After a brief conversation, the moment has finally come – she takes us to her cocoa trees. The forest smells fresh. We can feel it breathing. We place our feet carefully. The ground is completely covered in leaves. Viviana explains that the leaves serve as natural fertilizer. When we reach a banana plant, she pauses for a moment and uses her machete to cut off a large leaf. The cocoa trees beneath it need some light, but not too much, she says. What matters is a good balance between warmth and shade.

After the harvest, the cocoa pods are opened with a machete. The fresh cocoa seeds are still surrounded by white pulp and give off a fruity, sweet scent. The seeds are quickly packed into sacks and brought to the roadside. Our business partner is already waiting there. He weighs the goods and pays Viviana in cash. For the head of the family, the money is important. It helps her buy the few things she cannot produce herself. In this way, she can improve her family’s standard of living. The farmer is happy. Today’s harvest was a good one.

Afterwards, workers spread the cocoa beans out on wooden tables. Here, they are turned several times a day until they are dry enough to transport to Europe. To ensure this, experts check the residual moisture. Between 5% and 7% is ideal. That is what keeps them shelf-stable. Defective beans are separated out. Only the good, high-quality beans are filled into the prepared jute sacks and stored in a climate-controlled container until shipment.