and tannin, hitherto separate, become mixed, and hence able actively to absorb oxygen. The action of oxygen on the tannin also accounts for the loss of astringency on fermentation, and it may be well to point out that fermentation increases the internal surface of the bean exposed to air and oxygen. The bean, during fermentation, actually sucks in liquid from the surrounding pulp and becomes plumper and fuller. On drying, however, the skin, which has been expanded to its utmost, wrinkles up as the interior contracts and no longer fits tightly to the bean, and the cotyledons having been thrust apart by the liquid, no longer hold together so closely. This accounts for the open appearance of a fermented bean. As on drying large interspaces are produced, these allow the air to circulat

nditions, scientifically trained overseers will be required to produce them, and for this they will need to have under their direction arrangements for fermentation designed on correct principles and allowing

G SMALL Q

ich can be run under the

rmenting a

put into the fermentary, and he measures the fermented cacao produced with the help of a bottomless barrel. By this means he finds that on fermentation the beans lose weight by the draining away of the "sweating

osses may be

wet cacao

ermentati

on dr

f commerce ob

BEANS ON MATS TO DRY

n packing and handling, and broken shells allow grubs and mould to enter the beans when the cacao is stored. The method of drying varies in different countries according to the climate. José says: "In the wet season when 'Father Sol' chooses to lie low behind the clouds for days and your cocoa house is full, your curing house full, your trees loaded

TRAYS,

rugated iron roofs will slide ove

se depressing periods when the rain continually streams from the sky. On fine days it is difficult to prevent mildew appearing on the cacao, but at such times it is impossible. However, whenever available, the sun's heat is preferable, for it encourages a slow and even drying, which lasts over a period of about three days. As Dr. Paul Preuss says: "II faut éviter une dessiccation trop rapide. Le

r to dry the cacao uniformly it is raked over and over in the sun. It must be tenderly treated, care

ermentaries, the cacao being conveyed through a hole

ITH" ROTA

David Bridge and

re fitted with baffle plates, which gently turn over the cacao beans at each revolution so that even drying throughout is the result. The casing is heated to the requisite temperature by means of a special stove, the arrangement of which is su

the cacao in the blaze of noon or when a rainstorm comes on. In other place

S, TRINIDAD, WI

hing of

S, SAN THOMé. Three t

rial Institute series of Handbooks to t

although beans so treated have a very clean and bright appearance, looking not unlike almonds, the practice cannot be recommended. There is a loss of from 2 to 10 per cent. in weight, which is a disadvantage to the planter, whilst from the manufacturer's point of view, washing is objectionable because, according t

N A VAT TO CLEAN OF

uring, and Po

CAO BEANS

ng recommendation occurs: "The claying of cacao ought to be avoided as much as possible, and when necessary only sufficient to give a uniform colour ought to be used." In my opinion manufacturers would do well to discourage entirely the claying of cacao either in Trinidad or Venezuela, for from their point of view it has nothing to recommend it. One per cent. of clay is sufficient to give a uniform colour, but occasionally considerably more than this is used. If we are to believe reports, deliberate adulteration is sometimes practised. Thus in How José formed his Cocoa Estate we read: "A cocoa dealer of our day to give a uniform colour to the miscellaneous brands he has purchased from Pedro, Dick, or Sammy will wash the beans in a heap, with a mixture of starch, sour oranges, gum arabic and red ochre. This mixture is always boiled. I can recommend the 'Chinos' in this dodge, who are all adepts in all sorts of 'adulteration' schemes. They even add some greas

of the Cure

ACAO BEAN

's Cocoa, by permission o

ns from the various producing areas of the world. Some idea of these can be ga

Averag

an. Numbe

the

1.0 gr

1.0

1.1

1.2

ad 1.2

ons 1.

n 1.2

as 1.

la 1.

a 1.5

no 1.6

of the C

because he wishes others to think his efforts are crowned with exceptional success, or because he takes a simple pride in his

r the first time often make a rapid mental calculation of the amazing number of trees that must be needed to produce the world's supply, at least 250 million trees. Or again, taking the average yield per acre as 400 lbs., we find that there must be well over a million acres under cacao cultivation. At the Government station at Aburi (Gold Coast) thr

earing trees of the first year have continued to be heavy bearers, and the poor-yielding trees have remained poor during subsequent years. The report rightly concludes that: "The question of detecting the poor-bear

ao that Manufac

ao could be brought together it would be to their mutual advantage.

