Ayrlego

[ETTC Cocoa Factory] Fermentation Stage

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ETTC Cocoa Factory Collaboration

Stage One: Fermentation - Ayrlego

Stage Two: Drying - Puvel (TBA)

Stage Three: Roasting - SilentWolf

Stage Four: Grinding and Pressing - Bregir

Colonial Governor Jonathan Cooke and Ibn al'Sayeed, manager of the Montoya estate and local representative for the ETTC, return to the site of the ETTC Cocoa Processing plant. The plant is one step closer to opening, with a warehouse for the fermentation stage ready to begin operations.

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The warehouse is situated on one of King's Harbours distinctive canals. This allows for raw cocoa pods to be transported to the plant by both road and waterway. The pods are smashed open in the field next to the warehouse and the pulp which contains the beans is then transported inside in barrels. It is common for smaller plantations to complete the fermentation and drying processes before transporting the beans for processing - however most of the pods harvested on Cocovia still come from wild trees, and fermentation and drying facilities are required at the ETTC Cocoa Plant.

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The warehouse has been designed specifically for the process of cocoa fermentation. Large wooden boxes are suspended over pits. The boxes are slated to ensure that liquefied pulp can drain into the pit below and to allow maximum aeration.

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The pulp is spread into the wooden boxes in a shallow layer, again to ensure maximum aeration.

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The beans can be covered with banana leaves or sacking to conserve the heat generated during fermentation. Beans can be transferred from one box to another each day to ensure uniform fermentation and increase aeration. Fermentation time is usually around 6-7 days.

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The boxes can be removed from the pits and workers can enter to clean away the residue from the process. Channels under the building allow for the pit to be flooded with water from the canal to assist in this process.

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Well, basically it's a building for rotting beans! It's nothing very fancy, and I tried to make it as interesting as I could, but it really comes down to a building for rotting cocoa beans! :) I've tried to work some of the styles in Silenwolf and Bregir's builds into the warehouse, and I have taken the liberty of including Bregir's characters for the tour.

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The size is indeed very huge for the simple process it is. Great job trying to copy the SilentWolf & Bregir building style, but still, it breaths "Ayrlego" all over it, which is fantastic!

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Another great section!  Although it's not astoundingly unique or something - as you say, just a building for rotting cocoa beans :pir-laugh: - it's still really cool, very clean presentation and the perfect amount of texture with the profile bricks and the arches!  The slats in the crates are also a really neat detail!

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Very nice both outside and inside! I dont know exactly why but I really like the roof with those minifig bases and the black slopes :classic:

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On 7/26/2017 at 10:52 PM, Maxim I said:

The size is indeed very huge for the simple process it is. Great job trying to copy the SilentWolf & Bregir building style, but still, it breaths "Ayrlego" all over it, which is fantastic!

Thanks Maxim!

On 7/27/2017 at 4:58 AM, Kai NRG said:

Another great section!  Although it's not astoundingly unique or something - as you say, just a building for rotting cocoa beans :pir-laugh: - it's still really cool, very clean presentation and the perfect amount of texture with the profile bricks and the arches!  The slats in the crates are also a really neat detail!

Thank you Kai, the slat technique is one of my favourites! I'm probably in danger of over using it!

On 7/29/2017 at 6:35 AM, blackdeathgr said:

Very nice both outside and inside! I dont know exactly why but I really like the roof with those minifig bases and the black slopes :classic:

Thanks BD, probably because it uses up the CMF base that we all have hundreds of and which only has limited amount of usefulness!!

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The cleanness of the execution adds a lot to the build. A funny contrast to the process of rotting, but it makes so much sense. Great use of those masonry bricks all around the MOC. And I love that roof, definitely a benchmark for factories.

As you say: Really nothing fancy, but as usual - very good execution in every aspect.

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I may be a little slow in responding, but not in appreciating this build. You did an exceptional job of portraying the fermentation process. I love all the usage of the masonry bricks especially the pillars that are on the inside AND outside. The vats are really well done and I like the ideas designed around the process. The exterior is great with both the roof and the wooden roof piece looking great. Your cobblestone method is great and the random larger tile and the 1x1 studs help break up the perfectness. I shall have to use that in the future. The plants also offer a great color accent and a change from the basic colors being used. Great job on part 3, or is it part 1, or is it part 2 since the plantation is part 1....:pir_wacko:  

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I missed this when initially posted. Nice continuation of the royal factory! It has the appropriate architectural cues from the previous builds, but has some nice features of its own, such as the decorative arches at the top of the roofline. The greenery around the base of the building is nice, evoking that colonial feel. And the fermenting pits are very convincing. The process may not be exciting, but you've presented it well with a very polished build. :thumbup:

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I am going out on a limp here and will say that this is by far Corrington's most impressive Royal Factory collab yet! :pir-wink:

Wonderful installment, Ayrlego - you really managed to expand wonderfully on the hopeless subject of rotting beans! Ever since we first agreed to this collab (a year ago?), I was wondering how you would pull it off - personally I am happy I had some gears and machinery to fill out the space! :pir-grin:

The building itself is a great mix of influences from mine and Silentwolf's builds, with its own distinctive style. I like the inclusion of the canal and the greenery makes it look wonderfully orderly, like a true Corlander settlement should be! The quayside is great, I really like the brickbuilt pillars inside and out, as well as the bands of bricks in the foundation and along the roof, and the awnings (with their wonderful little brickbuilt foundations for their pillars) add a nice contrast.

The interior is fantastic too. I really like overall set up with the four separate pits, and I love how you have built in considerations like the spaced planks to allow for air and drainage, the ability to remove the boxes, and the canals for flooding.

Overall, very nice job. If I were to offer a suggestion? Hmm, for one, build more for King's Harbour :pir-wink:, and secondly, I wonder if there was some way to use space vertically? Currently, there is a lot of open air inside, but that may be by design, of course, to ensure ventilation. Perhaps several tiers or layers of boxes in a shelf-like arrangement could increase the capacity of the plant? :pir-grin:

Anyways, great work! :thumbup:

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Beautiful build as always. The roof design is clever - so much better for presentation when the whole thing can be lifted out of the way. The inner workings may be somewhat simple but it looks very good nonetheless, and I especially like the way you show several different steps in the process. And the consistent detail of the canal walls is lovely. Good work on the collab.

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