Let's pick up right where we left off...if you missed Part 1, check it out here

The Harvest

The harvest and processing of coffee and cacao are also very similar. All of cacao harvesting in the world is still done by hand - either with the use of small machetes or poles with attached metal hooks. The cacao pods are cut from the trunks and branches of the trees. The vast majority of coffee harvesting in the world is done by literally picking the coffee fruit, known as “cherries”, from the branches of the coffee tree. Although some large coffee plantations now employ the use of machines for harvesting, they decidedly do a significantly inferior job than their human counterparts due to the machine’s indiscriminate harvesting regardless of ripeness, and harsh treatment of the coffee tree.

Once the coffee and cacao fruits have been picked, the seeds need to be isolated and dried. Cacao pods are cut open using machetes and the seeds surrounded by the fleshy sweet white pulp are scooped out....