ark. We don't know quite what to strive after. Tell

and manufacturer has his t

: Don't

ecial characters, even as the wine from a country, and pa

What-good

od of one type with

do you mean ex

rent I mean unripe and unfermented. By abominable I mean germinated, m

n to tell me that only

actically all the cacao produced-good and indifferent-is bought by som

hey often pay more for Guayaquil than they do for Grenada cacao. Yet Guayaquil is ne

ch is so powerful that it masks the presence of a high percentage of unfermented beans. However, if Guayaquil cacao was well-fermented it would (subject to the iron laws of Supply and Demand) fetch a still higher price, and there would not be the loss there is in a wet season when the Guayaquil cacao, being unferment

don't clay t

ible to find a mouldy bean in Grenada estates caca

not a necessity in Trinidad, where the curing is also excell

s not too generously used. He objects to paying for beans and getting clay. However, it's really too b

that ever gets beyond the local tropical market. I know the merch

nce of the beans influence the broker by long association. But just as you cannot truly judge a cigar by the picture on the box, so the broker has to consider what is under

idea without roasting, surely? You agr

h a good "break," that is beans which, under the firm pressure of thumb and forefinger, break into small crisp nibs. Closeness or cheesiness are danger signals

ntil the bean is cinnamon colour. Why, man, you couldn't get a pale brown interior

d is, you must develop as much brown in the beans as possible. They should have the characteristic refreshing odour of raw

e do the foreign

artificial drying. Some come from mould. Unfermented cacao is liable to go mouldy, so is germinated or over-ripe cacao with broken shells. Some cacao unfortunately gets w

and often it's a long journey to them. Well, you've told

because with large beans the percentage of shell is less. Small flat beans are very wasteful

e can't help ourselves; we produc

cked out of the beans. Buyers don't like more than half a per cent. of rubbish; I mean stones, dried twig-like pieces of

How abo

hed bean attracts, although they kn

: And w

hed beans; although very little, I suppose less than five per cent., of the world's cacao is washed, but in London many buye

ou have said, and I think every planter should strive to produc

URER: Ho

t difference between the pric

by the European and New York markets. I am afraid that as long as there is so large a demand by the publ

spot to do his buying. They would discriminate carefully, and t

ad their own buyers in certain places in the Tropics for some years, and it is generally agreed that this has acted as an incentive to the growers to improve the q

'S CACAO

per annum.) Diagram showing relative amounts produced by various

phlet by the author on The Pract

e Journal of

the Chemical

tes Rend

s, Le cacao. Cultu

Desired by Manufacturers, by N.P. Booth and A.W. Knapp

be due to its being fermented in an unripe condition, for, as Dr. Fickendey say

y Bros., of Bournville, for a lead in this direction. They have several agents in the colony who purchase on their beh

PTE

ODUCTION

rnt two hundred thousand tun of cacao, it proved no small loss to all New Spai

vy's Amer

, and producer of the finest criollo type. Having done this, one ought to say words of praise to Trinidad, Grenada and Ceylon for their scientific methods of culture and preparation; and, last but not lea

he tropics, the shortage of shipping has prevented the amount exported from maintaini

ODUCTION

(1 ton = 100

,000 191

,000 191

,000 191

,000 191

,000 191

,000 191

fly from Messrs. Theo. Vasmer & Co.'

THE CHIEF PRODUCIN

1000 kilo

14 1915 191

s. Tons.

,000 77,300 72,2

45,000 43,70

37,000 42,700

00 29,900 33,2

400 24,100 24,0

700 20,200 21,0

00 18,300 15,2

0 9,100 9,000

100 6,500 5,5

,100 3,900 3,

00 3,900 3,50

800 3,600 3,4

0 1,700 2,00

00 2,400 3,00

1,800 1,90

,800 1,900 1,6

1,700 1,500

1,500 1,5

00 900 90

300 400 1

1] 700 800

go 500 600

] 450 550

t[1] 100 1

3,200 3,000 3,

96,100 295,400

102,000 128,000 120

ITH ONLY CACAO-PROD

MERICAN

the principal cacao producing areas are mar

EANS EX

ric Tons.[2]

s prod

41,86

r 38,0

l alone 3

ela 13

am 2,

Guiana

otal 95,353 tons

O BEANS ON

CACAO PODS

na Plantatio

UA

d the soil remains as fertile as ever. The two principal cacaos are known as Arriba and Machala, or classed together as Guayaquil after the city of that name. Guayaquil, the commercial metropolis of the Republic of Ecuador, is an ancient and picturesque city built almost astride the Equator. Despite the unscientific cultural methods, and the im

