Author Archives: John Holcomb

Advocacy in Action for GFB Presidents’ Trip to Nation’s Capitol

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Washington, D.C.

For the first time in three years, Georgia Farm Bureau legislative staff, Directors, and County Presidents made the trip to Washington to advocate for the ag industry – something GFB President, Tom McCall says is vitally important, especially at a time with so much hanging in the balance for farmers and producers across the country.

“It’s good to get back to bringing presidents to Washington to meet with their congressmen,” says McCall. “We hope there’s going to be a Farm Bill written this year. It’s time, for a new farm bill and we need to have our input on what Georgia needs as far as the products that we grow; we need to have input into how the farm bill is going to be written.”

The trip couldn’t have come at a better time as the ag industry is facing a number of issues such as high input costs, high interest rates, and low commodity prices – something Austin Scott, Vice Chair of the House Ag Committee says is a focus of his and the committee this congress.

“Most of the farmers I know are very concerned that commodity prices fall while, while inputs stay up. One of the things that we’re going to take a very serious look at is reference prices in the farm bill and making sure that we move those, that we take into account the increased cost of production,” says Scott. “We’re very concerned about the increased risk of the ag economy and therefore rural America’s economy that exists in production agriculture, and from a global standpoint, what that means for the United States and the rest of the world, is that if you have farmers planting fewer acres, because they’re wanting to become more risk adverse, then you actually have less food supply, not just for the US, but for other parts of the world.”

This year is also when the current farm bill is set to expire, which means policy hearings and meetings are underway on Capitol Hill to get a new bill written and passed, which according to Scott, is going to be a challenge as more than eighty percent of the bill is for nutrition – leaving what’s left to be figured out how to protect our nation’s farmers and producers.

“Eighty-two percent of farm bill spending now goes to some type of food or nutritional program,” says Scott. “Now you’ve taken eighty-two cents of every dollar that’s going to nutrition, that leaves you with eighteen cents that gets split between crop insurance, conservation, and commodities, and so then we’ve got to figure out the way to best spend the money in the farm bill to make sure we’re reducing the risks for the ag producer. That’s going to come from making sure that we have new crop insurance products out there; specialty crops, fruits, vegetables, most of those producers are paying into the NAP system, non-insurable crop assistance program. That doesn’t work very well for those products. We don’t have anything for pecan trees, citrus, and other things, so we need more risk management tools out there and that’s one of things I hope we do is get more money into the crop insurance system and give more products available to producers the that are out there.”

By: John Holcomb

Healthy Balance of Friendship and Competition at Georgia Junior National Livestock Show

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Perry, GA

Hundreds of 4-H and FFA students from around the state descended upon the Georgia National Fairgrounds looking to prove they are the best of the best in the world of livestock showing. It’s the premier event in Georgia spotlighting all the blood, sweat, and tears these exhibitors have put in over the past year.

“This event is really important to these students,” says Carole Knight, 4-H Livestock Extension Specialist. “They’ve put a lot of hard work, time, money, and investment into these projects and so they really like to come and compete with their animals, but it really is just a fun time for friends, family, ag teachers, and 4-H agents to really share their passion for the agricultural industry.”

That sentiment is shared by all of the competitors as they get a unique opportunity to see old friends while also making some new ones with people that share their same passion for animal husbandry.

“Getting to see friends that I don’t get to see all the time. You know, I love showing. I love being in the ring. I love working my animals, but it’s such a great experience to see the folks that I only get to see maybe once or twice a year,” says Jesse Cronic, a Jackson County 4-H Student. “I love it. You know, this is what I live for.”

“A lot of people, if you ask around, this is their favorite place on earth right? The Disney World for livestock exhibitors, but, you know, it’s just a time to get together with a lot of folks that enjoy doing the same thing as you do and get to show off the fruits of their labor,” says Knight.

However, all of that solidarity takes a back seat once the competition begins as these students are looking for a little bragging right as well as prize money for all the work that went into grooming their animals.

“When we’re in the ring, it’s go time,” says Cronic. “The friendships can wait until we come out. There’s a huge competitive edge in the show ring in Perry, Georgia. We’re in the barn rinsing cattle, walking cattle, feeding hay every day throughout the year Monday or Sunday to Saturday. We have to keep our cattle in the best shape possible so that we can be competitive.”

While reaching this level of livestock showing is a major time investment, these students are sure to reap the benefits of that type of commitment over their lifetime.

