Tags
Cacao absolute, cacao harvesting, conscious consumerism, origin of Cacao, Theobroma Cacao, where is Cacao harvested
Cacao Tree: "Theobroma Cacao"
Like you, I am seduced by the aroma, flavour and endorphins of any form off cacao: the purest of delights and the simplest of pleasures. In researching the country of origin I came across a shocking fact that sobered my aromatic reverie: child slaves are used to harvest the cacao beans in Cote D’Ivoire in Africa. For 3 years I’ve been unaware that one of my favourite aromas comes with a dark side.
My cacao odyssey started a while back when I was living on Venice Beach, CA, when I wrote An Ode to Cacao Absolute. My friend, Fran, had just introduced me to the dark, viscous liquid and I was in awe as to how much it smelled and felt like pure liquid chocolate. Now I’m revisiting Cacao absolute in a different capacity; as a perfumer. And I have to say, falling in love again has never felt so good. I have to admit, though, that when I’m closing my eyes and trying to *feel* the fragrance note, all I come up with is “chocolate”; I’m well aware that my nose needs a little training when it comes to smelling outside of the proverbial fragrance box! What really caught my eye is the origin of my particular sample: France. Thinking that a little strange for this tropical bean, I did a little online research to discover the countries that produce both Cacao absolute, and grow the cacao beans themselves.