OR SHIPMENT, GU

ry hundred pounds of cacao, and by purchasing and storing cacao on its own account whenever prices fall below a reasonable minimum, attempts in the planter's interest to regulate the

AZ

erfect are the natural conditions that formerly no care was taken in cacao production, and much of that gathered was wild and uncured. During the last decade there has been an improvement, and this would, doubtless, be more noteworthy if the means of transport were better, for at present the roads are bad and the railway

EZU

ld a hundred years ago. It is in this enchanted country (it was at La Guayra in Caracas, as readers of Westward Ho! will remember, that Amyas found his long-sought Rose) that the finest cacao in the world is produced: the cr

sent out from her three principal por

EST I

AMERICA AND T

roducing are

est Indian islands producing cacao are mark

EANS EX

Tons. P

d's pro

(British)

ingo 18

British)

British)

2,27

(British

(Britis

nt (Briti

al 57,862 tons

s 36,751 tons

AND GRE

stopping these abuses and of producing a uniform cacao, there was formed a Cacao Planters' Association, whose business it is to grade and bulk, and sell on a co-operative basis, the cacao produced by its members. This experiment has proved successful, and in 1918 the Association handled the cacao from over 100 estates. We may expect to see more of these cacao planters' associations formed in various parts of the world, for they are in line with the trend of the times towards large, and ever larger, unions and combinations. Trinidad is also progressive in its system of agricultural education and in its formation of agricultural credit societies. The neighbouring island of Grenada is mountainous, smaller than the Isle of Wight and

oportion is of inferior quality, and is little appreciated on the European marke

A CACAO P

ury's estate

CAN

H ONLY CACAO-PROD

producing areas are marked. Their

EANS EX

ons. Per

s prod

(British)

omé 19

ritish)

o Po 4,

ons 1,

1,0

Congo

103,096 tons

a 76,566 tons

ST (Industri

a Ca

vernor of the Gold Coast, the "West African Climatic Bogie" is a myth, and the "monumental reputation for unhealthiness" undeserved. When De Candolle wrote concerning cacao, "I imagine it would succeed on the Guinea Coast,"[4] as the West African coast is sometimes called, he achieved prophecy, but he litt

WITH STACKS OF CAC

ission of the Edit

F CACAO ON T

antity.

tons (8

4 tons

80 ton

975 ton

798 tons

161 tons

964 tons

343 tons

000 tons

BAGS OF CACAO TO

ission of the Edit

n defence it is pointed out that yet another portion of the earth has been made productive, which, without the initiative of the European capitalist, must have lain fallow. But in the Gold Coast the "indolent" native has created a new industry entirely native owned, and in thirty years the Gold Coast has outstripped all the areas of the world in quantity of produce. Forty years ago the natives had never seen a cacao tree, now at least fifty million trees flourish in the colony. This could not have happened without the strenuous efforts of the Department of Agriculture. The Gold Coast now stands head and shoulders above any other pr

RIVER AT NSAW

leeping sickness. And so the native, used as he is to heavy head-loads, naturally adopted this as his first method of transport, and hundreds of the less affluent natives arrive at the collecting centres with great weights of cacao on their heads. "

CACAO B

Reprod

sion f

Institu

dbooks

cial R

e Tro

cacao, weighing half a ton, down to the coast. The sound of a motor horn is heard, and he wildly turns the barrel aside to avoid a disastrous collision with the new, weird transport animal from Europe. Motor lorries have been used with great effect on the

ROM THE ROAD TO

g boat is used, manned by some twenty swarthy natives, who glory-vocally-in their passage through the dangerous surf which roars along the sloping beach. The cacao is piled high on wood racks and covered with tarp