“The livestock project is a very valuable experience. I mean, granted, it is a lot of hard work, but it teaches so many valuable lessons to these young people. And so, if anyone has any interest in animal science or livestock at all, this is a great project to really hone those skills,” says Knight.

“I would say be willing to step out and try something new. Showing to me at one time was foreign, but the more and more time I spent in the show barn and with those around me, it really allowed me to open up and offer that competitive edge and have some success,” says Cronic.

By: Damon Jones

Master Chef Also a County Farm Bureau Leader

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Winston, GA

They say you should never judge a book by its cover. Well, Cam Floyd, who is Chairman of the Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee for Douglas County, is one of those books. His cover, the tattoos, say nothing about his love of farming and agriculture or, that he even considers himself a farmer, but he is, and a good one at that. Those tattoos, at least some of them, paint a picture of why he became one.

“I think my biggest thing for tattoos and who I am is I don’t really blend in into certain environments,” says Floyd. “That kind of helps to my favor, to my benefit, is I’m able to walk through and actually be heard and be listened to because I’m not who they expect to walk in the door and just talk about agriculture and things. For my story, it definitely lends to who I am as a person now. My tattoos have grown and developed over the years into different styles. We say half my body is completely different. One is kind of black and white, like my past, and then going into the right side of my body is all full color. I kind of purposely did it that way.”

To understand the man and leader Cam has become, it’s important to know a little bit about his past. His youth, was a troubled one, he was in and out of group homes and by the age of seventeen found himself facing the challenge of a lifetime – fatherhood. That’s when Cam says he buckled down, eventually landing a Job at the Cracker Barrel in Newnan, Georgia. Turns out, that job as a dishwasher would lead to a successful career in the Culinary and Restaurant Industry.

“I took it serious and wanted to grow and started to see that even though the paychecks were minimal, they were able to take care of me and my son and was able to pay my bills and still be in high school at the time. I moved up to Prep Cook, I moved up to Line Cook and then Line Lead and, and then I discovered, well, this is something I’m good at,” says Floyd.

These days, Cam is the Culinary Director and Partner at Hsu and Hsu Restaurants. A group that owns a wide variety of establishments including Sweet Auburn Barbecue both in Atlanta and now McDonough. However, it was that first job after Cracker Barrel where Cam say’s he became obsessed with Agriculture, and the Farm to Table concept. That place? Serenbe Farms.

“That’s where I met my wife. She is still there to this day and I went there seeing this farm and this restaurant and I was like, it’s this fine dining concept in the middle of nowhere in Chattahoochee Hills. I experienced that they’ve got this farm, they’ve got these farm to table procedures. There’s a lot of restaurants out there that are farm to table, but in reality, we’re not growing pineapple groves. We’re not growing limes and those things here in this area, but there’s amazing amount of agriculture and farmers in Georgia. If you’re a chef, you have the number one dramatic input and effect on these farmers in Georgia. We don’t really have the footprint for one farm in Georgia to supply for one restaurant, so why not find five? They might all have different potatoes, but support all five and you can have a potato from all five, you know? That’s been my mission; how do we find these small farms that are trying to make it and push them into agriculture and then into the restaurants,” says Floyd.

One way he’s hoping to find those farms is through networking, and Cam’s network is pretty extensive. He’s active on Social media, the legislative arena, school classrooms, and of course, his communications with Young Farmers throughout the state. In May of 2021, he and a business partner started a non-profit called, MAES Farmers Market. A platform with the goal of showcasing small farmers to the public. If all that wasn’t enough, Cam routinely host’s Harvest Days and Farm Tours, as well as something he calls the homestead series. That’s also where Cam teaches the art and skill of processing livestock.

“This is more than just having a hundred acres, producing a row crop, or producing an animal,” says Floyd. “How can we focus on ag? How can we support these farmers? I think that’s my biggest focus, is building a team to support those farmers that have a hundred acres. A lot of times they’re out there in the middle of nowhere and they’re on their own. They don’t have as many resources or connections until they go to a Farm Bureau office or some of the other avenues they go through. That’s kind of been my focus: not only do you not have to be a farmer with a full scale operation to care about ag, you can purely just involve yourself in any capacity.”

By: Ray D’Alessio

Georgia Sheep Dog Heroically Saves Flock From a Dozen Coyotes

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Decatur, GA

In the days leading up to November 4th, something wasn’t right. I guess you could say it was the calm before the storm. Except, there was nothing calm about them. No, in fact, they were very active.

