Chocolate, clay and sugar: a celebration of one
hundred years of freedom dancers tour.
The Dominican Republic is the number one
exporter of organic cocoa in the world. Cocoa,
an indigenous product of the Americas, has been
since the beginning of the European settlement
of the island a commodity in the economy of this
first country of the new world. An integral part
of the Dominican diet, the quality of our cocoa
is part of the best chocolates in the world.
Our tour will take us to the old sugar plains of
north Santo Domingo. Once part of the biggest
plantation of the Caribbean, now a free spirited
and cultural haven where a cluster of
independent local farmers produced some of the
country’s highest quality cocoa beans and are
the keepers of our Taino and African heritage.
You will appreciate all stages of cocoa growing
and will have the opportunity to hand pick some
cocoa pods, select some beans and participate in
all the steps of the process. We will visit the
local plant where all independents growers come
together to process their beans according to the
highest standards of Fair Trade and Organic
Certification. You will be introduced to all
different types of cocoa and our guide will
instruct you on the history of theses beans once
used as currency.
The trip will continue at the Guillen brothers
farm/atelier where a group of chocolatiers will
roast, hand grind cocoa and make chocolate for
your enjoyment and will ask you to participate
in the process. The lesson will conclude with a
demonstration on how to enjoy a good cup of
Dominican hot chocolate, casaba and homemade
cornbread. A tour of the clay curing tubs,
potter’s wheel shop and glowing kilns will
enchant you as brothers, sisters and cousins
turn red colored earth into gods and history of
an indigenous past.
The trip will follow with a meal cooked outdoors
with your pick of meats and roots vegetables and
your choice of Dominican beers and cacao wine.
The tour will end with a musical festival of
Dominican-African rhythms inspired by sugarcane
and drums.
This tour is certified by Conacado (through the
cooperation of DFID-Department of international
development and BLCF-Business Linkages Challenge
Fund) and IDEAC (through the cooperation of
Intermon Oxfam and La caja del Mediterraneo). A
portion of the proceeds will be donated to
theses local organizations
Important: This Tour is
only available for Santo Domingo and Boca Chica
Schedule :
-
09:00
Departing from Santo Domingo
-
10:30
Driving time from Santo Domingo to first stop.
Sightseeing: Santo Domingo City, Santo Domingo North
-
11:00
First stop: the town of “Yamasa”: Tour of the Cacao
processing plant (CONACADO).
-
11:15
Driving time from Processing Plant to second stop.
-
11:35
Second stop: Demo cacao roasting and Chocolate
tasting at The Guillen’s Farm.
-
11:55
Tour of the ceramics ateliers (Ceramic Hermanos
Guillen).
-
12:05
Music festival at the Guillen’s Compound: African
and Dominican Rhythms
-
01:15
Lunch at the Guillen’s Compound
-
02:45
Shopping time at the Guillen’s shop
-
04:15
Driving time from the Guillen’s Farm to Santo
Domingo
