Trinidad's delectable Fine Flavour Cocoa: Background

Birth of the Hyrid Trinitario Beans

Trinidad produces Trinitario cocoa trees, which are predominantly fine/flavour cocoa. These beans are high quality and are a key ingredient for dark rich chocolate today!

Trinitario was born as a hybrid between Criollo and Foratero trees. Research traced back the 1678, when Criollo trees from Venezuela had been planted in Trinidad, but disaster struck when the trees were infested by fungi and other diseases. Thereafter, the introduction of a more robust Forastero from the Amazon region was planted in Trinidad. The new variety was combined with the remaining Criollo trees, resulting in the new Trinitario variety.

A rich part of Trinidadians’ history was at the end of the slave trade era where Crown land was available at a low cost; on the other hand many freed slaves inhabited the land and earned their livelihood cultivating cocoa. This form of labour benefited Trinidad to produce the third highest producer of cocoa – 20% of the world’s cocoa production.

Trinidad dominated the local economy for approximately 60 years, when demand was high and prices were stable; however over production of cocoa, the crafty Witches’ Broom Disease, stiff competition for labour attributed to the plunder of local production.

Since the discovery of oil and its commercial production in 1908, Trinidad is still struggling to once again capture the profits from this niche market. Cocoa estates are in a state of abandonment, however since the recent decrease in oil prices, government have proposed a number of strategies to revitalize the dying industry.

Later, we will continue to explore more enriching developments of Trinitario beans.