Cacao Matagalpa

Coffee & Cacao Businessman

Alejandro David Bolanos is presented as a coffee and cacao businessman based in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

• Telephone: +(505) 8327-8585
• Email: CoffeeTradingNi@gmail.com

Nicaragua Cacao: Features, Types, and Management

Cacao is a tropical crop commonly grown between 10° north and 10° south of the equator. Its beans are principally used to produce chocolate and fats for food and cosmetic applications.

Theobroma cacao belongs to the genus Theobroma in the Malvaceae family. The source describes it as native to South America and domesticated in Mesoamerica.

Main cacao groups

The traditional classification recognizes three broad groups: Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario. Modern cacao includes numerous varieties, hybrids, and clones derived from these groups.

• Criollo: Associated with northern South America and Central America. Its beans tend to have mild, aromatic qualities, relatively low tannin levels, and pale or white cotyledons. The trees are susceptible to disease and generally less productive, but their beans can produce high-quality chocolate.
• Forastero: Originating in the Amazon basin, this group accounts for much of global cacao production. Its fruits are generally oval and short, with thick skins, while the beans are commonly small, flattened, and violet in color.
• Trinitario: A heterogeneous hybrid group associated with Trinidad and Tobago, traditionally described as a cross between Criollo and Forastero cacao. Its seeds range from dark violet to pale pink.

Cacao production in Nicaragua

The source states that cacao is cultivated in Rivas, Granada, Río San Juan, Matagalpa, Jinotega, and Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast.

Suitable growing conditions include temperatures of approximately 22–27°C and annual rainfall between 1,500 and 3,500 millimeters. Relative humidity should remain above 60% during the day, particularly in the dry season.

Cacao can grow in soils ranging from clay to sandy loam, but it benefits from deep, well-drained soil with good aeration, moisture retention, and a dark humus-rich horizon. Sandy soils may be unsuitable where dry periods occur because they retain little water.

Harvest and pod opening

Pods should be opened carefully to avoid damaging or contaminating the beans. The source recommends opening them immediately after harvest, or within two days, to reduce losses from disease.

Fresh beans and their mucilage should be kept in clean containers during handling. Small, cut, flat, or stuck-together beans should be processed separately because they can reduce the appearance and quality of the finished cacao.

Cacao fermentation

Fermentation is one of the processes that most strongly influences cacao flavor and aroma. The source recommends fermenting beans in covered wooden boxes with openings that allow liquid from the mucilage to drain.

Fermentation generally lasts five to six days. The cacao mass is turned on the second, fourth, and fifth days to introduce oxygen and make fermentation more uniform. During this process, mucilage drains away, temperature rises, the seed embryo dies, and flavor and aroma precursors develop.

The process is spontaneous: yeasts act first, followed by lactic-acid bacteria, acetic-acid bacteria, and other microorganisms. These organisms reach the beans from the pods, tools, surfaces, and people handling the cacao.

The beans should not be washed before fermentation. Excessive fermentation should also be avoided because it can promote decay, acidity, and undesirable flavors.

Drying

Drying has four principal objectives:

1. Reduce the beans’ water content.
2. Prevent seed germination.
3. Preserve the required cacao quality.
4. Reach a moisture level that discourages bacteria and fungi.

Humidity, temperature, and drying time must be controlled. Excessive heat can burn or roast the beans, while insufficient drying leaves too much moisture for safe storage.

Storage and bean selection

Beans should be graded by quality and size before storage. The source identifies large beans as premium material and describes the use of sieves to separate smaller, lower-grade beans.