CACAO, G

é (AND P

hip to another part of West Africa, a scene of singular beauty,

he sea of the doldrums, sapphire or turquoise, or, in deep shaded pools, a radiant green, joyfully foams itself away against these fairy lands of tossing palm, dense vegetation, rushing ca

together have not half the area of Surrey, grow 32,000 metric tons of cacao a year, or about one-tenth of the world'

CACAO, G

ission of the Edit

a, are more than two hundred plantations, or rocas, whose buildings look like islands in a green sea o

HE RAILWAY STATION,

he highest state of perfection, but the details of organisation-planters' homes, hospit

croaching vegetation, deadly fevers, and the physical and mental inertia engendered by the tropics, will marvel at the courage and energy that have triumphed over such obstacles. Calculating from various

TAKEN FROM MESSRS. CADBURY'

guese colonies of Angola and Mozambique now enter freely into contracts ranging from one to five years, two years being the time generally chosen. At the end of their term of work they either re-contract or return to their native land with their

E BOA ENTRADA CACAO

away may show a mortality approximating to that of an average European city. In February, 1918, the workers in San Thomé numbered 39,605, and the deaths during the previous year, 1917, were 1,808, thus showing on official figures an annual mortality of 45 per thousand. Comparing this with the 26 per t

im Gouveia, to San Thomé to make a thorough examination of labour conditions, including work, food, housing,

AT AGUA IZE

on wheels, whi

ope that the result will be a material reduction in the death rate, as the good health enjoy

ERO

w cacao about the same time. The Germans spent great sums in the Cameroons in giving the industry a scientific basis, they adopted the "estate plan," and possibly the

LLING, GO

he criollo cacao, which produces the plump, sweet beans with the cinnamon "break." Cacao beans from Ceylon or Java are easily recognised by their appearance, because, being washed, they have beautiful clean shells, but there is a serious objection to washed shells, namely, that they are brittle and as th

CACAO, G

ission of the Edit

O MA

ation to the E

E SIDE OF THE OC

ese bags the cacao is taken to the port on the backs of mules, in horse or ox carts, in canoes down a stream, or more rarely, by rail. It is then conveyed by lighters or surf boats to the great ocean liners which lie anchored off the shore. In the hold of the liner it is rocked thousands of miles over the azure seas of the tropics to the grey-green seas of the temperate zone. In pre-war days a million bags used to go to Hamburg, three-quarters of a million to New York, half a million to Havre, and only a trifling quarter of a million to London. Now London is the leading cacao market of the w

lties o

marked differences as exhibited by crabs and Blenheims, not to mention James Grieves, Russets, Worcester Pearmains, Newton Wonders, Lord Derbys, Belle de Boskoops, and so forth. Further, whilst the bulk of the cacao is good and sou

BEANS FOR SHIP

OF CACAO BEANS TO

o Sa

he would see nothing to choose between all the various lots and wonder why so much fuss was made over discriminating amongst the similar and distinguishing the identical. He might even marvel a little at the expert knowledge of the buyers; yet, frankly, the pertinent facts concerning quality, known by the buyer, are fewer and no more difficult to learn than the thousand and one facts a lad must have at his finger ends to pass the London Matriculation; they are valued because they are inaccessible to the multitude; only a few people have the opportunity of learning them, and their use may make or mar fortunes. The judgment of quality is, however, only one side of the art of buying. We have to add to these a knowledge of the conditions prevailing in the various markets of the world, a knowledge of stocks and probable supplies, and given this knowledge, an ability to estimate their effect, together with other conditions, agricultural, political and social, on the

flecting to a certain extent the position of supply and demand, only a fraction of the world's cacao c

and Quo

ION IN PRICE OF CACAO

hilling a pound, whilst there have been periods when it has only fetched sixpence per pound. On April 2nd, 1918,

ish

ccra) 65s

a

ero

Th

o

nad

5s.

in

me

yaq

ina

0s.

yl

a

mo

00s

d after the war. The most striking change is the sudden rise when the Government control was removed. All cacaos showed a substant

of the

tter than quote Grant Allen, who regarded the tropics as the best of all universities. "But above all in educational importance I rank the advantage of seeing human nature in its primitive surroundings, far from the squalid and chilly influences of the tail-end o

