Dominican Chocolate
Clients are hiring us, because we also talk about fun places to visit while in the Dominican Republic. For example, El Sendero del Cacao is a historic pioneer and organic cacao plantation in the heart of the island. The plantation is about a two-hour drive from Cabarete, and is well worth the effort. Following the coast road east from Cabarete to Gaspar Hernandez, you turn inland and travel up over the mountains, winding your way past the village of Tenares, where you will soon come to your destination.
Here you will learn the history of the plantation, from its inception in the mid-1900’s by its original founder, Nazario Rizek, to its development throughout the decades by following generations. You will learn about it’s evolution from basic manual processing to the workings of its current-day modernized facility.
Cacao growing on trees
The plantation offers three types of tours: “The Classic”, “The Chocolate Lover’s” and the “Chocolate and Culture” tours. Each tour is designed to give you an interactive education about the cultivation and processing of cacao and the unique ecosystem of the Dominican Republic which allows this special plant to flourish.
All tours begin with a delicious cup of hot chocolate, include a traditional Dominican lunch, the opportunity to sow your own cacao seedling and even make your own chocolate bar to bring home!
The tours are designed from 1.5 hours to 4 hours long, each providing the visitor with plenty of information about the history of the cacao plant, and production of its cherished end-product, chocolate, a treat which is enjoyed the world over.
Fresh cacao seeds
Drying cacao seeds
Roasted cacao
Sabine A Mertes-Urbahn