Cocoa Farmers Go Straight to Chocolate Manufacturers

The chocolate industry is ever improving and developing. If before, middlemen are involved whenever a big chocolate company has to order tons of raw cocoa beans from farmers, now things are different.

The middlemen can now be eliminated from the equation and cocoa farmers could go straight to chocolate manufacturers and strike an agreement with them. And this development is actually a good thing – because the interests of both the parties involved are best served.

When chocolate manufacturers can confer directly to the farmers, they can provide the farmers with definite instructions as to how they want their cocoa beans produced. Cocoa beans are especially cultivated and fermented to meet the manufacturer's exacting standards. With the presence of a middleman, getting the right quality and aroma of beans can be a very difficult feat. Middlemen rarely know anything about cocoa or any other product they carry. This is another reason why direct communication with farmers is essential.


Cocoa farmers are doubly benefited if they have the means to negotiate straight with a chocolate manufacturer. This is because they can get premium prices for their products. Most cocoa bean farmers depend on their produce to earn a decent living. So when middlemen are eliminated from the equation, their products get the best possible rate in the market.

And when cocoa bean farmers and chocolate manufacturers bargain on a price, the result will always be a discount for the chocolate makers and a mark up for the cocoa bean farmers. This is the advantage best obtained when no middlemen are involved, as both industries are given premium rates for the products they need or provide.

However, rarely do cocoa bean farmers get the chance to discuss sales matters directly with the actual people who require their products. This is primarily due to topographical difference and language barriers. The finest cocoa beans in the world come from the Dominican Republic. However, the biggest market for such beans is the U.S. It is also in the U.S. where world-renowned chocolate makers are holding business.

The need for business expansion is very important to be able to link cocoa farmers and chocolate makers to one another. It is either the chocolate manufacturers open up an office in the Dominican Republic or the Dominican Republic farm owners send representatives to permanently work in U.S. soil.

It's a good thing that there are indeed several cocoa bean farms that had invested in opening up offices in the key cities of the U.S. to facilitate cocoa bean sales and distribution. Dealing with these types of companies is strongly advised because they can deliver exactly what you need. Furthermore, they also follow U.S. business codes and ethics, which is very important in the exportation business. By going straight to the U.S. office of your preferred Dominican Republic cocoa bean farm, then it is almost a guarantee that you'll get exactly what you paid for. And if in rare case you weren't pleased, their office is just within the city. You can always call them whenever you've got problems with the shipment.



Marabel Cocoa Farms - raw cocoa beans producer and importer from the Dominican Republic.

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Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Is dark chocolate really healthy for you? It s been advertised as being good for us, but it can be hard to tell what s real and what s not. If you re not sure whether the benefits you ve heard about are really available from chocolate, here are some of the basics to help you decide.

Dark chocolate s primary benefit comes from flavonoids, a type of substance that falls under the umbrella of antioxidants. Many of the diseases we suffer from can be caused or aggravated by oxidant damage to our cells. Antioxidants can help reduce these problems, including some of the effects of aging, by preventing the completion of the oxidant reaction.

They capture damaging free radicals, and can be very beneficial to us. Some foods have more antioxidants than others. For instance, while they re present in strawberries, you ll find almost eight times as much of these chemicals in dark chocolate. Chocolate also has the ability to reduce blood pressure, since it contains nitric oxide, and may help with internal hormonal balances.

It s also been said that a small bar of chocolate daily can be good for your heart. That s because of the aforementioned blood pressure benefits, and also the fact that it can help reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol as much as ten percent. Chocolate also stimulates the production of endorphins and serotonin, contains caffeine, theobromine and other stimulants, and tastes good. That means it has a lot of appeal.


The downsides are that it takes a lot of chocolate to have a big effect, and chocolate is a fairly fatty food. A third of the fats in chocolate are monounsaturated, and two thirds are saturated and able to affect your cholesterol. Another problem is that this high fat content, combined with the sugar in chocolate, means weight gain is a possibility if you eat too much.

Studies have used about three and a half ounces of dark chocolate each day to determine its benefits. That translates into about four hundred calories. While that might not sound like much, consider that it s the same as eating two small doughnuts, and that an extra four hundred calories per day could result in a gain of almost a pound a week.

That means that if you re eating a lot of chocolate to get its benefits, you ll need to increase your activity level and adjust your diet accordingly to avoid weight gain. To keep from eating too much, take the time to taste and appreciate chocolate every time your consume it. These health benefits are also available only from dark chocolate with sixty five percent or higher levels of cocoa.

Milk chocolate has much lower cocoa content and can t offer those health benefits, and white chocolate contains no cocoa at all. Chocolate bars made of pure chocolate or chocolate with minimal flavorings are the best choice. Avoid nougat, caramel, and similar fillings, which can reduce the benefits chocolate is offering. So enjoy your dark chocolate and feel good that you might being doing your health a small service.



Author Resource: Chris loves to write about all kinds of food particularly chocolates. Find out more about Dark Chocolates by visiting http://www.ultimatechocolateshoppe.com

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