Bahia notebook: An expert’s view of cocoa production in Brazil’s Atlantic forest - video

As part of this year’s World Cocoa Federation Conference (WCF) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, members and partners of the WCF were invited to go on a field trip to Bahia and discover the area’s unique cocoa farming process known as 'Cabruca'.

In our first video from the two-day trip, Ray Major, an independent cocoa consultant with an extensive global knowledge of cocoa production, and expertise in tropical agriculture and agro-forestry, provides us with an introduction to the area.

Ray has been in the chocolate industry for over 40 years. He retired from the Hershey Company in 2015 to set up his own business.

Here, he shares his experience of cocoa production in Bahia, a protected area of Atlantic forest in Brazil, and explains its history, uniqueness and the environmental and sustainable challenges it faces as a main employer in the region.