This Ground Breaking Caribbean Island Is Taking Organic Chocolate Production To The Next Level
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions and protective measures may be in place at time of travel. Please check travel advice and availability of activities at time of booking.
Here’s what makes Grenada’s chocolate so special - and why you should visit a chocolate estate when you’re visiting this unique island.
“Chocolate is happiness you can eat”, according to the famous saying - and on the island of Grenada, that happiness knows no bounds. With its burgeoning ‘tree to bar’ chocolate industry, the island is the chocolate capital of the Caribbean, credited as one of the finest chocolate producing countries in the world. Couple this with some of the region’s most beautiful scenery and beaches, and you’re guaranteed to get all the feels. Chocolate, sunshine and heavenly beaches: the perfect ingredients for a holiday in paradise, and you can fly to Grenada with British Airways from London. You can book with confidence, safe in the knowledge that you can change your date or destination if you need to.
Grenada is hugely proud of its organic, energetic cocoa industry, not least because it makes a vital and ethical contribution to the island’s economy. Unlike many other of the world’s producers, there are no mass production techniques here, and no trace of bulk or low-quality cacao varieties. The cacao grown on the island has a flavour that can’t be found anywhere else, and foodies are lured to the island not just to explore the rainforest and beaches but to uncover the secrets to its divine produce.
Grenada’s chocolate-themed crowning glory is its innovative Chocolate Fest, held every spring. This chocoholic’s extravaganza is a great way to discover first-hand the island’s rich cocoa-producing history, with events celebrating the wonderful ways chocolate can be used in everything from food to art, beauty, fashion and health. There are all sorts of themed events, including workshops where local and international chocolatiers spill the beans on the chocolate making process; you can even become a cacao farmer for a day, or chill out at a chocolate yoga meditation session.
The Grenada Chocolate Company, one of the fascinating chocolate makers you can visit during the Grenada Chocolate Festival, was founded to help to transform the Grenadian chocolate industry. It established the Organic Cocoa Farmers’ and Chocolate-Makers’ Cooperative in 1999, and went on to become the island’s first bean-to-bar chocolate maker - a revolutionary step, because, before then, all cocoa farmers sold their beans to mass-market chocolate makers around the globe.
This pioneering approach has seen the island’s chocolate industry continue to expand, and there are now five bean-to-bar chocolate makers, each with its own fascinating story. The Crayfish Bay Estate, for example, was set up by Lylette and Kim, a dedicated, imaginative couple who spent seven years restoring a 17th century plantation and transforming it into a fully restored bean-to-bar organic cocoa estate. Starting from scratch, they built their own cocoa bean roaster and taught themselves everything they needed to know about the chocolate making process. Nestled in the beautiful coastal hills of Saint Mark, visitors looking for something different from a beach holiday can stay on this lovely organic cacao farm and learn about life on a working cocoa estate.
The Diamond Chocolate Factory, a former rum distillery built by French monks in 1774, now produces the delicious Jouvay Chocolate, with its famous nutmeg and ginger flavoured bars, while Tri Island Chocolate, the youngest brand on Grenada, produces small batches of delectable chocolate that you can make yourself: visit the little factory and cafe in St. George’s for a fascinating roots-to-bar tour and a chocolate bar making workshop.
The Belmont Estate is also a great place to get some hands-on experience of the chocolate making process and see how it has transformed Grenada. This estate, now a fine agritourism spot in its own right, dates to the 17th century, and the farmers here still produce their chocolate following ancestral traditions. Cocoa beans are hand-picked and sorted before being left to ferment, then dried in big wooden trays. During this time, workers walk through the beans in bare feet to allow air to flow through, aiding the drying process. Like a good wine or cheese, the chocolate here is ‘aged’ to release astringency - usually for around three months. This painstaking process helps bring out the intrinsic delicate cocoa notes, balancing the flavours that make the chocolate so delectable.
Take their ‘Bean to Bar’ Chocolate Tour and you’ll get opportunities to taste, smell and hear the magic process that makes chocolate into the ‘food of the gods’. You’ll visit cocoa fields to help collect and taste the fresh beans, see the roasting and drying processes first-hand, and even have a go at ‘walking the cocoa’ at certain times of the year. The tour includes a visit to the Grenada Chocolate Factory, and you’ll be served a delectable lunch of chocolate-y dishes.
You can also treat your taste buds to the bold tropical flavours of true Grenadian cuisine and chocolate delights at Belmont Estate’s restaurant. And wherever you go on the island, be sure to sample the delicious cocoa tea (a spicy, local hot chocolate). It’s the most popular drink on Grenada: warm, sweet and more-ish - just like the island itself.
Dreaming of a Grenada getaway? Book something to look forward to and secure your Caribbean holiday with a deposit starting from £75pp. Book now and change later with flexible booking options. ATOL protected. Find out more at ba.com/grenada.
