South Bahia state aims for top quality in cocoa production
The cocoa from South Bahia, in Northeast Brazil, has been part of the nation’s history for more than 250 years and nearly came to an end in the 1980s, when witches’ broom disease, which is caused by a fungus on the cocoa trees, left entire farms devastated.
Today, the region is once again in the spotlight as a cocoa zone, but now with a focus on quality beans and environmental preservation. The novelties bring a new lease of life to a model historically marked by slavery and the so-called cocoa colonels.
The fruit was brought to Bahia plantations in the 18th century to replace sugar cane, which was facing a decline. Cocoa adapted to the hot and humid climate of the area without delay. So much so that, in 2018, the region won the geographical indication (GI) tag Sul da Bahia (“Southern Bahia”), highlighting the tradition and unique features of the product manufactured there.
From tree to bar
Yrerê is a fazenda with a special significance in the history of cocoa in Brazil. It was a plot of land originally donated by the Portuguese crown in 1818 to a German family. Gerson Marques, its current owner, is the first proprietor not to stem from the family’s line of succession. He bought the place 24 years ago and has specialized in producing fine and organic cocoa, in addition to being active in experience tourism. He produces about 6 thousand kilos of beans every year. After the witch’s broom disease took its toll in the region, he said, quantity is no longer a goal. “The path ahead of us is high specialization, high quality—selling cocoa at a price that’s worth it,” he argued.
On the fazenda, tourists have a chance to monitor nearly every stage of the production of chocolate, which he terms “tree to bar,” in reference to the bean-to-bar concept, where the whole process is transparent to the consumer. At Yrerê, visitors get to know the plantation, taste the fruit, watch the beans drying, and participate in a tasting of the various types of chocolate produced in the facilities.
Claudiana Campos, regional manager of the Brazilian Micro and Small Enterprises’ Support Service (Sebrae) in Ilhéus, Bahia, said the strategy consists in producing quality nibs, thus diverting from the commodity format, which prioritizes quantity over quality. “Today we sell a quality product to chocolatiers and factories all over the world, with many cocoa nibs awarded in national and international contests,” she pointed out.
Fine cocoa
In 2019, Brazil was recognized as a producer of fine aroma cocoa for export by the International Cocoa Organization. Cocoa represents three percent of Brazilian production, as per data from the Executive Commission of the Cocoa Farming Plan (CEPLAC). The goal is to reach ten percent.
Quality control is strict. In Ilhéus, inspection is carried out by the Cocoa Innovation Center (CIC), where Chocolab is located, a laboratory that makes sure the beans from a given harvest comply with the standards of the Sul da Bahia GI tag. There, tests are conducted with the raw material, including the assessment of flavor, aroma, and texture. The GI standard stipulates a maximum three percent for defective seeds in samples, which is higher than international ones.
Approximately 4 thousand producers are part of the Southern Bahia Cocoa Association, which is allowed to use the GI tag. According to the institution’s executive director Cristiano Sant’ana, members can also use the Sul Bahia chocolate brand, which comes as part of collective production. By scanning a QR code on the package, consumers can view details such as the producer’s name, the geographical location, and the quality standard for that batch.
