Welcome to the Belize Eco Village Bulletin 15 update. If you share our values, virtues, and visions reach out to connect with us. We are looking for like-minded people of various backgrounds and interests to consider calling our BEV their haven and home for an ideal investment community. Extensive travel has kept me from Belize so a recent visit to the City Market in Charlottesville VA allowed me to meet Logan Byrd a young man passionate about organic cacao and coffee. Turns out he just bought some Organic Maya Mountain Cacao that came from southern Belize not far from our project. This blog will share some pictures and progress about Logan and Frolic Coffee & Chocolate.

Do You like Cacao and Coffee?

Seems like these two items are some of the most treasured pleasures consumed on the planet. Logan and his parents are passionate about serving both their chocolate (from cacao beans) and coffee.  I met the three of them in Charlottesville VA on Saturday, July 27th. What grabbed my attention was their booth sign mentioning Cold Brewed Coffee and Chocolate. Curiosity prompted me to ask for more details to learn about the chocolate aspect of their business. It turns out Logan is very knowledgeable about cacao and what it takes to produce a quality product. He even worked on a cacao finca (farm) in Costa Rica to gain first-hand knowledge of the entire cacao process from trees to beans to bars. Now his vision is to run his own bean to bar boutique chocolate business in the Charlottesville area.

After chatting for over 30 minutes I left to look at other booths and chat with other vendors. Of particular interest were the people at Commonhealth to discuss their elderberry and Green Valley their CBD products for future blog posts. Once I had visited all the booths I headed back to interview Logan further for this blog. His passion and vision to produce a quality artisan chocolate impressed me and he felt like the exact type of person we would like to attract to our Belize Eco Village. The fact that he had acquired a 100-pound bag of USDA Organic Speciality Cacao from Belize for his special edition chocolate coming in the fall grabbed my full attention. I could envision him owning a lot and house in BEV to be near the Maya Mountain Cacao and capitalize on the wealth of wisdom from the Maya families that have been carrying on this tradition for generations.

We set a time for me to visit his cacao operation in order to learn more and take some pictures to share his journey. He started the business in 2014 and in 2015 he was able to expand and upgrade his business when he purchased some equipment for another person who decided to exit the challenging chocolate business. Next Logan explained to me how the fermentation process is critical to enhancing the quality of the rich chocolate flavors and flavonoids and why he was so excited to source organic Maya Mountain cacao from Belize.  He feels it has some of the best flavor possible to help with his chocolate alchemy. The Maya have been cultivating cacao for many centuries and it is a sacred and special part of their culture and history. The cacao is grown mostly in the rich tropical soil of southern Belize along the Maya Mountain range. He was excited to learn we were located near to organic cacao farms.

Next, he showed me his processing center and new equipment behind his home.   Due to the warm weather in summer and that pure real chocolate melts at warmer temperatures he would not be making his artisan chocolate until the cooler fall months.  Some of his equipment also handles the coffee beans so he can run his business all year long. While I was not able to see his operation in action, he walked me through the various processing steps. The order and sequence of the cacao bean processing includes:
  • Sourcing organic Maya Mountain Cacao
  • Sorting
  • Roasting
  • Winnowing
  • Grinding
  • Tempering
  • Pouring the bars
  • Hand Wrapping the bars using waxed foil and fold & hook paper
  • Selling at the Charlottesville City Market and to boutique stores.
Cacao is considered a superfood by many cacao connoisseurs and health enthusiasts. It is loaded with antioxidants, minerals, trace elements, and phytonutrients. When you combine that with the amazing aroma and taste of delicious organic artisan chocolate you have a delicious and nutritious taste treat. When Logan is processing his special edition artisan chocolate in the fall maybe he will have time to send me pictures,  sample, and update.

The passion and purpose of Morningstar NEWS are to condense hours of research down to two minutes of education, information and inspiration for a healthy lifestyle and mindset.  Maya Mountain Cacao farmers in Belize growing organic cacao helps support a healthy and sustainable living which is another benefit to our BEV community. Remember our Executive Investment Summary is on the Beltraide website.  All comments, questions, and shares are greatly appreciated.

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