Beverage Crop Production

Beverage Crop Production Introduction

A beverage is an alcoholic or non-alcoholic liquid for consumption usually excluding water. This may include tea, coffee, liquor, beer, milk, juice, or soft drinks. When did you last have a cup of a beverage? Which beverage producing crop of tea, cocoa and coffee do you grow in your community?

Coffee, tea and cocoa are some of Uganda’s major cash crops. While Uganda has for long relied on coffee and tea as her major export earners, findings indicate that there is considerable opportunity for value addition to coffee, tea and cocoa. This increases the value of production of the cash crops for both domestic consumption and export.

The ease of managing a cocoa, coffee or tea crops makes them profitable enterprises. However it is time and labour intensive. In the long run, the returns on investment in the crops are high. The soil nutrient requirement for cocoa, coffee and tea is low hence the crops can do well in many parts of Uganda. However, these crops require extensive production hence requiring large tracts of land to enjoy the long term benefits. In this chapter therefore, you are going to produce and market a beverage crop profitably.

Value of Coffee, Tea or Cocoa

What beverage crop product do you consume at home? Did you know that consuming coffee, tea and cocoa beverages has nutritional benefits like reducing the risk of hypertension, burning fat, stimulating the immunity, boosting the metabolic rate and supplying vitamins and minerals to the body? How do the beverage crop products contribute to national income?

The most important agricultural commodities exported from Uganda to the European Union since 2002 include coffee (40.6%), fish (26.6%), tea (9.4%) tobacco (7.1%), cut flowers (6.6%), cocoa (3.8%), other live plants 3.3%, cotton (1.4%), fresh vegetables (0.3%), vanilla (0.6%) and oilseeds (0.3%). Coffee, tea and cocoa together contributed over a half (53.8%) of Uganda’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In 2017, coffee was Uganda’s highest GDP earner, tea came in the third position and cocoa in the sixth position of the ten most exported crops. Using Figure 4.1.1. and Activity 4.1.1, explore the value of coffee (coffea spp.) tea (camellia sinensis) and cocoa (theobroma cacao) to Uganda’s economy.

Activity 4.1.1 Identifying the value of beverage crops

What you need:

Chocolate, coffee powder, tea, notebook, pen

What to do:

1. In groups, you will receive beverage crop products (real products, video or photographs).

2. Examine the products and identify each of them.

3. Name the crop from which each of the products is produced.

4. Research from the Internet, textbooks, beverage crop brochures, journals or farmers and note down the nutritional benefits of each product.

5. Identify whether the beverage products are imported and note the exporting country.

6. Identify the areas in Uganda where coffee, cocoa and tea are grown.

7. Identify the countries to which Uganda exports her cocoa, coffee and tea.

8. The data in Table 4.1.1 was obtained from the Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) on export of beverage crops.

9. Discuss reasons that could have led to the drop in the value of coffee exports in 2018.

10. Suggest a reason why coffee and cocoa experienced a decrease in value in the year ending 2018.

11. Compare the value of Uganda’s beverage crop exports with the GDP for each year. Record the percentage contribution of each crop to the economy.

12. Present the data on a bar graph and display it at the Agriculture learning station.

Geographical Areas of Beverage Crop Production in Uganda

Coffee, tea and cocoa are perennial crops and their production stretches over years. To ensure constant production, climate and soil are key requirements. The distribution of coffee, tea and cocoa is limited to geographical areas with cool climate and vast areas of land not used for arable farming. In Activity 4.1.2, you are going to identify and explore the climatic and soil factors in areas that grow coffee, tea and cocoa growing.

Activity 4.1.2 Identifying geographical areas of beverage crop production in uganda

What you need:

List of beverage crop growing areas in Uganda (at the end of the activity) notebook, pen, coloured pencils.

What to do:

1. In groups, study the list of geographical areas of coffee, tea and cocoa production in Uganda. Suggest reasons why the growing of the crops is successful in those areas.

2. On the map of Uganda showing districts, use coloured pencils to shade green for tea, black for cocoa and red for coffee growing areas.

3. Identify the beverage crops grown in your district.

4. Brainstorm on the climatic (rainfall, temperature and humidity) factors in each geographical area producing tea, coffee and cocoa. You can get information from the Internet, textbooks or beverage crop journals and brochures.

