Visit Thoi Son to enjoy the sweet taste of chocolate

CHOCOLATE "MADE IN THE GARDEN"

More than ten years ago, people in Thoi Son Islet planted cocoa trees in coconut and longan gardens because of the shade-tolerant nature of the trees. People planted them mainly to sell raw cocoa beans. Moreover, the market did not know much about the uses of this fruit, so the price was very cheap.

Tourists visit the chocolate production model from cocoa beans at Ms. Thao's tourist destination.

At one point, the price of cocoa dropped to only 4,000 - 5,000 VND/kg, and there were no buyers. Therefore, people were so frustrated that they cut down almost all of their trees.

While many people turned their backs, Tu Thi Bich Thao's family (Thoi Son ward, Dong Thap province) decided to find another direction. Accordingly, Thao's aunt decided not to sell raw cocoa anymore but to focus on researching and processing it into valuable products.

From the first experiment of making cocoa powder for drinking, gradually, her family researched and learned more processing methods from their travels. Ms. Thao shared: “Once, my aunt went to Korea and saw people making salt and chili chocolate, so she came back and learned and adjusted the recipe herself. Just like that, the first “made in the garden” chocolate bars were born.”

When starting production, Ms. Thao's family encountered many difficulties. Accordingly, her family tried making chocolate with almonds and black sesame. However, these nuts have the disadvantage of releasing oil very quickly and easily becoming rancid if preservatives are not used, so they cannot be kept for long.

Her family has chosen a different path, making chocolate completely without preservatives or additives. “My facility produces chocolate like “instant noodles”, meaning we make it as soon as it is sold, without storing much stock. Therefore, the product is always kept fresh and absolutely safe” - Ms. Thao shared.

"NEW BREATH" FOR CU LAO TOURISM

In addition to production, Ms. Thao's family also welcomes tourists to visit and experience the chocolate making process.

The experiential tourism model of Ms. Thao and many people in Thoi Son islet is bringing a new breeze to tourism here.

At Ms. Thao’s tourist destination, visitors will learn about the 8-step process of turning cocoa beans into chocolate. First, the harvested cocoa beans will be harvested, the pulp and seeds will be taken, and then put into a natural fermentation tank for 7 days.

After 7 days, the seeds are washed off the outer layer of rice and then dried. Next, the dried seeds are roasted in a hot pan until they smell fragrant, just like roasting coffee. The roasted seeds are put into a grinder to break and separate the outer silk layer. Interestingly, this silk layer is not discarded but used to make tea, which is very good for people with insomnia, heart disease and blood pressure.

The next step is to put the inner part of the bean into an electric mill and grind it very finely, creating pure cocoa powder.

Cocoa powder is steamed, mixed with margarine, coconut oil, milk and a little coffee essence. This is the time to be creative because you can add green tea, salt and chili... The mixture is then poured into molds and refrigerated.

When visiting and experiencing here, visitors can try fresh cocoa beans, taste 6 types of finished chocolate from pure, milk chocolate, coffee, to unique chili salt and even roast and grind cocoa beans themselves.

Ms. Thao expressed: “The most interesting thing when tourists come here is to discover the fact that chocolate and cocoa powder are made from beans. Besides, many tourists think that cocoa is sweet. However, when making it themselves, they realize that the pure beans are bitter and dry, not sweet at all. The sweetness we eat is due to the addition of milk.”

In addition to experiencing the chocolate making process, visitors to Ms. Thao's tourist destination also have the opportunity to experience making rice paper and popped rice.

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