Say "chocolate" ever so softly and Shamin's interest will instantly be piqued. Unsurprisingly then, a chocolate factory in Bali was very high on her bucket list. And one that has received accolades for being the world's largest commercial structure built sustainably of bamboo would probably have figured on most lists.
After several days of walking in and around the main streets of Ubud, we decided to rent a motorbike and explore the areas outside Ubud. The chocolate factory is owned by Big Tree Farms, an enterprise set up by an American living in Bali for the past 15 years, and is located about 10km southwest of Ubud in the village of Sibang. There aren't any signboards leading you here, but you can travel towards Denpasar, and ask the locals first for Sibang and then the chocolate factory.
We reached at noon and caught the factory lunch break, so we headed out to find a local joint for ourselves. The guided tour costs Rp 50000 per person for walk-ins, and we debated for a short while whether it was worth it. I had done the Nestle chocolate factory tour in Goa before, and that was an awesome experience but, as this was a first for Shamin, we decided to simply go with it. We were back from lunch within the hour, and the tour started shortly thereafter.
Our tour guide was an employee from Big Tree Farms, who took on this added responsibility while they ramped up on resources, but she made us feel very welcome. Her friendly and jovial nature belied the fact that her main job was behind a desk instead. She started by giving us an introduction to the factory, details on the bamboo architecture, and the different products being manufactured here. She also gave us samples of cacao nibs, cacao butter, and a welcome chocolate drink. We then followed her through the factory, where she explained the different equipment in use, along with their role in the chocolate making process.
Most of the equipment were decades old, with one Swiss model even being manufactured in 1920! Chocolate making in Bali is a painstakingly manual process, with several weeks of slow, repetitive work needed to convert cacao beans into the finished products. The smell of freshly made chocolates got stronger after a while, indicating that we'd reached the end of our tour. Our guide rewarded our good conduct with fresh chocolate samples. One particular flavor of interest included sea salt, the first time ever that I'd experienced a salty chocolate that was meant to be so! With a better appreciation of chocolates, and a pack of cacao butter, we made our way back to Ubud.
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