5. Discuss the soil conditions in the geographical areas growing tea, coffee and cocoa.

6. On a manila paper, draw and label a map of Uganda showing the geographical areas that grow tea, cocoa and coffee.

7. Display the map at the Agriculture learning station in your classroom.

Geographical Regions that Grow Coffee, Tea and Cocoa in Uganda

Coffee growing districts in Uganda: Luwero, Mpigi, Mukono, Mityana, Kayunga, Masaka, Rakai, Mubende, Kiboga, Bushenyi, Ntungamo, Mbarara, Kasese, Ibanda, Rukungiri in south western and Buwenge, Jinja, Iganga and Kamuli.

Tea growing districts include: The major tea growing districts include Mukono, Buikwe, Mubende, Mityana, Masaka, Kyenjojo, Kibale, Hoima, Kabarole, Bushenyi, Buhweju, Kanungu, Kabale, Kisoro, Rubanda, Rukungiri, Sheema, Nebbi, Zombo, Isingiro, Ntungamo, Mitooma, Rubirizi, Kamwenge and Mbarara.

On the other hand the major cocoa growing districts include Bundibugyo, Mukono, Jinja, Kamuli, Buikwe, Masindi, Mayuge, Iganga and Kayunga.

Establishment and Management of a Coffee, Tea or Cocoa Nursery and Garden

Young beverage crops need tender care. Therefore, coffee, cocoa and tea should be grown in the nursery bed before they are exposed to external environmental conditions. The aim of growing seedlings in the nursery is to help them survive the environmental stress in the main field. The seedlings can then be transferred to the field where they can grow and resist adverse environmental conditions. Use Activity 4.1.2 to establish and manage a coffee, too or cocoa nursery bed and garden.

Activity 4.1.3 Establishing and managing a coffee, tea or cocoa nursery and garden

What you need:

Notebook, pen, camera

What to do:

1. Visit a beverage crop farm near your school. You may alternatively watch a video on beverage crop growing.

2. Find out from the farmer how to establish and manage a coffee, tea or cocoa nursery and garden. You can alternatively get the information from video clips, textbooks, the Internet or photographs on tea, cocoa or coffee growing.

3. Observe the soil preparation practices for tea, coffee and cocoa growing.

4. Research on the practices conducted on the beverage crop in the nursery and garden.

5. Name the special practices you found out for each crop.

6. Explain how the practices on the farm you visited differed from those you carry out on the same crop in your area. Give reasons for the differences.

7. With illustrations, make a field report describing your findings both in the beverage crop nursery and garden.

8. Check the following practices and comment (in the remarks column) on the activity you saw or participated in.

9. What other beverage crop garden practices can you identify? List them down and share ideas with peers.

Soil Preparation for Growing Beverage Crop Seedlings

Growing of beverage crops requires that the crops begin in a safe and comfortable habitat. To avoid soil borne pathogens and pests, the soil requires sterilising. For a comfortable habitat, deep tillage is recommended to increase root penetration and water infiltration. What other soil preparation practices will you conduct? Use Figure 4.1.2 and Activity 4.1.4 to practise preparing the soil for growing tea, coffee or cocoa.

Activity 4.1.4 Preparing soil for growing coffee, tea or cocoa seedlings

What you need:

Hand gloves, overall, gumboots, heat source, water or electricity, notebook, pen

What to do:

1. In groups, wear protective gear such as gumboots and overalls for soil preparation activities.

2. Identify one beverage crop that you are to grow.

3. Identify a site in your school where you are going to get a combination of well drained soils, organic matter and sand to be used.

4. Weed and remove obstacles like tree stumps and large stones that will limit efficient work in the nursery.

5. Prepare the soil for growing the crop in the nursery bed using the farm experience you have.

6. Sterilise the soil to kill soil borne pests and pathogens. How is soil sterilisation dangerous to the soil living organisms?

7. Cool the soil by flooding it with distilled water. What is the disadvantage of flooding the soil?

8. Cover the soil lightly with mulch to prepare it to receive seeds or seedlings. What is the role of mulching in tea, coffee and cocoa production?

9. Wait for about 7-14 days from the date of sterilising the soil to planting.

10. During planting, mix the top soil, coarse sand and manure in ratios of 2:1:1 to make a uniform medium. Use the right tools for this activity. How is each of the soil contents important in crop production? The soil is ready then to receive seedlings.

