Today we bring together 3 subjects – temperature controlled storage, cocoa beans and Venezuela.
First of all, the Venezuela connection. Working with us on a number of projects to date in the Caribbean and South American continent is a company based in Venezuela. Put Venezuela into the search box on our blog and you will find previous posts which also relate to sandwich panels, cold rooms and even space tourism!
As for the other 2 subjects, we recently talked about temperature controlled storage for olive oil (click here if you missed that post) and its importance in preserving the quality of the end product. With controlled storage being so important in the food sector, how about what is possibly the single most popular natural food resource on the planet, responsible for a whole bundle of human happiness – the humble cocoa bean?
Read about the cocoa bean and you will soon begin to realize the importance of cocoa products not only in today’s world but as far back as 1500 BC when, it is believed, the people in Honduras used the pulp of the chocolate fruit to make a sweet, alcoholic drink. The native home of the cacao tree is the Americas, possibly having first flourished in the Andes foothills, Columbia and Venezuela. Wild cacao still grows there today but of course there is commercial cocoa bean production too – and this is where the importance of storage comes in.
The world’s annual production of cocoa increased by more than 130% in the 30 years up to 2004 when it reached a staggering 3.6 million Tons. It’s not surprising when you think of how chocolate is used in everything from candy bars to ice cream to one of the world’s most popular hot beverages. Cocoa bean producers therefore strive to maximise every harvest they can. In turn the chocolate factories have to look to optimum storage facilities, many choosing to invest in the construction of large, climate controlled storage warehouses. We have already played a part in that sector, supplying cold room panels for chocolate production in Europe (Kraft Co, Belgium).
So how does this connect to Venezuela? Well, there is a tiny, coastal village in Venezuela called Chuao and it just so happens to produce some of the world’s finest cocoa beans – see here. Surrounded by rainforests and mountains it is not easy to reach but as these photographs show is well worth the journey!
Cacao region on Venezuela’s Northern Coast
Beach en route to Chuao
Sunlit beach in cacao region close to Chuao
Our thanks for these images go to friends of our Venezuelan partners who, knowing of our interest in the food sector and climate controlled storage, took the photographs specifically so that we could feature Chuao in our blog. So sit back, enjoy the photos and imagine yourself on a beautiful Venezuelan beach, sipping a chilled chocolate drink. Certainly an appealing thought 🙂