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In winemaking, there’s a concept called “terroir,” which refers to a region, like Bordeaux or Burgundy, with a special set of soil and weather conditions that gives its wine a distinct flavor and personality. Chocolate making is no different. Burdick Chocolate has consistently sought out the best cocoa-growing regions in the world, and we were drawn to the Caribbean island nation of Grenada for this very reason. The cocoa that grows in Grenada stands out because of the island’s favorable environmental conditions and rich volcanic soil. |
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Grenada, a lush mountainous realm covered with fragrant spice trees and tropical flowers, is known as the “Spice Isle,” redolent in the scents of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla. We |
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They use fertilizers and pesticides sparingly, if at all. Grenada, cocoa trees mostly grow in their natural, optimal state scattered amidst the fruit- and nut-bearing trees of the tropical forest. These are other reasons Burdick Chocolate
has been so keen on making Granada cocoa a benchmark flavor in its bonbon assortment. |
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 would like it to be
known as the “Cocoa Isle” as well
– part of a “Golden Triangle” of
cocoa production along with
Trinidad and Venezuela.
Additionally, the island has thousands of independant farmers with intimate knowledge of the cocoa production process. |
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In visits over the past four years, we’ve established relationships with numerous small farmers and with the island’s cocoa growers association. We received our first shipment of cocoa from Grenada last year and now have a secure source of high-quality beans to work with, as well as for the consumer to enjoy. We then shipped the beans to a small, independently owned manufacturer in Switzerland, to have them processed into couverture from our recipes. Apart from adding to the evolving flavor of Burdick Chocolate, we'll be supporting sustainable agriculture and - in our own way - striving to make the world a better and tastier place. |
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The Grenada Chocolate Company Ltd. was founded in 1999 with the idea of producing high quality organic dark chocolate in Grenada using local cocoa. The factory is nestled in lush cocoa groves in Grenada's pristine rainforest. Having their own organic 100 acre cocoa farm, (part of the Belmont Estate), provides a distinct advantage of overseeing every activity involved in the production of their chocolate -- from the planting and growing of the cocoa trees, to fermentation of the cocoa beans, to the processing of their fine dark chocolate. Their cocoa is grown without the use of any chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers and they have been Certified Organic. The sugar used in production is also a fine organic raw sugar that is milled by organic growers’ cooperative in Paraguay, and the vanilla beans are grown biodynamically in Costa Rica.
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The Grenada Chocolate Company is one of the only small-scale chocolate-makers producing fine chocolate right where the cocoa grows. Small batch chocolate-making is very rare, and because of this they had to create their own processing methods, designing their own machines and refurbishing antique equipment to meet the requirements of this unique situation. Most of the machines are based in design on those of the early 1900's, and because they care about the environment, they use solar-electric energy to power them.
The original impetus and principle of this cooperative company was to revolutionize the cocoa-chocolate system that typically keeps cocoa production separate from chocolate-making and therefore takes advantage of cocoa farmers. They believe that the cocoa farmers should benefit as much as the chocolate-makers, and we agree! |
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