RKERS ON CA

rying Platform, which is t

beauty and repose; at the human vigour and happiness; and I said to myself, and said it often afterwards in the West Indies: 'Why do not other people copy this wise Scot? Why should not many a young couple, who have education, refinement, resources in themselves, but are, happily or unhappily f

anter'

they manage. It is inadvisable for the inexperienced to start on the enterprise of buying and planting an estate with less capital than two or three thousand pounds; but,

ounters in South America an old college friend of his, who in his early days was on

brother owned this place.

hold it through the

Well, just when I had decided upon a political life, I found it necessary to come here to straighten things out. One month lengthened itself into a

ine on un

ou know, so lon

ing on the flat

uncing an impending dissolution. I felt like an unwilling bridegroom called to marry an ugly bride. I invited my soul. Here, thought I t

regrets. The decision once made, I was happy as a sandboy. J'y suis, j'y rest

ome familiar; the other valley I saw now for the first time. The sides were steep and covered with trees, and I could only see one dwelling in the valley. We reached this by a circuitous path through cacao trees. Approaching it as we did, the bungalow seemed completely cut off from the rest of the world. We were welcomed by the planter and his wife, and by those of the children who were not shy. I have never seen more chubby or jolly kiddies, and I know from the sweetness of the children that their mother must have given them unremitting

TO RAILWAY S

ENAGE,

ish Poss

in this chapter, are estimates given by M

1919: Trinidad 27,185

n of Cultivated Plants

ere willing to pay an enhanced price for cocoa prepared in a manner suitable for their requirements. A fair amount of cocoa was purchased by them, and demonstrations were mad

te for the amount export

pioneers in cacao planting in Samoa, as re

e, where the Letters of An

PTE

URE OF COCOA

the kernels in earthen pots, then free them from their skins, and afterwards cr

of Chocolate,

hods in t

nes until quite fine. The curious thing is that on grinding the cacao bean in the heat of a tropical day we do not produce a powder but a paste. This is because half the cacao bean consists of a fat which is liquid at 90° F., a temperature which is reached in the shade in tropical countries. This paste was then made into small rolls and put in a cool place to se

ed bean is reduced to a paste in primitive manufacture. A stone, shaped like a rolling-pin, is being pushed to and

ACTORY

when broken into fragments are called "nibs") from their husks or shell. Fig. 3 shows a workman pounding the shell-free nibs in an iron mortar. Fig. 4 represents a workman grinding the nibs o

opean Man

arly factory process is well shown in the plate which I r

INDING C

uier "N

the writers who revealed the secrets of its preparation were conscious that they were giving man a new ?sthetic delight and the subject is treated lovingly and lingeringly. One, Pietro Metastasio, went so far as to write a "cantata"

In Germany the first chocolate factory was erected at Steinhunde in 1756, under the patronage of Prince Wilhelm, whilst in America the well-known firm of Walter

N PRA

e often identical, the processes which are common to both are first

al at the

ter thirty years. Some factories have stores in which stand thousands of bags of cacao drawn from many ports round the equator. There is something very pleasing about huge stacks of bags of cacao seen against the luminous white walls of a well-lighted store. The symmetry of thei

WAREHOUSE, SHOWING

ry Bros'. Work

ting th

palm kernels, cowrie shells, shea butter nuts, good luck seeds and "crab's eyes." The essential part of one type of machine (see illustration) which accomplishes this sorting is an inclined revolving cylinder of wire gauze along which the beans pass. The cylinder forms a co

RTING AND CLE

n of Messrs. J. Baker &

hine is illustrated by the d

akes a great clatter and fuss. It produces, however, wh

CAO BEAN CLEA

es) which the engineer describes as "rapidly reciprocating and arranged on a slight incline and mounted on spring bars." This allows grit to pass through. The beans then roll down a plane on to a sieve (3/8-inch holes) which separate

sting t

of linalool, a colourless liquid with a powerful fragrant odour, a modification of which occurs in bergamot, coriander and lavender. Everyone notices the aromatic odour which permeates the atmosphere round a chocolate factory. This odour is a bye-product of the

GH GAS HEATED

t as a science. It is conducted in revolving drums to ensure constant agitation, the drums being heated either over coke fires or by gas.