11. Write a report describing the activities conducted in preparing the soil for growing coffee, cocoa or tea. Present it to the teacher for further guidance.

ICT Corner: You can use Microsoft word to write the report

Learning Tip: A beverage crop nursery can be established in the compound or on a part of the land that is unproductive since soil will be carried from a fertile area.

Raising Seedlings in the Nursery Bed

A nursery bed is a place where seedlings are raised before they are taken to the garden where they will mature. A nursery bed provides favourable conditions for delicate seedlings to escape harsh conditions in the garden. Coffee, tea and cocoa require raising in the nursery to provide sufficient care for optimum growth and production while in the garden. Using Figure 4.1.3 and Activity 4.1.5, you are going to raise beverage crop seedlings from seeds and cuttings.

Activity 4.1.5 a) Raising beverage crop seedlings from seeds

What you need:

Nursery bags, soil, manure or fertilizer, seeds, notebook, pen

What to do:

1. In groups, obtain nursery bags of appropriate size depending on the crop.

2. For bags that are closed at one end, punch drainage holes at the bottom.

3. Fill the bags with soil, well mixed with decomposed manure or fertiliser.

4. Arrange the bags in length by width blocks of 100 by 10 bags.

5. Allow a space of 45 to 60cm to ease movement while monitoring the seedlings.

6. Water the soil in the bags before sowing the seeds. What is the reason for watering?

7. Soak the seeds in water for between 24 to 48 hours. Why do you think seeds should be soaked before sowing? Observe seeds that sink. What do you conclude?

8. Remove the seeds from water and place in a seed tray in a warm, sunny position and spray to keep damp.

9. Allow the seeds to come back to air temperature of about 24°C.

10. Sow the seed at a depth of 2cm with the hilum or stalk scar facing up. Avoid seeds that are already germinating. In tea, seeds should be planted with the hilum parallel to the soil surface.

11. After planting seeds in the nursery bed, cover with dry grass. What is the main reason for mulching a nursery?

12. Construct a shed after seeds have germinated. What is the importance of the shed?

13. Raise the shed about two meters above the ground to ease working under it.

14. Fence the land in case there are domestic animals around that could damage the seedlings.

15. Write a report describing the activities conducted in raising seedlings in the nursery. Present the report to the teacher for further guidance.

Activity 4.1.5 b) Raising tea seedlings from cuttings

What you need

Tea bush, knife, rooting hormone, notebook, pen

What to do

1. In groups, identify a mother tea bush to obtain cuttings from

2. On a cool cloudy day, take cuttings from the middle portion of the primary shoots (the shoots that you would usually pluck) 2-3 months after plucking has stopped.

3. Ensure each cutting has 3-5 cm length of stem with one healthy leaf (free from pest and disease damage).

4. Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut the stem diagonally about 0.5 cm above and 2.5 cm below the leaf. Both cuts should be parallel to the leaf.

5. If cuttings are made with scissors, be careful not to pinch or bruise the stem as the bruise will attract pathogens.

6. The nursery and nursery bags should be prepared as described for seeds.

7. Before putting the cuttings in the bags, water the soil until saturated. Dip the cutting (with a bud) into a rooting hormone such as auxins (available in the brand names of Rootex, Seradix) to initiate root growth.

8. Plant the cutting with the stem straight or slightly slanted so that the leaf does not touch the soil (if it does, it may become infected with disease).

9. Once the cutting is planted, align the bag with the most common wind direction.

10. Take serious care until the cuttings develop roots, as cuttings are much more fragile than seedlings before root development.

11. As soon as the cuttings are planted, spray the leaves gently with water and cover the rows of bags with a sheet of clear plastic or continue spraying the leaves until the cuttings develop roots (2-4 months after planting).

12. Bury the edges of the plastic sheet in the ground to hold in the humidity. If the humidity is adequate, the inside of the plastic sheet will be covered with droplets of water a day after planting.

13. Once the cuttings develop roots (2-4 months after planting), remove the plastic sheet for a few hours each day, during the cool part of the morning or evening. The plastic sheet should be removed for longer and longer periods each day, until after 3-4 weeks when it is removed completely.

14. Continually check the nursery to ensure that the humidity is adequate, that the cuttings are protected from diseases and insects, and that the moss that often develops on the surfaces of the containers is eliminated.

