Day 2 of our trip to Ecuador consisted of us heading to the chocolate testing in Yumbos Chocolate. While we were there, we tasted a variety of chocolates and our guide explained to us the differences between each chocolate. We also learned about the Cacao beans and the process of making good chocolate. After lunch, we left our hotel in Quito and went to the biggest chocolate factory in Quito, Bios Chocolate. We had the amazing opportunity to meet with the CEO of Bios Chocolate, David Olgieser. Mr. Olgieser is a highly respected person in the chocolate industry, even getting a majority of the best chocolate of Ecuador awards. He could tell us the history of chocolate in the region and his own personal family history. He was generous enough to show us some of his award-winning chocolate, and my personal favorite was the freeze-dried raspberry dark chocolate. Mr. Olgieser showed us his factory, how he uses more expensive machines to increase the flavor of the chocolate, and the amount of care he takes to increase the quality of his chocolate where we eventually wrapped our own chocolate. I was surprised by how little changes in the chocolate-making process can change the entire taste. After we were done with the chocolate, we all headed on the 2-hour drive to the Cayambe region, where we stayed in a hotel on a farm.
Day 3 started with us getting up early because of a rooster, which was fun. Our trip today was to visit a flower farm. The flower farm was between the hillside and was filled with tons and tons of roses packed in greenhouses. The greenhouses were very hot, which led to my regretting my decision to wear pants. We learned the major markets for this specific farm, the growing of the roses, and the packing process. The number of varieties of roses that are produced per day is truly mindboggling. When we were done with the guide, the owner of the farm was generous enough to give us two free roses. After the flower farm, we headed to a community meeting where we met with some heads of the community. They talked about how they try to help the community and how it functions, which was very eye-opening.
When we came back from the community meeting, we were informed that we would be playing the other school kids in our hotel for a friendly soccer match. When I was on the pitch, the high altitude resulted in me being gassed with one sprint down the field. It also didn’t help that our opponents were very good while only being 15 years old. Eventually the game was tied 2-2 and when the ball ricocheted off a player into my feet, I was more than happy to score the winning goal!
We eventually moved to a new hotel in the city proper, and currently I am having s’mores in front of a fireplace. I can’t wait to explore Cayambe and its markets tomorrow. – Rohan Cherlakola