G CACAO

ry Bros'. Work

s can be heard lightly tumbling one over the other, and the aroma round the roaster increases in fullness as they get hotter and hotter. The temperature which the beans reach in ordinary roasting is not very high, varying roun

asting had reached a certain amount, swung over and rang a bell, indicating dramatically that the roasting was finished. As beans vary amongst other things in the percentage of moisture which they contain, the machine has not replaced the experienced operator. He takes samples from the dr

lossy and friable and chocolate brown in colour, and it crushes readily between the fingers into small ang

ving the

remove the shell. This is incorrect, the more usual practice from the earliest times has been to re

N, SHELL

drink thereof will be more dainty and delicious." Willoughby, in his Travels in Spain, (1664), writes: "They first toast the berries to get off the husk," and R. Brookes, in the Na

be done one by one, laying them apart ... for these skins being left among the chocolate, will not dissolve in any

om the commencement of the industry in England, is shown by the o

f the hand and press it with the thumb, the whole cracks up into crisp pieces. It is now quite easy to blow away the thin pieces of shell because they offer a greate

the Bean in

s efficient will the winnowing be, and it is usual to break the beans whilst they are still warm to avoid producing particles of extreme fineness. The breaking down may be accomplished by passing the beans through a pair of rollers at su

KIBBLING CONES A

rating t

shop-floor sweepings, consisting of a jumble of chunks of wood (nib), shavings (shell) and nails (germ) by sieving through a grid-iron, he would find that not only the nails passed through but also some sawdust and fine shavings. So in the above machine the finer nib and shell pass through with the germ. This germ mixture, known as "smalls" is dealt with in a special machine, whilst the larger nib and shell are conveyed to the chief winnowing machine. In this machine the mixture is first sorted according to size and then th

OUGH WINNOW

e reader to know that after the most elaborate precautions have been taken the nib still contains about one per cent. of shell, and that the nib obtained is only 78.5 per cent. of the weig

GRIN

by which the cacao nibs are ground to pa

ory, goes straight into sacks ready for sale. The pure cacao nibs (once an import

Blen

country so as to develop in each its characteristic flavour. The pure nib is no

he Cacao Nibs

-coloured fluid. Half of the cacao bean is fat, and the grinding breaks up the cells and liberates the fat, which at blood heat melts to an o

umber of magnificent horizontal driving wheels, each some 20 feet in diameter, which form, as it were, a revolving ceiling to the room. Your fascinated gaze beholds "two or three vast circles, that have their revolving satellites like moons, each

The grooves are so cut in the two stones that they point in opposite directions, and as the one stone revolves on the other, a slicing or shearing action is produced. The friction, due to the slicing and shearing of the nib, keeps the stones hot, and they become sufficiently war

ROUGH GRIN

ld cocoa. When sugar and cacao butter are added it yields eating chocolate. Thus the two industries are seen to be inter-dependent, the cacao butter whic

out the exc

CAO

ed by pe

srs. L

o.,

ore for the preparation of Jack's cup of cocoa. It produces a fine rich drink much appreciated by our hardy seamen, but it is somewhat too fatty to mix evenly

hey look like the parts of a slowly collapsing telescope. The "mass" is only gently pressed at first, but as the butter flows away and the material in the pot becomes stiffer, it is subjected to a gradually increasing pressure. The ram, being under pressure supplied by pumps, pushes up with enormous force. The steel pots have to be sufficiently strong to bear a great strain, as the ram often exerts a pressure of 6,000 pounds per square inch. When the

CACAO PRESS-PO

n the Press Cake

probably stun him. They are broken down in a crushing mill, the inside of which is as full of t

Siev

he cocoa which passes through this fine silk sieve, the average length of the individual particles is about 0.001 inch, whilst in first-class productions the size of the larger particles in the cocoa does no

Pack

by ingenious machines, which deliver with remarkable accuracy a definite weight of cocoa into the

PTE

ACTURE OF

ety of manufactures this useful machine has been applied: yet it does not a little

at Mr. Fry, of Bristol, has in his new manufactory one of these e

ster Journal,

ound. The information published in modern Encyclop?dias, etc., concerning the manufacture of chocolate is not always as reliable as one might expect. Thus it states in Jack's excellent Reference Book (1914) that "Chocolate is made by the addit

OUTLINE

ired for plain e

or mass

utter 1

53?

ring ?