“The week that this happened, that Monday, a neighbor said he had seen thirteen at one time, which is a lot of coyotes. You know, like two and three is a normal thing. One and two is, is normal. Seeing thirteen coyotes at one time, that was worrisome,” says John Wierwille, a Decatur Shepherd.

Worrisome indeed. Especially for John, owner of “Ewe Can Do It Naturally”. A Decatur based landscaping company whose workforce includes some ninety sheep. On the night of the attack, only six were on the property. According to Wierwille, Casper, as well as another dog were relative newcomers. He had recently acquired the dogs as a test run to see if they could live up to the task of guarding his sheep. Well, Casper quickly proved his value.

“He just charged him and I mean, it was, I think, maybe ten seconds. He had the first three dead,” says Wierville.

Courageous as it was, Casper’s efforts came with a heavy price. When the thirty-minute battle was over, most of the coyotes were dead, and Casper was nowhere to be found. Two days later, and badly wounded, he found his way home. The moment John laid eyes on him; he feared the worst.

“I thought we were gonna have to put him down,” says Wierville. “I didn’t think he’d make it another couple hours. He was terrible. It was, everything badly infected and he just had these huge wounds. I mean, just one of them on his side was like this. And the one on his neck was like that. And I thought one ear was torn off, but it was just matted back with blood. And you know, all the hair was gone and his tail was, you know, missing about half his tail and he wouldn’t even let us get close to his tail. And so the first thing was clean him up enough to be able to assess, you know, do we take him to a vet or not?”

Ultimately, the decision was made to take Casper to a vet. Multiple surgeries would follow, but his long road to recovery was just beginning. So were the medical bills. That’s when John turned to an old friend and an organization created for situations just like Casper’s.

“I think fifteen, sixteen days or so he was at the Emergency Vets. That’s a lot of money. And then he went to Lifeline, and you know, it’s a spay neuter clinic, right? But Dr. Susan Brosman, she and the team over there were just wonder workers,” says Wierville.

As an added bonus, not only did Lifeline Animal Project assist with Casper’s Road to Recovery, the group also launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover his medical bills. In total, they raised fifteen thousand dollars, more than the original goal. That extra money will now help save the life of another animal in the future.

“We thought we were gonna have to do skin grafts, all that, none of that. And he’s, you know, he moves around well and still loves to get dirty and loves to get cleaned; just loves to lay there and watch things and pay attention to everything going on. He’s doing well,” says Wierville.

According to Wierville, this tale just proves just how resilient and defensive the breed is when it comes to their flocks.

“They’re determined to stay with their animals,” says Wierville. “We couldn’t do our jobs without them, because I can’t be out with my sheep twenty-four hours a day, but the dogs are, and the dogs make a lot of the decisions if we try to coexist with coyotes, but you come across the fence and that’s where coexistence ends, especially for the coyotes, right? The dogs decide that’s it. They take care of those threats and it’s not just coyotes. They chase hawks off, they chase owls off. They chase people off. They’re just an incredibly important part of our business.”

By: Ray D’Alessio

UGA Researchers Look To The Future with Vertical Farming

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Athens, GA

As the old saying goes, they’re not making more land, and with the world’s population set to cross the eight billion mark this year, finding innovative ways to produce food in limited spaces has now become a priority. Enter the University of Georgia and their new hydroponics program, which has already garnered plenty of interest from both the academic and commercial side.

 

“We have a lot of students contacting us,” says Rhuanito Ferrarezi, a researcher at the University of Georgia. “We have growers coming over with questions and investments, uncertainties in what we are seeing is a booming industry with not only interest, but companies coming over and establishing operations.”

A major reason for that is the accessibility to other markets from this central location. It’s a program that could not just be beneficial to the agriculture industry from a supply standpoint, but manpower as well.

“We have a great geographical location and we can basically make a difference in our state and the whole southeast distributing food to different states around us and guaranteeing that our students that graduate from our university have the opportunity to work in the state of Georgia,” says Ferrarezi.

One of the major fringe benefits of this style of agriculture is the positive effect it could have on the environment, as a number of the limited natural resources that go into farming could be used more efficiently.

“Sustainability is one of the ability to reduce water use, fertilizer use, increase energy use, also reducing the food miles and guaranteeing that the food what we consume and of course, produce, is benefiting the stage that we are at,” says Ferrarezi.

Now the main drawback to hydroponic farming is the cost. That’s why Rhuanito and his team are working hard with high value crops such as strawberries to make it a more viable option.

“The yield that strawberries provide over time allow a higher return of investment,” says Ferrarezi. “So, we are looking into optimizing water management and nutrient management in strawberries. Our goal is really to make this industry viable in terms of greenhouses and vertical farming to guarantee we return that investment much faster.”

