We are asked from time to time why our cacaos come into and out of stock. Of course the reason is occasionally us - we try to fit enough supply to meet an ever-growing Soma demand into a warehouse that is not getting any bigger (though we’re actually in the process of encroaching on our landlord Roger’s printing shop to store some of our cacao), and sometimes we or our suppliers miscalculate arrival times. But this generally only causes delays of a week.
Longer delays are caused by the nature of cacao farming. Cacao is a seasonal crop, and is generally collected in one or two harvests each year. The biggest harvest (the ‘main crop’) is collected at the end of the rainy season, and a smaller harvest (‘mid-crop’) towards the end of the dry season.
The farmers we work with ferment and sun-dry their cacao on-site, and drive the dry beans to chocolate-makers, who roast, winnow, and grind the beans, before shipping the paste to us. We like to use chocolatiers in the same countries we source our cacao from, both to support local industry, and because it is easier to ship and store cacao paste than cacao beans, as well as being easier to get it through pesky customs and avoid fumigation.
Cacao is not harvested all at once - because our farmers have limited space for fermenting and drying, and because different cacao pods mature at different stages, the harvest can take up to five months. We wait until there is a large quantity of paste processed before we ship it, so sometimes it can be several months after the start of a harvest before we have cacao on our shelves.
We prefer to source from small farms and cooperatives because they produce the most unique and delicious cacaos (we also like knowing the growers personally, instead of writing emails to people in offices). We buy several of these farmers’ whole harvests, so when we run out of the cacao from one harvest, we have to wait until the next harvest for more.
Additionally, since cacao is a tropical crop, it is subject to tropical conditions. Harvests are frequently delayed or destroyed by hurricanes, droughts, diseases, or even earthquakes. Cacao is a fruitful and hardy plant, but it is not predictable.
The price we pay for sourcing the most interesting cacaos from around the world is that it’s an interesting job to source them. Soma has stocked small-batch and single-origin cacao right from the very beginning (the first farm we sourced from was actually the smallest farm of them all), so we have had to expand by adding more cacao sources to our range, since we couldn’t just ask for more cacao from the same sources.
For that reason, Soma has become home to a colourful mix of adventurous, curious, ethically-minded souls, who recognise and enjoy quality, are excited by newness, and love to know the stories of the things that enter into their lives. We have attracted a community of customers who share our passion for fine cacao and precious moments, and keeping their trust is the most important pillar of our business.
Michele Ferrero, the man who created Ferrero Rocher and Nutella, famously had an ideal customer, whom he called Ms Valeria. Before he made a decision, he would always ask himself “Would Ms Valeria approve of this?” At Soma we are exactly the same, though we have several Ms Valerias, and they are real people who have their own names (which we won’t share).
One thing all our Ms (and Mr) Valerias have in common is that they prefer quality to quantity. They appreciate that good things sometimes take time. We hope that you’re not feeling impatient as you wait for the next batch of your favourite Soma to arrive. It’s gone on a big old journey to get here - we love that journey, and we wouldn’t have our business any other way.
With vanilla pods and cinnamon sticks, and enough time for them to release their flavours,
Rose, Alistair, and the team at Soma Cacao
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