Cocoa farm class in Rocafuerte: Roast, process & make chocolate

Trace 5,300 years of chocolate history as you craft your own bar in a rainforest farm

A hands-on cocoa and chocolate class at a plantation in Rocafuerte where you roast and peel cocoa beans, then process them into your own chocolate bar at a small factory. The experience spans six to seven hours and includes visits to one of fourteen plantations, a chocolate factory, and a hat-making workshop, with a live English or Spanish-speaking guide, hotel pickup, and tastings of local products.

Step-by-step itinerary

Cocoa plantation and chocolate making

• Visit cocoa plantation
• Learn about cocoa impact
• Enjoy coffee, fruit juice, and cocoa fruit
• Roast and peel cocoa beans
• Visit small chocolate factory
• Process craft chocolate
• Make traditional chocolate drink
• Enjoy chocolate-covered bananas
• See industrial chocolate production
• Taste chocolate products
• Visit Modesto hats workshop
• Watch Montecristi hats demonstration

The experience

What does it take to turn a cocoa pod into a chocolate bar? This class answers it by putting you through each step. You start at one of Rocafuerte's fourteen plantations, where you'll roast and peel your own cocoa beans while learning how the crop shapes the region's economy. The beans here trace back to trees so old that carbon-14 dating places them at 5,300 years, and genetic testing confirmed they are pure Nacional: a variety thought extinct until these trees were discovered. You'll taste fresh coffee, seasonal fruit juice, local starch bread, and cocoa fruit straight from the surroundings.

From there you move to a small chocolate factory to finish what you started. You'll process your roasted beans into a finished chocolate bar: the same drink the operator calls "the God's drink" that was offered to Hernán Cortés centuries ago. The factory also shows you how chocolate is made at industrial scale, and you'll sample bananas dipped in their chocolate and other products they make. A third stop takes you to Modesto hats to watch how Montecristi hats are crafted by hand, a detailed demonstration of a traditional skill.

An air-conditioned vehicle picks you up from your hotel and carries you through all three stops. Your guide speaks English or Spanish (other languages available with advance notice and extra charge). The class runs six to seven hours and includes bottled water, fruit and local snacks at the plantation, a cup of hot chocolate, and samples of chocolate and other products made there.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup in an air-conditioned vehicle.
• roasting and peeling your own cocoa beans at the plantation.
• processing beans into a finished chocolate bar at the factory.
• fresh coffee, seasonal fruit juice, local starch bread, and cocoa fruit at the plantation.
• a cup of hot chocolate.
• bananas covered in chocolate.
• samples of chocolate and other factory products.
• a demonstration of Montecristi hat-making.
• bottled water.
• all fees and taxes.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:30

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (18 to 50 years) · Senior (52 to 86 years) · Youth (6 to 17 years) · Child (3 to 5 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

GroupUp to 50

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 40 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 15 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Manta SOS

Is this one for you?The class runs six to seven hours with roasting, peeling, and processing steps that require a moderate level of physical fitness: suited to travelers who want hands-on work over passive observation and have a morning or afternoon to spend at the plantations.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (6 to 17 years); Child (3 to 5 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.

What exactly do I make during this class?

You roast and peel cocoa beans at the plantation, then process them into a finished chocolate bar at the factory. You also taste the chocolate made there and take samples home.

How old are the cocoa trees at this plantation?

Carbon-14 dating places them at 5,300 years old. Genetic testing confirmed they are pure Nacional genotype, a variety that was thought to be extinct until these trees were discovered.

What's included in the price?

Hotel pickup, the air-conditioned vehicle, roasted and processed cocoa beans, a cup of hot chocolate, fruit and local snacks at the plantation, bananas with chocolate, bottled water, samples of chocolate and other products, and all fees and taxes.

How long does the whole experience take?

The class runs six to seven hours from pickup to return, covering the plantation, the chocolate factory, and the hat-making workshop.