How to make chocolate (from left to right, top to bottom) according to José:
1. Grow cacao pods
2. Harvest and open them up
3. Take out the cacao seeds; ferment them
4. Roast the cacao seeds
5. Dry them in open air
6. Crush the seeds
7. Collect the cacao "nibs" by blowing away the lighter crushed shells
8. Refine the nibs into liquid chocolate, adding sugar as desired
9. Add other ingredients, like these red hot chili peppers we tried
Sunday afternoon, we we fortunate enough to take a tour of a small chocolate factory in Mindo called The Quetzal. The man who started it all was José, who grew up as a mechanic before starting his own small hotel, restaurant, and chocolate factory. While trying to find the perfect chocolate for his personal holy grail of making "the best brownies in the world," José came to the realization he could create the chocolate himself, tweaking it to perfection. The chocolate he eventually made did the trick for his widely-esteemed brownies, but also sparked a new endeavor of its own. The in-demand Mindo Chocolate is now his biggest source of income.
He said he had never heard of the word "entrepreneur" when he started his business. Only later did he realize he was one. He spoke passionately to us about never being afraid of failure and the importance of always looking for something new, something different.
100% Pure liquid chocolate -- pretty bitter but good. In antiquity, chocolate was consumed as a drink like this.
They grow many of their own ingredients for their products and delicious dishes.
The final product.
These brownies may indeed be some of the best in the world.
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