With this type of farming pretty much limited to leafy greens for the time being, not much information is available for other crops, which is why there will be plenty of trial and error for this research team over the next few years.

“We have water culture methods and we have subs tray culture methods, and our goal there is to take that risk of trialing different growing methods for the growers,” says Ferrarezi. “So, that way, when they decide to implement that industry here in our state, we already have scientific information to guide their decision process.”

By: Damon Jones

Wine & Grape Producers Discuss Assessment Vote

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Ellijay, GA

Recently in Ellijay, wine producers from across the state gathered for their annual meeting – a time of fellowship, learning, and business. This year, growers were able to learn about and discuss a ten cent per liter assessment on wine produced and sold here in Georgia that will be voted on in the coming weeks – something Eric Seifarth, Board Member for the Georgia Wine and Grapes Commission says is not a tax, but an opportunity that would help advance the industry.

“This is an opportunity for a commodity, in our case, the wine production commodity to generate income that is exclusively for our own use, and that money is derived by a cents per liter assessment for each and every producer of wine in the state, and that assessment would go to a fund that could be used by the entire industry to do things they want,” says Seifarth. “Our desire is to create a advisory board that would be under the commodity board, and that would be the, the basically where it would connect to all the growers within the state.”

Producers last voted on the assessment back in 2021 but was voted down nineteen to thirty-one. However, Seifarth believes it’s time to try again, as he says the industry can’t continue to grow without it.

“Georgia is still a new wine growing region,” says Seifarth. “There are still plenty of people in the state, and particularly in large urban areas who may vaguely know about the Georgia wine industry or know nothing about the Georgia wine industry. So, we’re looking for opportunities to market it and make that even clearer; that not only are we a wine region, we’re a wine region that’s making very high quality wines and is certainly an option when the Georgia buyer has to make choices of what they do with their entertainment money and we’re there for them to provide that.”

As a grower himself, Seifarth believes the most important argument for the assessment is so they can fund research that would help improve the industry – something he says has been needed since he started his operation more than two decades ago.

“When I started, there was nothing in the state of Georgia to support a wine grower,” says Seifarth. “There was no research, there was really no academic backing to it, no information pool that I could go to. So, what did I do? I had to scrounge from neighboring states and their information pools, and their research, which may or may not be exactly applicable to what we’re doing here in Georgia. Research can be very, very expensive. Universities or organizations are hesitant to do critical research unless an organization is willing to put up some money themselves. In Georgia, we have a plethora of issues that affect our growing of wine grapes; be they pest, be they climate change, whatever they are and we need help from academics to figure out how to best go forward.”

The vote for the assessment is set for sometime in Mid-March.

By: John Holcomb

Gathering Brings GFB Members Directly to Lawmakers

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Atlanta, GA

Once a year in Atlanta, grassroots advocacy comes to life as Georgia Farm Bureau members gather for a chance to hear about the important ag issues being debated and for a chance to meet with their representatives – something GFB President, Tom McCall says shows just how important the agriculture industry is to those that represent them.

“When we have this every year, it lets our people get to know their elected people and they can work together with them, and they get to know them and when they call them, they’ll listen to them more than they would if they was just somebody cold calling,” says McCall. “It’s people who are here on their own dime. They’re not getting paid. They left their farm, they left their business to come and support Farm Bureau and the policies that we push for.”

The annual event couldn’t have come at a better time as there are several bills this legislative session that would have a direct impact on the state’s agriculture industry, such as House Bill 189 – a bill that would increase haul weights by for trucks hauling agricultural goods – something Jake Matthews, Governmental Affairs Specialist with GFB says would be great for farmers and producers when transporting commodities that have variable weights.

“Currently in the state of Georgia, you can haul eighty thousand pounds on a five-axle truck,” says Matthews. “Agriculture for a long time, has been granted an exemption for that where they can actually haul up to eighty-four thousand pounds; that’s actually a five percent variance on top of the eighty thousand pounds, and what that’s for really is to account for just the unpredictable nature of hauling ag commodities. When you start getting into moisture content of certain commodities as well as fluctuating live-weight of cattle for instance, that variance is really important to make sure there’s some give there, for farmers and folks hauling their product, to have some give there as they can’t really tell how much that truck’s going to weigh unless they’re weighing it. So, having that variance is good to account for those sort of things.”

According to Matthews, the measure would also help create an even playing field with other states in the region.

