After our tour at the Bios Chocolate factory, I had eaten enough chocolate for a year! I had also gained useful knowledge about not only Bios but also the Ecuadorian chocolate industry as a whole.

Bios is known for its fine-flavored chocolate. Fine-flavored chocolate has secondary flavors that depend on where the plant grows. For example, the secondary flavors could contain floral, fruity, or wood-like hints. Out of all of the world’s chocolate market sales, 3% is fine-flavored. Of this 3%, Ecuador produces 70%! One way to differentiate fine-flavored chocolate from regular chocolate is the color of the shell. Fine-flavored chocolate has a yellow pod compared to a red one for regular or hybrid cocoa bean.

Bios was the first chocolate manufacturer in Quito and the second in Ecuador. It started producing chocolate in the early 20th century when David’s grandparents came to Quito from Europe by escaping the war. Then, they started their legendary factory. Initially, people thought that chocolate was derived from Mexico. However, cocoa beans were found that traced back over 2,500 years. The origins of the cocoa beans helped experts conclude that chocolate originated in the intersections of Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. Bios currently markets to wholesalers and retailers such as restaurants and grocery stores.

David, our tour guide, is also currently investing in a chocolate-wrapping machine. Wrapping one chocolate by hand takes an employee 4 seconds but the machine takes 1 second to do the same task. This machine is expensive, but it will replace workers’ tedious, monotonous tasks with efficiency.

Regarding the process from cocoa bean to chocolate bar, the fermentation process is crucial. If a cocoa bean is not fermented, it is inedible. Fermented beans are brown and shattered on the inside and unfermented beans are black and unbroken on the inside. Within the cocoa bean, there is cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Cocoa butter can be used for cosmetic products. Chocolate has many uses such as consumption, cosmetics, agriculture (fertilizers or manure), and the economy.

Ecuador produces over 300,000 tons of chocolate per year, which brings in over half a billion dollars in revenue. Chocolate-induced revenue is so significant that it continues to fund Ecuadorian wars and infrastructure.

Throughout the Bios Chocolate tour, we tried many types of chocolate. My favorite ones contained approximately 70% cocoa and 30% sugar. The CBD chocolate was smooth and silky and did not have much distinct flavor. The orange chocolate was tangy and delicious. The white bean chocolate was my favorite; white bean chocolates are very rare and contain lingering, fine flavors.