15. Once the cuttings have roots, begin monthly applications of urea or super phosphate fertiliser.

16. Spray the plants with clean water after fertilising to wash off fertiliser particles sticking to the tender leaves. any

17. Transplant in about 12 months after planting cuttings (can range from 10-20 months).

18. About four months before transplanting, start taking away the shade little by little so that the plants develop resistance to the sun. Then, remove the shade completely when it is cloudy and cool (put a little shade back when it is sunny and hot).

19. For the final 1-2 months, the cuttings should not have any shade. Do not prune plants in the nursery, because this slows down root development.

20. Take records of each activity until you transplant. Make a report and present it to the teacher for further guidance.

Transplanting Seedlings

Transplanting is the transfer of seedlings from the nursery bed to the garden where the plants will mature to harvestable age. Transplanting should be done in the evening when the weather is cool to avoid high transpiration levels in the later time of the day, if transplanted in the morning. Excessive transpiration leads to wilting of seedlings. Transplanting in the evening is preferred to morning because seedlings transplanted in the evening have longer time to establish and survive the day’s high temperatures. Use Figure 4.1.4 and Activity 4.1.6 to practise transplanting tea, cocoa and coffee seedlings.

Activity 4.1.6 Transplanting beverage crop seedlings

What you need:

Wheelbarrow or pickup car, notebook, pen

What to do:

1. In groups, prepare the garden or seedbed a month before transplanting to give adequate time for the weeds to rot.
2. Dig holes in which the seedlings will be planted after ploughing.
3. The holes should follow the recommended spacing (Arabica 2.5 m x 2.5 m; Robusta 3 m x 3 m; tea 0.6 mx 1 m; cocoa 2.5 m x 2.5 m to 5.0 x 5.0 m) of each crop.
4. Use a peg and a sisal string or rope to make straight rows where the holes will be placed.
5. Make the holes large enough to fit the seedling with the soil around the roots and give space for roots to grow freely.

6. Intercrop coffee and cocoa with shade plants like bananas, albizzia, calliandra, leucaena, glicidia, erythrina and citrus. These should be planted after every four rows of coffee or cocoa and along the boundaries of the field at a spacing of 13.5 metres apart. Plant tea seedlings in an open space for adequate exposure to sunlight.

7. Carry out transplanting at 6 months for cocoa, 8 months for coffee and 4 months when the seedling is 15-20 centimetres high for tea.

8. Transplant only seedlings that show good response to hardening off.

9. Provide enough space for the seedlings in a wheelbarrow or cart during transporting from the nursery bed to the seedbed.

10. The planting hole should be filled with organic manure or recommended inorganic fertiliser before the seedling is inserted.

11. Transplant in the evening to enable the roots of seedlings to establish before the day’s heat. 12. Insert the seedling into the planting hole and cover with top soil first and subsoil on top.

13. Create a depression around the seed to conserve water in the dry season only.

14. Mulch with dry grass, polythene or rock. Why is dry grass more preferable for mulching?

15. After transplanting, water if rainfall is unreliable.

16. Write a report to the teacher to describe how each of the activities was conducted. You can use a Microsoft word. Present your report to the teacher.

Management of a Beverage Crop Garden

After transplanting, beverage crop seedlings need care to avoid early death of plants. Transplanted seedlings may die due to environmental shock in case hardening off was not properly conducted. Adequate care is recommended if healthy seedlings that can produce optimally are to be raised. Use Figure 4.1.5 and Activity 4.1.7 to manage a coffee, cocoa or tea garden.

Activity 4.1.7 Managing a coffee, tea or cocoa garden

What you need:

Garden tools, notebook, pen

What to do:

1. In groups, carry out the management of cocoa, tea or coffee as a project during which you identify problems, collect data and search for solutions to the problems for your own crop plots.

2. Practise field hygiene practices such as weeding whenever weeds appear.

3. Apply fertilisers recommended by seed suppliers. Manures may be applied to improve soil condition and fertility. If the crops do not show nutrient deficiency symptoms, do not apply inorganic fertilisers as it may be uneconomical.

4. Cut the plant tip at the appropriate working height. 5. Control pests and diseases using a combination of cultural and

mechanical practices. Use chemicals only if pest and diseases persist.

