VANILLA

Vanilla is a type of orchid and vanilla in Uganda is called vanilla planifolia. Vanilla requires pollination by hand for each flower, so it is a really labour intensive plant to grow.
Our vanilla is coming from Central Uganda. We only purchase vanilla from registered and trusted farmers at the fair price. All the vanilla resource are traceable. We manage curing, drying and conditioning vanilla from time to time with local staff.

Vanilla takes a lot of time not only growing but also curing and processing.
It has to be checked certain temperature to boil and kept in the sweating room. Also, it has to be taken out to dry under the sun everyday.
After sun dry stage, it enters in shade dry stage and finally reaches the final maturation process while checking the moisture level.

During this time, it is indispensable to check the mold and massage tens of thousands of vanillas. Finally, after 5 months from the beginning, it comes to the end of curing and processing vanilla which create sweet and wonderful flavor.

Farm of Africa has the standard of hygiene system such as washing hands and putting sterilizer on hands and all processing equipment thoroughly. 　

CACAO

Scientific name of cocoa is called “Theobroma cacao” means “Food for Gods” .
Long time ago, cocoa were used as money and existed as nutrient drinks for the people in Mexico before coffee and tea came out.

Our cocoa comes from the border between DR Congo and Uganda at the foot of Mountains of Rwenzori and purchased from registered and trusted cocoa farmers around the mountainous area.

After the purchase, we ferment cocoa with checking the temperature, pH and sugar content in order to check if good quality of fermentation is progressing or not. After fermentation stage, we continue to dry cocoa beans at the indirect sunshine area for several days up to the cocoa moisture content becomes about 7%. After dry stage, we do the sorting cocoa which are small or split, then it comes to end for exporting cocoa which is the material of chocolates.

Peeled cocoa

We have the product of hand peeled raw cocoa.
We peel the cocoa skins using a knife carefully one bean and another.
Cocoa beans roasted by the machine can be sorted out to the skin and beans, but raw cocoa beans cannot separate skins and beans by the machine but by hand. In addition, roasted cocoa beans are crushed and sorted, so beans are broken and not whole beans. That is why hand peeled raw cocoa beans can remain their own round shape as whole beans.