The human beings we have got accustomed to the processes in mass, mechanics, where every product is equal to other and, although this does not suppose anything necessary negative, we have lost the value of the manual work. This work that takes care of every detail along the production process and that involves human interaction.
"The Bean to bar – which literally means the seed to the bar – emerges as a response to the need to recover the real origins and flavors of cocoa, and return to these unique processes in which no product is equal to another and where this feature has a Incalculable value".
This movement that started at the beginning of the century in the United States thanks to Steve De Vries, a glass blower who was interested in the cocoa and chocolate after traveling to Costa Rica during the last decade of the twentieth century, has as a goal to return to the deepest flavors of the Cacao, and work this as before the Industrial Revolution. This is a job in which the chocolate maker selects and buys the seeds he will process to convert them into chocolate.
A chocolate tablet is a great food if you work under the right standards. What does this mean? That a bar of chocolate of excellent quality is the one in which all the processes that affect the flavor of the cocoa and, later, of the chocolate are controlled. Therein lies the importance of harvesting and post-harvest processes such as fermenting, drying and storage.
Each cocoa has a unique flavor and reflects a personality that identifies it. Through the Bean to Bar we seek to highlight these natural flavors of each cocoa and lead the consumer to an unforgettable experience of flavors. However, to work the chocolate from the seed is not only a technique of elaboration of this product, but it involves principles of honesty and of close and fair treatment with the producer, as indicated by María Fernanda Di Giacobbe, expert in the subject.
It is not possible to talk about Bean to Bar without emphasizing the different types of cocoa. This movement seeks to reveal the flavors of cocoa but, in turn, should be seeds that contain excellent genetics. In general, there are three types of cocoa: The outsider is the most common, and it is one that possesses dark and larger seeds, but it is not so aromatic; Creole is one whose Seeds are of lighter shades and whose taste does not become bitter, but sweet; Finally, Trinitarian seeds are the result of the natural hybridization of the two types of Cocoas mentioned above.
It would not be appropriate to include all the genetic varieties of cocoa within these three categories. As has been said, each cocoa is unique and reveals goodness that makes it wonderful. That is why you cannot talk about "the best cocoa in the world" or "the best chocolate in the world", as this will depend on factors such as harvesting and post-harvest processes, the method under which the chocolate tablet is developed and, finally , consumer taste.
However, the expert on the subject, Chloé doutre exit says: "The Bean to Bar is not synonymous with quality. It is a kind of movement with a philosophy that at first had its values and which have now been diluted".
The distortion of the concept is inevitable because of the popularity that the term has taken among consumers. It is then that the latter have the responsibility to inform themselves and show commitment to the quality of the tablets.
Basque Culinary World Prize
Maria Fernanda Di Giacobbe
Winner 2016
From now our work will take on a new dimension. We will bring the transforming power of trade to many more women ‘chocolate entrepreneurs’. This award is a reflection of hundreds of entrepreneurs, producers and chocolatiers and their learning, enthusiasm and hard work. It allows us to set new goals and open up new ways to connect with the world. We in Venezuela are tremendously grateful that the Basque Culinary Prize has placed this trust in us.
Maria has built a whole chain of education, entrepreneurship and economic development around Venezuelan cacao. With Kakao and Cacao de Origen, she supports local producers with the resources they need to improve their product – including production processes, fermentation and marketing – in order to export to master chocolatiers around world aligned with the Bean to Bar movement (some 60 producers in 18 communities are currently taking part). Maria also helps women to become chocolate entrepreneurs themselves, with a training program that focuses on gender equality, competitiveness and fairtrade practices. In collaboration with Simón Bolivar University, Maria has also founded a Cacao Industry Management program from which 1,500 have already graduated (94% women).
"TODAY'S RECIPIENT OF THE BASQUE CULINARY WORLD PRIZE REFLECTS HOW GASTRONOMY CAN TAKE A LEAP FROM CRAFT TO CONSCIOUSNESS. MARIA FERNANDA USES CACAO AS A GASTRONOMIC SYMBOL THAT HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE ENTIRE FOOD CHAIN. THIS IS AN INSPIRING PROJECT THAT EXEMPLIFIES THE GREAT REACH OF GASTRONOMY. CHEFS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE".
Joan Roca,
Jury's President.
