Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine February 2017

Nestled in the coastal hills of Grenada’s northwestern
parish of St. Mark is Crayfish Bay, 13 acres of
rainforest that is home to Grenada’s first and only
single-farm certified organic tree-to-bar chocolate production.
Ten years ago, current owners Kim and
Lylette Russell found the land and the plantation
house, built in the 1800s, in complete ruin. In the
decade since, they have managed to rebuild the original
home, construct a workspace and production
building, and revitalize the land. In their first year they
harvested 800 pounds of “wet” cocoa (i.e. unprocessed
beans); this year they reached 16,000 pounds. With
the land in the control of the farmers, Kim and Lylette
are empowering the people of Crayfish Bay while producing
some of the best chocolate on the island.
ALL ASHORE…
A TASTE OF
CRAYFISH BAY
by Lexi Fisher
into debt. These items in turn give them another
source of income.” In addition, the farmers are free to
grow anything else of their choosing on the land, as
long as it follows organic principles and doesn’t interfere
with the cocoa or nutmeg. “During the off season
they make enough money to get through by selling the
produce which they grow amongst the cocoa… this
produce, mainly bananas, provides shade and water
for the young cocoa plants, and nutrients when they
While Kim is the heart of Crayfish Bay, Lylette is the
soul. She tempers the chocolate by hand in mixing bowls
(a process that is necessary for the chocolate to harden
correctly), a process that currently takes about eight
hours per batch. They are now fundraising for a tempering
machine (something Kim couldn’t build himself that
would speed the process to about 30 minutes) as well as
larger, faster grinders to keep up with demand. Their
chocolate is currently available for purchase only in
Grenada, at The House of Chocolate and other local
boutiques. While Kim and Lylette have no aspirations to
export finished bars, they are interested in transporting
them via sail power to other nearby islands.
If you’re interested in learning more about cocoa,
staying in one of the Crayfish Bay guest houses, or
visiting the estate (it is accessible by bus), contact Kim
and Lylette at crayfishbayorganics@gmail.com, (473)
442-1897 or via www.crayfishbay.com.
CHRIS DOYLE (ALL)
Kim, originally from England, found himself anchored
off Carriacou 27 years ago with three young children
aboard a Colin Archer-style Dutch steel monohull. The
kids, deciding they wanted a formal education, were
enrolled in school ashore. There they remained until
the late 1990s when the kids went off to university and
Kim returned to England to work as a coal and diesel
merchant on the canals. Quickly disenchanted with
the culture of consumption, Kim returned to the
Caribbean and stumbled upon Crayfish Bay. His partner,
Lylette, was born and raised in Guyana, after
which she spent several years in St. Lucia, before
finally settling in Grenada.
Initially a French sugar plantation and molasses factory,
Non Pareil (now Crayfish Bay) was converted by
the British into a cocoa estate in the 18th century.
Severely damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, it sat
derelict until Kim and Lylette found it in 2007. They
learned about cocoa production from local farmers,
and as a self-taught engineer, Kim built almost all the
necessary machinery himself from as much scrap and
recycled material he could find. His pride and joy is the
cocoa roaster, which he claims is the Caribbean’s (if
not the world’s) only commercial roaster that is heated
entirely by charcoal. After becoming certified organic
they started exporting nibs (bits of roasted cocoa
bean), and only a few short months ago began producing
finished chocolate in the form of 75-percent bars
and cooking blocks.
Although Kim and Lylette own the land, almost complete
control of it is in the hands of two local farmers.
They are not paid wages, but receive 90 percent of the
highest price available for “wet” cocoa. The other ten
percent is put towards operating costs. According to
Kim, “This results in them receiving large blocks of
money, which allows them to invest in items such as
household stuff, cars, boats, etcetera, without going
Clockwise from top left:
Cocoa pods — the old under the new
Kim shows off his charcoal-fired cocoa roaster
Lylette hand-tempering the chocolate
[are] harvested, so it’s a win-win situation for all.”
At Crayfish Bay nothing is wasted. Even the pieces
of cocoa too small to be sold as nibs, commonly discarded
as waste, are packaged and sold as drinking
cocoa. The equipment was rebuilt from as much recycled
material as possible. The wooden railings of the
small guesthouse sag with the enduring droop of
rejected department-store timber. The second, larger,
guesthouse, also built from reclaimed materials, is
perched above one of the plantation’s many natural
springs and has an incredible ocean view. Both guesthouses
are available for rent to those looking for a
getaway off the beaten track.
FEBRUARY 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 29