6. Research and discuss the management practices for the crop you have chosen to grow.

7. Carry out all practices that will optimise yield like training in coffee, and pruning or tipping in tea.

8. Compare your plot with that of other groups. Which of the plots is better?

9. Use ideas from other groups or renowned farmers in your community to implement strategies for better field management. Take records that are neat and timely.

10. Write a report at the end of the project on the management practices conducted. Submit the report to the teacher.

Principles of Financial Management in Beverage Crops

Coffee, tea and cocoa are perennial cash crops. Their production involves financial Input at different stages. It is important that the farmer takes records of the finances used in the project to help him or her track the progress of his her project. How will you manage the financial resources during the production of the beverage crop? In Activity 4.1.8, practise applying financial management principles in beverage crop production.

Activity 4.1.8 Applying financial management principles in beverage production

What you need:

Notebook, pen, calculator

What to do:

1. In groups, brainstorm the stages of beverage crop production that will require financial resources.

2. Examine the costs of all the tools, equipment and materials, and services that you will need during the project life cycle.

3. Make a budget indicating the estimate of the costs of all the supplies needed for the beverage crop project.

4. Strictly, execute the budget details ensuring to keep daily records of expenditures and incomes in your diary.

5. Since cocoa, coffee and tea are perennial crops, report the expenses in the project after every six months.

6. Record the transactions, communicate findings in a report and plan for the next budgeting period.

7. As a class, make a budget for a full year for your beverage crop project.

8. Display the budget at the Agriculture learning station in your classroom.

Harvesting Coffee, Tea and Cocoa

The first harvest of coffee, tea or cocoa may appear after about two and a half to three years for improved varieties. A farmer should be able to identify the cocoa fruits, tea leaves or coffee berries that are ready for harvesting. Indicators of maturity are usually a change in colour from greenish to yellowish or reddish for cocoa, reddish brown for coffee and toughening of the leaves in tea. The plucking of mature leaves of tea is called tea picking. Use Figure 4.1.6 and Activity 4.1.9 to practise harvesting and processing coffee, tea and cocoa.

Activity 4.1.9 Harvesting coffee, tea and cocoa

What you need:

Hand gloves, gumboots, overall, bucket or basket, knife, notebook, pen

What to do:

1. In groups, wear protective gear for the coffee, tea or cocoa harvesting activities.

2. Identify the tools and equipment required for the successful harvesting of coffee, tea and cocoa.

3. Carry all equipment and tools you will need for harvesting coffee cherries, tea leaves or cocoa pods.

4. Identify cocoa pods, coffee cherries or tea leaves that are ready for harvesting. Write down the indicators of maturity of the harvestable parts.

5. Harvest all the ripe and mature coffee cherries, tea leaves or cocoa pods from one tree.

6. Notice spontaneous turning to red for coffee cherries that might be a sign of disease or pest infection.

7. Measure in kilogrammes the amount of coffee cherries harvested from one coffee plant.

8. Bulk or assemble the harvest into volumes that can be transported to the receiving point. For tea, transport to the collection point or processing factory immediately.

9. Weigh and record the quantities harvested and keep records separately if harvest is from different fields. 10. Write a report and present it to the teacher for further guidance.

Processing Coffee, Cocoa and Tea

Processing is the transformation of agricultural products into a more marketable form. Did you know that processed beverage crop products are of a higher value in the market than unprocessed products? Also, processed products can easily be exported when the local market is inadequate. How will you process coffee, cocoa and tea to benefit from the higher value of processed products? Processing coffee, cocoa and tea involves changing the raw product into a form easily usable as a beverage, such as powder or granules. Use Figure 4.1.8 and Activity 4.1.10 to practise processing a beverage crop product of your choice.

Activity 4.1.10 a) Processing coffee

What you need:

Coffee processing equipment, notebook, pen

What to do:

As a class, visit a coffee processing factory and participate in the following activities. If you alternatively watch a video or observe photographs on coffee processing, take records and demonstrate each of the activities:

1. Winnow, sort and wash the coffee seeds to remove undesirable materials like dirt, soil or rock.

2. Remove the seeds from skin or cherry by hand or pulping machine if available.

3. Ferment the pulped coffee in fermentation tanks for about 12 to 48 hours to remove the slippery mucilage before drying.

