Drying Cocoa Beans
Once the beans are drained of mucilage they are dried until they contain less than six to eight per cent moisture. This will prevents mould growing when shipped for processing, and allows them to be stored for four to five years without going off.
Occasionally, farmers prefer to dry their own beans and sell them on themselves, rather than taking them to a co-operative. These farmers spread their beans onto the pavement nearby where they live and let the sun do the work of drying. The common alternative however is to take the beans to a co-operative, most of which have special drying areas. These are either basic cemented outdoor areas, where the beans can dry hygienically in the sun by day (but are brought in overnight to prevent the dew getting to them); or dedicated drying rooms where the beans are laid out on racks suspended about a metre above huge pipes containing hot air. The way that cocoa beans are dried can greatly affect the flavour of the chocolate. The aim should be to dry the beans slowly to avoid them getting burnt.
Once dried the beans are put in 60kg bags and sprayed with chemicals to prevent damage from buys or disease. They are then sent on the long journey to the countries where they will be processed.
