Chocolate Week!

March 13 - 20, 2010 - hosted by Cotton Tree Lodge

May 16th - 23rd, 2010 - led by Alex Whitmore of Taza Chocolate

This year's May Chocolate Week will include access to the Toledo Cacao Festival, an annual community event which celebrates the many cultures of Toledo and the rich history of cacao farming in the area.

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.

Day 4: Free day to spend any way you wish. Choose amongst the lodge’s regularly scheduled tours or enjoy free time on the grounds to go swimming, hiking, biking, kayaking, or horseback riding.

Day 5: Hands-On Chocolate Making Workshop: Introduction to roasting, winnowing, crushing, and conching. Discussion on ingredient storage and recipe formulation. Free afternoon on the grounds.

Day 6: Spend the morning on one of our guided jungle treks, cave explorations, or Mayan ruin tours. Afternoon tour of the Cotton Tree Lodge cacao plantation where you will plant and tag your own cacao tree.

Day 7: Hands-On Chocolate Making Workshop: Introduction to tempering, molding, and packaging. You will make your own chocolate bars to bring home! Farewell Dinner at the lodge.

Day 8: Transfer out, connections home.

Chocolate Weeks are held several times a year and space is limited to 20 attendees. Packages are 8 days/7 nights and include meals, workshops, excursions, and airport transfers. This itinerary can be adapted to the needs of independent groups wishing to schedule their own chocolate events. Rates start at $1,365 per person based on double occupancy.