4. Remove the coffee fruit layers (pulp, mucilage and endocarp).

5. Mill the coffee beans to remove the residual layers from the dry coffee.

6. Hull to remove the parchment skin.

7. Polish to remove any silver skin that remains on the beans after hulling using a polishing machine.

8. Clean the polished beans to remove sticks, soil, rocks and chaff from the coffee beans.

9. Sort to separate coffee beans according to quality. Coffee beans can be sorted by hand or machine by colour, density and size.

10. Grade to classify coffee beans according to desirable market qualities like size (small, medium, large), origin (estate, cooperative, smallholder), climate (altitude, temperature, rainfall) and defects (immature, incompletely dried, broken, poorly fermented, mixed with chaff) depending on market demands.

11. Package the coffee beans in separate bags (jute or poly bags) according to grade.

12. Place the bags on raised platforms to prevent dampness and mouldy seeds.

13. Store the coffee beans in a leak proof store as you search for market. Why should the store be leak proof?

14. Search for quick market as overstoring leads to loss of quality of the beans.

15. Roast the coffee beans in an oven at a temperature of 23 to 25°C for 12 minutes to make the beans lose moisture, change in colour and increase in size that contributes to the taste and aroma of coffee.

16. Store the roasted beans in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and grind the required amount just before use. Ground coffee easily becomes stale and loses flavour if stored for long.

17. Write a report of the activities conducted in coffee processing. Present the report to the teacher for feedback.

Activity 4.1.10 b) Processing tea

What you need:

Tea processing equipment, video clips or photographs on tea processing, notebook, pen

What to do:

As a class, seek permission to visit a tea processing factory and participate in the following activities. If you alternatively watch a video or observe photographs on tea processing, take records and demonstrate each of the activities:

1. Wither or wilt the tea by blowing warm or cold air through the plucked tea shoots for about 12-18 hours to remove excess water from the leaves.

2. Bruise or macerate the plucked leaves by hand or by tossing and shaking the tea in bamboo trays or baskets.

3. Ferment the bruised leaves in an atmosphere-controlled room or chamber to develop taste and aroma in tea.

4. Stop fermentation or oxidation in the tea leaves by moderately heating the fermented tea.

5. Pane, steam, bake or drum roll the heated tea leaves to stop fermentation completely to get rid of unwanted smell in tea.

6. Swelter the green leaves slightly in a closed container to turn the tea from green to yellow and give yellow tea the mellow taste it has.

7. Roll damp tea leaves into wrinkled strips by hand or rolling machine to cause the tea to wrap around itself so as to improve the taste of tea.

8. Dry tea to a moisture content of 3 to 4% in a current of hot air to add to the taste of the tea.

9. Bake or cure tea to reach its drinking potential and flavour by spraying the tea with desirable aromatic compounds.

10. Classify tea according to quality or size.

11. Grade tea according to colour as green tea, yellow tea, oolong tea (between black and green), black tea and white tea.

12. Write a report to record the activities in the processing of tea. Present the report to the teacher for feedback.

Activity 4.1.10 c) Processing cocoa

What you need:

Cocoa processing equipment, notebook, pen

What to do:

As a class, visit a cocoa processing factory and participate in the following activities. If you alternatively watch a video or observe photographs on cocoa processing, take records and demonstrate each of the activities.

1. Pile wet cocoa beans, surrounded by the pulp, on banana leaves spread out in a circle on the ground.

2. Cover the heap with more leaves and leave for 5-6 days.

3. Turn the heap regularly to ensure even fermentation to make the pulp clinging to the beans mature and turn into a liquid, which drains away and the true chocolate flavour starts to develop.

4. Alternatively use strong wooden boxes with drainage holes or gaps in the slats in the base to ferment cocoa. The wooden boxes allow air and liquid to pass through. Cocoa can also be fermented in baskets lined and covered with leaves.

5. Leave fermentation to take 6-8 days during which the beans are mixed twice.

6. Dry the wet mass of beans after fermentation by spreading cocoa in the sun on mats or tarpaulin.

7. Pass the dried beans through rollers or rotating cones to crack the seeds and separate from the cotyledon during a process called kibbling.

8. Winnow to split the cocoa into its natural segments (cocoa nibs) and also separate the shell from the germ-the small pieces used to make chocolate.

9. Roast cocoa nibs in special ovens at temperatures between 105-120°C

to turn the nibs dark or brown and give chocolate its distinct taste.

