Mendoa Chocolates: From Farm to factory
Raimundo Mororó, a retired researcher from the Executive Committee of the Cocoa Farming Planning (Ceplac), built a chocolate processing facility on Farm Riachuelo near Ilheaus, Brazil. There he produces chocolates using cocoa beans harvested from the farm and marketed under the Mendoá name. The company most recently exhibited its product line at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris last year.
Mendoa Chocolates’ quality control/quality assurance manager provides a tour for visitors. First cocoa beans are harvested and delivered to the plant. After they undergo testing and acceptance, they are then released for fermentation. Temperature monitors show which stage the fermentation process is in.
After roasting, the beans undergo grinding and then refining before being pumped into a conch. The chocolate is then poured into moulds, which are placed into a cooling tunnel for demoulding and packaging.
