Meya Farm Crash Course 2 - Opening Pods and Collecting Cacao Beans

Need to de-stress or blow off some steam? Craving some social time while working with your hands? Come join us and crack open cacao farsm at Meya Farm!

After the morning cacao fruit harvest and a relaxing lunch break, we switched into tag-team mode for the afternoon duties. One person cracks open the cacao pods with a wooden mallet on a concrete block, while the other person (or two) scoops out and separates the cacao beans into a designated clean container.

Lychee, mangosteen, white flower, even banana - the aromas bursting out from the freshly opened pods are captivating. Did you know that the scent can tell us quite a lot about the quality of the cacao beans? If a pod smells funky or overly vinegary, it heads straight to the waste/composting pile. Every batch of creamy-white, juicy cacao beans needs to be carefully inspected, separated from the placenta, and checked for any sprouted, brown-coloured, or moldy beans.

While keeping our hands busy, it somehow fees like the perfect setting for team bonding. We share stories of childhood memories, school life, work experiences, reasons for joining or interning at Meya Farm, or simply random conversations about life!

Many thanks to Mr. Chiu, Mr. Huang and Tony for letting me be part of the team. And Tony's lightening-speed cacao pod opening skills are truly quite a sight to witness!

Olivia