A Chocolate Lover’s Paradise
If you have a passion for all things chocolate and are visiting Fajardo, Puerto Rico, I know the exact place that you should RUN to. Hacienda Chocolat is a wonder since it displays how this ancient delicacy comes to bless our taste buds. This chocolate farm is a blend of history, culture, and agriculture into an unforgettable experience.
Fajardo: More Than Just a Surf Town
Many of you hear Fajardo and think of a surf town as it’s known for its beaches and neighboring islet Cayo Icacos. Since the rainforest El Yunque extends into Fajardo, you find beaches and luscious green land that is watered constantly making it perfect for farming. This farm grows plentiful trees of cacao. You can tour the farm where you will learn about the growth of the cacao and taste the products made here from scratch. While we opted for the chocolate tour, this farm has other experiences that will definitely have you going back again.
Hacienda Chocolat and Its Resilient History
Since the farm is located in the hills of Fajardo, arrive early for parking. The farm will transport you in 4×4 buggies through the muddy conditions so make sure to bring proper footwear. While everyone rolls in, you get to enjoy the magnificent view of the coast and all the green life around you. During the tour, we learn how the farm was established in 2014 and a few years later hit by Hurricane Maria. As did other farms in Puerto Rico, Hacienda Chocolat was devastated by the storm. I could only imagine how different that view looked, with the green life stripped away leaving behind only the strongest trees. You can appreciate the beauty and power of nature to grow back despite what it has endured. You can see how the farm did exactly that by not letting a disaster stop them from growing something all over again from dirt.
Exploring the Cacao Farm and Its Biodiversity
When the tour begins, you will be taken through the farm where you can see cacao trees at different stages of the fruit’s growth. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and was able to educate the crowd on the fruit and the process of harvesting. As you walk around, you can see fallen pods that you can pick up and explore for yourself (please do not take fruit out of the farm). The views inside the farm are picture worthy, so I recommend photography enthusiasts to bring their cameras and enjoy the diversity of life all around. Fajardo also experiences frequent rain, making the trails muddy at times. A sturdy pair of waterproof boots will keep you comfortable and ready to explore the farm. While this is a cacao farm, you can find other fruits growing such as a few pineapple plants, palm trees with coconuts, and small vanilla trees.
Tasting Hacienda Chocolat’s Creations
After touring the farm, you get to try the creations of Hacienda Chocolat. You are greeted with a delicious taste of homemade hot chocolate, something I would consider a staple in Puerto Rican cuisine. Growing up it was common for my parents to make me traditional hot chocolate on random nights or when visiting we would go to the town square to order a hot chocolate with cheese (yes, you read that right, cheese). You are also given this delicious mini charcuterie as a snack. As I didn’t book this, this was unexpected and it was perfect as I walked up an appetite. It included a fruit marmalade that I still think about, and even tried to recreate when I found a guayaba tree in my backyard.
The Art and Science of Chocolate Making
The tasting takes you from the start of the cacao to the end product by tasting and seeing the cacao at its various stages with bites of the raw cacao, dried cacao, and roasted cacao. The process of each stage is explained, uncovering the agriculture science that it takes to create chocolate. You get to sample a coffee infused white chocolate, a milk chocolate, and two varying dark chocolates. This chocolate has a unique flavor profile compared to a Hershey’s bar. It is similar to wine tasting, where the different hints of flavor tones are in the chocolates. I’m a dark chocolate lover, so believe me when I say this is all around delicious. Let me tell you about their white chocolate with nibs of cacao and coffee. If you let this melt in your mouth, with the occasional crunch, your brain gets to go through a journey of flavors.
The Visionary Behind Hacienda Chocolat
The mastermind behind this project is Yadira Vasquez, the founder and cultivator of Hacienda Chocolat. Yadira takes us through her admirable journey to get to where Hacienda has reached. Yadira, a practicing radiologist at her clinic, dedicates her time to creating some of the finest chocolates of Puerto Rico. She has rightfully been awarded honors for her creations. An extraordinary practice of the Hacienda is it uses as much of the cacao as possible to create a sustainable and waste free process. Some byproducts are repurposed to create whiskey infusion, that you can purchase or come back later for a special whiskey and chocolate tour. If you are interested in learning more or being part of this process, Hacienda Chocolat does accept volunteers. I believe we have a responsibility to give back to the communities we visit, as many of these areas greatly depend on tourism to thrive. Don’t hesitate to take some time away from the busy street of San Juan to escape to the forest to get your hands a little dirty.
A Symbol of Puerto Rico’s Agricultural Revival
This place is special–not because of my love for chocolate, but because it represents the revitalization of agriculture in Puerto Rico. It embodies Puerto Rico’s resilience and creativity along with its history and traditions that have been forgotten. Hacienda Chocolat is one of the many farms bringing back the lost agriculture heritage as the island once flourished with farms of coffee, tobacco, sugar, and chocolate. It offers other experiences such as the whiskey and chocolate tours or an art and chocolate experience. There is a saying in Puerto Rico: esta tierra da todo lo que tires, meaning anything can grow here. Hacienda Chocolat has taken this tradition and created a new experience that should be in your must sees when visiting Puerto Rico.
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