Chocolate Week

March 19 - 26, 2011: Taza Chocolate of Sommerville, MA returns to Cotton Tree Lodge!
This special Chocolate Week will be hosted by knowledgable and engaging staff from Taza. Learn how cacao is grown, harvested, and processed; meet Mayan farmers; explore issues of Fair Trade; and have a truly unique adventure in Belize!

Spend a week with Cotton Tree Lodge and Cotton Tree Chocolate learning the history, politics, and processes of chocolate making while exploring the beautiful country of Belize.Daily hands-on workshops are designed to guide you through every step of the process, from picking cacao to molding and packaging bars.Workshops are complimented by excursions to local villages, farms, and cultural sites.

Day 1: Transfer to Cotton Tree Lodge by boat via the Moho River, check into your cabana, and attend a Welcome Dinner and Chocolate Tasting.

Day 2: Visit a local organic cacao farm. Learn about the cacao fruit and pick the pods that you will process into chocolate. Lunch and a Mayan Chocolate Making workshop at the farmer’s home. Return to the lodge, open the pods and begin the fermentation process.
Day 3: Visit the Punta Gorda Farmers Market where cacao is sold. Meet with members of the Toledo Cacao Growers Association and learn about Fair Trade and the politics and economics of chocolate. Optional afternoon excursion to Rio Blanco waterfalls.