10. Grind the roasted nibs in stone mills to produce a thick chocolate- coloured liquid called mass that contains 53-58% cocoa butter and cocoa liquor (cocoa particles suspended in cocoa butter).

11. Press the cocoa mass in a machine to extract the cocoa butter used in chocolate making.

12. Compress the cocoa remaining after extraction (presscake) to break it down into a fine powder for use as a beverage.

13. Write a report on the cocoa processing activities. Present the report to your teacher for feedback.

Curing, Grinding and Serving Coffee, Tea and Cocoa

Curing is the process of drying coffee, tea or cocoa to produce a beverage when the product is ground. Ground coffee, tea or cocoa is used as a hot beverage. The hot beverage can be spiced up by adding sugar to improve the taste. Did you know that ground coffee, tea or cocoa is used as a hot beverage? What activities are involved in the preparation of a hot beverage? Use Figure 4.1.8 and Activity 4.1.11 to practise roasting or curing, grinding and serving coffee, tea or cocoa.

Activity 4.1.11 Curing, grinding and serving coffee, tea and cocoa

What you need

Dry cocoa and coffee beans, grinder, water, heat source, saucepan, cup. notebook, pen

What to do:

1. In groups, partially roast the seeds or leaves provided. What is the purpose of roasting the coffee and cocoa seeds or tea leaves?

2. When the seeds or leaves slightly change colour to brown, remove from the heat source.

3. Grind the seeds or leaves using a hand operated grinder or mortar and pestle and collect the fine powder.

4. Heat water on a heat source to boiling point.

5. Put a measured quantity (about half a teaspoon) of cocoa, coffee or tea in a cup.

6. Half fill each cup with hot water. Stir and leave to cool to about 50°C or any temperature suitable for you.

7. Serve the beverage. Comment on the quality of the beverage? Record your findings and submit them to the teacher for further guidance.

Taste and Aroma Functions in Coffee or Tea or Cocoa

Tea, coffee and chocolate beverage consumption is influenced by the taste and aroma. Different people have different choices of hot beverages. However, some of the beverages are consumed due to their stimulating or pain relief effects. Use Activity 4.1.12 to describe the differences in taste and aroma functions in tea, coffee and cocoa beverages.

Activity 4.1.12 Describing taste and smell functions of tea, coffee and cocoa

What you need:

Powdered coffee, tea and cocoa, notebook, pen

What to do:

1. In groups, prepare a hot beverage of coffee, chocolate and tea.

2. Take the hot beverages taking note of the taste and aroma.

3. Complete the following table by describing the taste and aroma of tea, chocolate and coffee.

Entrepreneurial Skills In Coffee, Tea and Cocoa Production

Entrepreneurial skills are required as the first step in the production process of beverage crop. The principal entrepreneurial skills are financial management, time management, negotiation, record keeping, sales management, emotiona intelligence, risk taking, innovation and creativity. How do think beverage crop projects are managed as business investments? Use Activity 4.1.13 to practise applying entrepreneurial skills in coffee, tea and cocoa production.

Activity 4.1.13 Applying entrepreneurial skills in coffee, tea and cocoa production

What you need:

Note book, pen, camera, newsprints, marker, receipt books, invoice

What to do:

1. In groups, identify and record on a newsprint all the things you will need to establish a coffee, cocoa or tea production project.

2. Take a record of all the activities involved in the production of the beverage crop of your choice.

3. Set timelines for all the activities involved in the coffee, tea or cocon crop production project. Why do you think it is important to set timelines for farming activities?

4. Follow the budget estimates to obtain materials and equipment.

5. Follow recommended practices in the establishment and management of the beverage crop project.

6. Make an evaluation of the costs and income of and from production. What quantity of crop will you need to cover the expenses or get a better profit?

7. Establish a sales and income record to enable you monitor the progress of the project. What is your evaluation of the project’s performance?

8. Review the activities and timelines for better performance of the project together with other farm workers.

9. Record the different entrepreneurial skills required at each step in the production of coffee, tea or cocoa.

10. Make a checklist list of the characteristics of an ideal coffee, cocoa or tea farmer.

11. Evaluate yourself against the checklist. Are you an ideal beverage crop farmer? What do you need to improve to become an ideal beverage crop farmer? How will you improve? Share your experiences with peers.