“When you look at our surrounding and neighboring states in the Southeast, you got a number of states that have higher truck weights; allowable haul weights than we do. Some of those states, those higher weights are specific to agriculture, kind of how we have it here in Georgia right now. Other states, it’s across the board, so there’s definitely a little bit of variation to how different states do it, but if you look at it holistically, Georgia is behind on the amount of weight that we can haul as compared to our neighboring southeastern states,” says Matthews.

Matthews says the measure would also be more economical for farmers and producers when transporting their commodities – as more per load results in fewer trips.

“We believe that increasing those haul weights is really a direct benefit to farmers’ bottom line. If you can carry more on one truck, you’re going to be able to have fewer trips to move your product and like I said, that will be a direct benefit to farmers’ bottom line,” says Matthews.

By: John Holcomb

FFA Chapter Diversifying Students’ Curriculum

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Dublin, GA

While rows of desks in front of a dry erase board might be your typical classroom landscape, FFA programs are looking to change that perception of learning by giving students practical experience in real life settings. Here at Dublin High School, their classroom can change by the minute.

“We’re in out greenhouse right now. They can learn about horticulture and the different things that go into growing plants in a greenhouse setting,” says Jason Halcombe, Director of Marketing for Dublin City Schools. “We also have some livestock with our goats. And we’ve also added ag mechanics and a bunch of other programs that we’re hoping to give kids as much opportunity to learn what it is that they want because primary purpose is high achieve and success for all students. We realize that shows itself in different ways. It just makes for a really fun environment for the kids where they see that learning doesn’t have to be restricted to a desk.”

This unique way of learning is not just designed to keep the students engaged, but also give them an appreciation for what the agricultural industry means to their everyday lives.

“We have a lot of children that are country adjacent but aren’t very familiar with what ag is or what agriculture is or the processes that go into creating the food and the products that we need to live on,” says Halcombe. “So, agriculture education is very vital to us and our work through CTAE and just through exposing children to the food and fiber systems that move their life.”

Recently, one student applied those lessons learned to save an abandoned baby goat. It was an unexpected experience that was the result of a split-second decision.

“We actually came out here during the storm and was under the shelter trying to get the baby to milk. And then we saw another little baby that just looked so tiny to the point where he just looked like he wasn’t getting any milk,” says Dublin FFA student, Emaley Landrum. “When Donelle came back out here to check on him he was like, ‘Emaley, he’s face down in the mud, mama is just not wanting him. Can you please come pick him up?’ So, I did and that’s how I got stuck with the goat.”

While both fun and rewarding, being the caretaker for an infant goat does present a common complaint for any newborn.

“It has taught me that a goat is exactly like having a child and it has taught me that every time he sleeps, I need to sleep, otherwise I’m not going to get sleep. But he has actually gotten a little bit better on sleeping, which is good,” says Landrum.

So, with the wide variety of topics this course touches on from animal care to business management, students get to see just how diverse the agricultural industry really is and how many different career paths it can provide.

“With agriculture being the number one industry in the state of Georgia, our kids need to be familiar because making sure that they’re college and career ready is one of our core purposes. And so, understanding that for some of our kids, if we expose them to agriculture and the agricultural opportunities, that could lead them down a path that gets them college or career ready,” says Halcombe.

By: Damon Jones

2023 Ag Forecast Provides Updates for the Industry

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Tifton, GA

Recently in Tifton, the University of Georgia held their annual Ag Forecast – a time where farmers, producers, and industry professionals discuss the fiscal outlook for the different sectors of the ag industry. This year, one speaker was William Chambers, Deputy Chairman of the World Agricultural Outlook Board, who says that things are looking up for the agricultural economy in 2023 as the Federal Reserve’s aggressive measures seems to have gotten inflation under control.

“In 2022 it was just highly volatile; with inflation and the federal reserve combating that inflation,” says Chambers. “Now the situation is different now, exactly where this lands, remains to be seen, people are definitely less pessimistic than they were even earlier in say the Fall. Inflation is still high, but it seems to be coming under control.”

However, Chambers says the outlook for some commodities, like cotton are a different story, as he says the price is down due to a decrease in global demand and even projects less acres being planted this Spring.

“We’re looking at a reduction in planted area for cotton, now we had some preliminary estimates back in the late Fall that had it down and we’re not the only ones that look at this; the different traders and commodity groups are looking at it. In fact, even here the UGA estimates are down year on year and that’s why. The prices are down. Global demand is down,” says Chambers.

