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the latest edition to our bean to bar range

Sierra Leone: The Wonderful Initiatives of the Ngoleagorbu Cacao Farmers

We are excited to announce that we have a new Single Origin chocolate bar in our Bean to Bar family. The beans originate from the beautifully dense Gola Rainforest in Eastern Sierra Leone, where it is home to a huge range of biodiversity and over 100 communities that rely on the forest for their livelihoods. These beans are grown and harvested by Ngoleagorbu Cacao Farmers through a cooperative founded with the aims of sustaining the land and wildlife, whilst ensuring an economically viable business.

NGOLEAGORBU - WE WHO BELONG TO THE FOREST

In the local language of Mende, Ngoleagorbu means “We who belong to the forest.” This statement is extremely fitting to the ethos of the Ngoleagorbu Cacao Farmers. Cacao farming is one of the most crucial livelihoods amongst people living at the edge of Gola Rainforest National Park, as it is a leading cash crop in the region. However, to ensure the farming of cacao doesn’t impact the rich natural diversity of the area, a union was formed under the name Ngoleagorbu Cocoa Farmers Union (NGOCFU), where practices are put in place to sustain the forest around them, whilst also meeting fair pay, ethical labour and good agricultural practices.

The cacao is organically grown, and unlike monoculture plantation farming that disrupts the natural habitats of species, it can grow under the canopies of other trees. Studies performed by Gola Rainforest National Park have shown that, with low-intensity cacao farming, it can be compatible with conservation initiatives. The farmers then look to trade with buyers who follow in their ethos to thread these values all the way through from bean to bar … and that’s where we come in.

HIPPO-CHOC-OMUS

Gola REDD+ is a collaborative conservation initiative between, Forestry Division of the Government of Sierra Leone, the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), who work with the local communities and Gola chiefdoms to protect the biodiversity of the forest. This includes the protection of species like the Pygmy Hippo (give them a Google, they’re adorable), only found in this area of western Africa – along with 47 other species of large mammals and more than 300 species of birds, 14 of which face global risk of extinction.

bean profile:

Genetics: Forastero

Fermentation: 6 Day Fermentation in Woven Baskets lined with Banana leaves or Ferns

Drying: 7 days Slowly Sun dried

Roasting: Light Oven

Origin: Gola Rainforest Conservation Easter Province

Region/Country: Gola Rainforest National Park Sierra Leone

MORE INFO: If you would like to learn a little more about how the smallholder farmers harvest the beans, take a look at their website HERE.

HOW THE RADEK’S TEAM TURN THE BEAN INTO A BAR (OR TO CUP)

Our chocolate is made in micro batches. Firstly, the beans are hand-sorted, carefully roasted, cracked and winnowed. We then stone grind the nibs with coconut sugar and cacao butter before we either temper it into bars or grind it into our hot chocolate cacao drink. Sound delicious? Fancy a try?…