It took about an hour to arrive at Hacienda La Luz de Chocolates Walter from Tabasco’s capital city, Villahermosa. We entered the chocolate shop with excitement, and the owners told us our “chocotour” would start shortly. As we were waiting, I scoped out the award-winning chocolate bars for sale. I am a chocolate fanatic, but I had never tried some of their most popular flavors, including chocolate mixed with hot peppers or chocolate mixed with ants. I couldn’t wait to sample the company’s chocolates at the end of the tour. My delicious daydream was interrupted by our guide announcing the start of the adventure.
We walked out the back doors of the hacienda, and only one word flooded my mind: abundance. I had never seen so much green. As we walked through the ranch I finally understood why Tabasco, Mexico was the cradle of one of the first civilizations. In the swamp, the abundance of water allows life to flourish in all of its forms. Thankfully, cacao, the main fruit in chocolate, is one of the many plants that has been able to thrive.
We were guided through the delicate process, including the right time to harvest the fruit, drying of the seed and the production of our own chocolate. After the final sampling, I bought the brand’s most popular flavors.