pa

ing to a fine homogeneous mass, the principles underlying its manufacture are obviously simple, yet when we come

ing the Ni

and shelled. The roasting, however, is generally somewhat lighter for chocolate than for cocoa. The nibs prod

ng in th

ATE ME

ssion of Messrs. La

HOCOLATE

ted on a granite floor. This floor revolves and causes the stationary mill-stones to rotate on their axes, so that although they run rapidly, like a man on a "joy wheel," they make no headway. The material is prevented from accumulating at the sides by curved scrapers, which gracefully deflect the stream of material to the pa

REFINING

ion of Messrs. J. Bak

ding the

CACAO NIB

bury Bros.,

ee the soft chocolate-coloured dough become, after merely passing between the rolls, a dry powder-the explanation is that the sugar having been more finely crushed now requires a greater quantity of cacao butter to lubricate it before the mixture can again become plastic. The chocolate in its various stages of manufacture, should be kept warm or it will solidify and much time and heat (and possibly temper) will be absorbed in remelting it; for this and other reasons most chocolate factories have a number of hot rooms, in which the chocolate is stored whilst waiting to pass on to the next operation. The dry powder coming from the rolls is either taken to a hot room, or at once mixed in a warm mélangeur, where curiously enough the whole becomes once again of the consistency of dough. The grinding betwee

GH CHOCOLATE

Conc

a heavy roller is pushed to and fro in the chocolate. Although the conche is considered to have revolutionized the chocolate industry, it will remain to the uninitiated a curious sight to see a room full of machines engaged in pummelling chocolate day and night. There is no general agreement as to exactly how the conche produces its effects-from the scientific po

E" MAC

ion of Messrs. J. Bak

OUGH "CONCH

lavou

le loss of aroma in handling. The flavours used include cardamom, cassia, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, lemon, mace, and last but most popular of all, the vanilla pod or vanillin. Some makers use the choice spices themselves, others prefer their essential oils. Many other nutty, fragrant and aromatic substances have been used; of these we may mention almonds, coffee, musk, ambergris, gum benzoin and balsam of Peru. The English like de

IXING OR "CONC

Moul

is passed through a machine, known as a compressor, which removes air-bubbles. This is a necessary process, as people would not care to purchase chocolate full of holes. As in the previous operations, every effort has been made to produce a chocolate of smooth t

E SHAKIN

d to lie down and fill the mould. This can be most effectively accomplished by banging the mould up and down on a table. In the factory the method used is to place the moulds on rocking tables which rise gradually and fall with a bump. The diagram will make clear how these vibrating tables are worked by means of ratchet wheels. Rocking tables are made which are silent in action, but the moulds jerkily dancing about on the table make a very lively clatter, such a noise as might be produced by a regiment of mad cavalry crossing a courtyard. During the shaking-up the chocolate fills every crevice of the mould, and any bubbles, which if left in would spoil the appearance of the chocolate, rise to the top. The chocolate then passes on to an endless band which conducts the mould through a chambe

OUTLINE

for chocolate for c

b or mas

utter 2

49?

ring ?

pa

about the same consistency as cream. The operations so far described are conducted by men, but the covering of cremes and the packing of the finished chocolates i

G, CREMES, ETC. (Messrs.

ocolate. When she draws it out, the white creme is completely covered in brown chocolate and, without touching it with her finger, she deftly places it on a piece of smooth paper. A little twirl of the fork or drawing a prong across the chocolate will give the characteristic marking on the top of the chocolate creme. The chocolate rapidly sets to

ENRO

ering cremes, etc

ion of Messrs. Savy J

tioner's art, but it would take us beyond the scope of the present book. We will only remind our readers of the great variety of comestibles and confections which are covered in chocolate-pis

AT MESSRS. CADBURY'

nd paste by

Choco

lk producing area was adopted by Cadbury's, who built milk condensing factories at the ancient village of Frampton-on-Severn, in Gloucestershire, and at Knighton, near Newport, Salop. Before the war these two factories together condensed from two to three million gallons of milk a year. Whilst the amount of milk used in England for making milk chocolate appears very great when expressed in gallons, it is seen to be very small (being only about one-half of one per cent.) when expressed as a fraction of the total milk production. Milk chocolate is not made from milk produced in the winter, when milk i

HIRE, AT WHICH MILK IS EVAPORATE

adbury Bro

OUTLINE

equired for m

(from 10 to 20 p

Butt

ar

o 25 per cent.), say 2

ouri