Thankfully, there’s a different story for the state’s poultry industry, as Dennis Brothers, an Associate Extension Professor at Auburn University says that demand for poultry continues to increase both domestically and worldwide.

“The demand for poultry is high. Some of that’s based on the competitive meat prices, but looking forward, the poultry industry is going to continue to be a slow increaser in size and that proves good for the average consumer, because I think that will help keep poultry prices at a good place to buy chicken and it’s also good for the grower and the companies,” says Brothers.

However, according to Brothers, the poultry industry isn’t without challenges, as he says the biggest threat facing the poultry sector is the current outbreak of avian influenza, which has now affected almost sixty million commercial birds across the country.

“Probably the highest level of concern, probably goes around with high pathogenic avian influenza. It didn’t go away this year, it stayed around, it looks like it’s going to be around, it may be an endemic problem going forward. That’s a big concern for the poultry industry, both at the integrator level and at the grower level,” says Brothers.

According to Brothers, another concern for the industry is what it costs producers to expand their operations or for new producers to even get started in the industry.

“If a grower wants to build new housing or wants to get into the business, the cost of housing is extremely high levels right now, don’t know when that will come back down,” says Brothers. “Cost of lumber, cost of metal, even cost of land. Potential growers are having to compete with residential housing to buy land if they’re going to buy land to build houses, so it makes it very difficult for your average family farmer to get into the poultry business; a lot more difficult than it was, say ten years ago.”

By: John Holcomb

This Product Grown in Ecuador Inspires Georgian’s Success

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Macon, GA

Shane Buerster’s journey in business started as a student at Mercer University after taking a couple of classes in spanish and economics while studying abroad.

“I started Z Beans after a Mercer on a mission trip the summer of 2016. So, we went down to Ecuador to see if coffee was a viable alternative to gold mining,” says Buerster, CEO and Founder of Z Beans Coffee.

It was there he met Arturo, a native of Ecuador who toured hum around the country introducing him to coffee farmers in the area. Buerster left that trip with the conclusion that they couldn’t supply enough coffee in just that one town, but the mission wasn’t over yet. After countless weekly conversations with his new friend, Arturo, the idea of exporting coffee not just from one town but from many was born.

At first, Buerster started with just coffee, but that wasn’t enough. While the business was doing well, it only provided work for the local residents once a year.

“What I wanted to do was try to find a way to create daily jobs, and what I landed on was chocolate. My focus has been since building Z-Beans, is to make one thing a non-negotiable, and that is that we’re going to pay our farmers really well for the hard work that they’re putting in to produce a quality product,” says Buerster.

In January of 2023, they opened their own chocolate processing facility in Zaruma – the namesake where the “Z” in Z Beans comes from.

“We do all of the processing at the chocolate factory. Just like our coffee, we buy from small farmers throughout Ecuador and we process it down and refine it to one-kilogram blocks. So, these one kilo blocks are one hundred percent chocolate. So, very strong, very bitter, but we then take that down and melt it down into our chocolate sauce,” says Buerster.

The process is similar to that of coffee – taking weeks for the cacao beans to dry.

“Once you remove the nibs from the mazurka, it will have the kind of like viscous substance around it and then you can actually suck on them and it’s really sweet or it can be kind of sour you know, depending on the variety of the chocolate,” says Buerster. “You’ll allow it to ferment in huge vats and then put them on drying beds so they can completely dry out. Just like coffee it’ll have this chafe that will come off of it so you want to willow away and remove all of the chafe and then once you have that, you’re able to just crush down the cocoa nibs and you crush them, crush them, crush them, blow out all the chafe that remains. Crush, crush more, blow out the chafe that remains and then run it through a grinder and we just keep grinding it, keep grinding it, keep grinding it until it starts separating the ground nibs versus the cocoa butter. The butter is a liquid form will come out with the chocolate. From there Arturo will put them into molds and then from the molds will allow them to harden.”

They then export the chlorate to the United States in big coolers. It’s important for the chocolate to be very hard before its trip to the states so it doesn’t arrive in a big melted mess.

“Once it gets here, we’ll freeze the kilos of chocolate down and then put it into our mixture that we have for our sauce. We bottle it up and then distribute it directly to our coffee shops,” says Buerster.

Then, they use that chocolate sauce in their mochas and hot chocolates.

“Our mochas and hot chocolates definitely taste different than what other coffee shops may offer, but it’s something that you know I’m proud of and a difference that I was willing to withstand because I know the hard work and the quality of the product that we’re able to push out,” says Buerster.

By: Jennifer Parson