Adventure Overview
Come join the good folks of Cacao Latitudes, as well as fellow craft chocolate makers from around the world, on this trip of a lifetime. Together, we’ll immerse ourselves in the thriving cacao culture of the Dominican Republic.
On this trip, you will:
- Gain hands-on experience across the full cacao supply chain – learn how cacao is grown, harvested, and fermented
- Tour Reserva Zorzal, a 1,019 acre protected forest and sustainable cacao farm and get your hands dirty
- Spend time in the bird sanctuary at Reserva Zorzal with the Bicknell’s Thrush
- Learn how sustainable farming can lend itself to a thriving ecosystem and healthy economy
- Hike in the surrounding rainforests and swim along the coasts
- Make and taste fresh chocolate right on the farm
Discover
Meet our farmers and master fermenters and experience cacao production and wildlife conservation in action.
Learn
Gain hands-on experience growing and harvesting and everything in between!
Explore and Protect
We’ll hike through the protected rainforest of Reserva Zorzal. This 1,019 forest focuses specifically on habitat restoration and climate change mitigation, a community-based bird monitoring program for the Bicknell’s Thrush.
Relax
Rest and relax on the pristine beaches that make the Caribbean islands famous.
Here's a sample itinerary
Day 1 – ARRIVAL
Fly into Santiago, settle into your room in San Francisco de Macoris, meet the rest of the gang!
Day 2 – CENTRALIZED FERMENTARIES: OKO CARIBE & ZORZAL’S FACILITY
We will visit two fermenting and drying centers. We’ll head to Zorzal’s new fermentorium in Los Arroyos of San Francisco de Macoris. In the afternoon, we’ll visit OKO Caribe, a medium scale fermenting and drying facility and one of the main suppliers of Dominican specialty cacao to craft chocolate makers.
Day 3 – VISIT CACAO FARMER & RESERVA ZORZAL DAY 1
Visit the cacao farmer who produces for our Zorzal Comunitario line on the way to Reserva Zorzal. Upon arrival at Reserva Zorzal, learn about the protected area policy, tour the farm, and swim in the river!
Day 4 – RESERVA ZORZAL DAY 2
We’ll spend the first part of our day we’ll harvest cacao and continue to explore and learn about Reserve Zorzal.
Day 5 – CABARETE & CACAO PRODUCTION
Tour cacao cooperative, explore coastal ecology, and have dinner on the beach!
After two days and two nights at Reserva Zorzal in the mountains, we’ll end the trip in Cabarete on the north coast.
Enjoy the beach, kite surf, cliff jump off waterfalls, or just relax in the sun. The calm waters, combined with breezy conditions make it ideal for wind surfing and kite surfing. Encuentro Beach is known for its surf breaks. We can also visit one the largest cacao cooperatives, CONOCADO, about 45 minutes from Cabarete.
Day 6 – FREE DAY
For those who want to stay an extra day, we were able to extend the hotel reservations by one night in Cabarete. This is a day to do whatever you’d like to do: go kite surfing, surfing, caving or kayaking!
Day 7 – DEPARTURE
On the last day we’ll depart from the Dominican Republic with a keen understanding of cacao production, post harvest handling, variables that affect flavor development, and perhaps, a beautiful sunkissed tan.
Book your spot
We take a deposit of $850 for each trip which secures your position on the trip. All payments are secured with Stripe.