Ecuador Eco Volunteer

Archive pour la catégorie ‘Indigenous People Communities’

Ecuador is one of the biggest exporters of the Cocao bean to make Coco and Chocolate in the world. The plant which comes from South America was even used as a common currency throughout this region before the Spanish invasion.

What might surprise you when you get to Ecuador is why a country that makes 130,000 tonnes of Cocao a year has such crappy chocolate for sale in all the stores. Its because very little of the Cocao produced is for the local market which monstrous unethical corporations like Nestle have consumed.

http://www.ecuadorecovolunteer.org/inspiring-ted-talk-reforesting-the-rainforest/

major exporter of Cocao Dark Chocolate is something you must try as you get the chance. Arriba is a select cocoa variety grown only in Ecuador that emits fragrant, floral nuances. When dark chocolate is prepared from these beans, the flavor is clear and pure with nutty undertones.

Salinas de Guaranda is a famous little town in the Ecuadorian Andes that is about two and an half hours by bus from Riobamba. What makes the town so popular amongst both Ecuadorian and foreign tourists is its cheese and chocolate factories as well as the great variety in hand-knitted llama and alapca wool clothing.

So whats so good about the cheese and chocolate? Well if you have been in Ecuador and South America for a while you will know that the omnipresent fresh, white, and tasteless cheese they have over here leaves a lot to be desired compared to our aged cheeses back home.

A swiss guy came to Salinas over half a century ago and taught the people there how to make real cheese and swiss chocolate. The cheese comes in a variety of flavors and you can even get ones filled with oregano and and chilli.

Although not too frequented by tourists the bus ride from Guayaquil into Babahoyo is most scenic and you will often see agricultural workers hard at work tilling the fields.
There is a frequent bus service to Salinas de Guaranda with Transportes Cándido Rada leaving from Plaza Roja in Guaranda. Or, take a bus from Cuatro Esquinas, located on the road to Ambato (10 km north of Guaranda). From there, take a truck to Salinas (20 km). A taxi costs around US$15. To go back to Guaranda take any bus from Salinas’ main plaza (all of them go to Guaranda).

Father Antonio Polo initiated the FUNORSAL Foundation (Fundacion de Organizaciones de Salinas) to set up and manage cooperatives to transform raw materials to finished goods. See the Headquarters building (SEDE FUNORSAL) among the pictures below. For example, cocoa to chocolat candy, wool to yarn and textiles, meat to sausage, mushrooms to soups and packages, and milk into fancy and natural cheeses. To do this, workers are selected and trained (often in foreign countries), machinery is procured (often previously used), and extensive marketing is conducted. Much of the production is sold in Europe and North America and the basic producers get to share in the wealth created from their work.

There is a frequent bus service to Salinas de Guaranda with Transportes Cándido Rada leaving from Plaza Roja in Guaranda. Or, take a bus from Cuatro Esquinas, located on the road to Ambato (10 km north of Guaranda). From there, take a truck to Salinas (20 km). A taxi costs around US$15. To go back to Guaranda take any bus from Salinas’ main plaza (all of them go to Guaranda).

Désolé, cet article est seulement disponible en English.

Désolé, cet article est seulement disponible en English.