Grenadian trinitario cocoa beans are a major crop on the island and are the main ingredient in the Grenada Chocolate Company’s delicious range of organic chocolate.

Founded in 1999, the idea was to create an Organic Cocoa Farmers & Chocolate Makers Co-operative, making the first ‘Tree to Bar’ chocolate. Nestled in the lush cocoa groves, the factory is solar-powered and very small scale, so small that they had to create many of their own processing methods and manufacture small scale machinery. ‘Big Ron’ talked us through the process of how the cocoa beans are fermented, roasted and ground and how the cocoa butter is then squeezed out in presses before sugar is added to create the perfect bar. They are wrapped and packaged by two ladies who sit at a small table all day surrounded by chocolate. Only pure, dark chocolate is produced as no dairy product is added to obtain milk chocolate.

We left feeling as though we had just visited a real-life Willy Wonka chocolate factory but even Willy Wonka couldn’t have made a better bar of our favourite, Salty-Licious, Caribbean sea salt in 71% chocolate.

Grenada is also home to another chocolate factory – Jouvay Chocolate. If you ever get the chance, you must sample their 60% chocolate with nutmeg.