Cacao & Comments - May
This is the public build log of a farm-to-bar chocolate factory in Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
Executive Summary (tl;dr)
Visited the cacao farm this past month.
We have planted fino aroma cacao on the farm. (National Hybrid)
Construction starts May 15th converting the bodega to the factory.
Javier Prieto has agreed to work with us as our local project manager!
🌱 Cacao Farm Update
We currently grow the CCN-51 cacao in a monoculture farm. This is the cacao farm that my family run. It typically is not best for chocolate since this is what many would call “commodity cacao”
We have planted these seedings/saplings of cacao over 5 hectares. That is roughly 12.5 acres. We specifically purchased a hybrid of the Nacional cacao. It is called EETP801 (also called “Fino Pichilingue” or “Nacional 801”)
I also got a chance to work a day on the farm. I woke up at 5am in order to be ready to be picked up at 5:30am to start working on the farm at 6am to 12:30 when we finished. This is a quick video of what I did that day.
🍫 Chocolate Factory Update
We went to Ecuador and met with the electrician who is installing the transformer and generator as well as our local maestro who will build out the factory!
We will be building out the top half of the bodega closest to the street. Our plumbing will be connected to the new street that is being built out.
We have requested permits to instal the electrical transformer and have purchased tiles ready for the factory buildout to begin on May 15th.
Here are some photos/videos and blueprints of the bodega we plan on converting to the chocolate factory.
🏗 What Happens Next
Next 30 days:
Work with Javier with the construction of the factory and installation of the transformer and now a septic system..
We will probably need to also instal a biodigester/septic tank so that’s even more money to the project. but it’s fine. We’re fine. It’ll be fine lol
Continue building our social media as Veci DelMundo.
🤝 This is our Chocolate Factory
We’re just getting started, but already this feels bigger than us. From the farm to the factory, every step forward is powered by people like you paying attention and sharing our love. Gracias for being part of the process.
This is our Chocolate Factory we are building.
📝 Veci’s Journal
What a fantastic last month imo
Had the chance to visit the cacao farm and continue our progress on the chocolate factory. We are converting a bodega on our grandfather’s property into the future home of the factory. We are working with a maestro named Juan Carlos, who is doing the construction side of the buildout, while an electrician from Santo Domingo is helping us with the electrical installation.
We also had a great conversation with Javier (my tío), who agreed to work with us as a project manager for the factory! One idea we are especially excited about is a biweekly update call that we can livestream, record and share across social media so people can follow the process with us in real time. He really likes the idea btw.. It’s really just a matter of organizing ourselves and consistently posting more on socials.
At the same time, I am feeling both excited and nervous about what comes next. We will be taking out loans to help fund this venture, and while that comes with pressure, we believe in the numbers, the vision, and the community that continues to grow around this.
Our goal (as of now) is simple: sell 1,000 four-packs of chocolate at around $50–$60 each in order to fully recover our initial contribution. We believe we can accomplish that over three selling seasons, which will run from November through March. We chose those months intentionally. Not only are they the strongest months for chocolate sales, but it also helps us avoid shipping chocolate during the hottest parts of the year. We aren’t trying to sell chocolate in the summer.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking through this chocolate project. We are already on version five of the business plan, and eventually I want to share the full plan and financials publicly. But for now, we are still focused on the basics… building walls and getting plumbing installed lol
There is still a long way to go, but we are building this step by step, together. And despite the nerves, we are genuinely excited for what’s ahead.
💌 Invitation
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