UWI St Augustine has staged the symbolic foundation laying for The UWI Chocolate Factory. The event took place on April 24 at the International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre (IFCIC) of the Cocoa Research Centre (CRC), at the University Field Station in Mt Hope.
CRC has received partial funding from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, through the public sector investment programme, to establish a chocolate factory on a 10-acre parcel of land within the University Field Station. This chocolate factory will be a subsidiary company within IFCIC.
Present at the occasion were Senator Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Ric Javed Ali, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries representing Agriculture Minister Senator Kazim Hosein, and European Union Ambassador Peter Cavendish. Campus Principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Director of the Cocoa Research Centre Professor Path Umaharan, members of the Diplomatic Corps, representatives from the public and corporate sectors, and cocoa industry stakeholders were also at the event.
Since its inception in 1930, CRC has focused its work around three mandates: conservation, research, and development. The UWI’s current strategic thrust towards revenue revolution has led the CRC to include commercialisation of cocoa. The IFCIC is an innovation ecosystem that includes technology incubators, business incubators, a model cocoa orchard and a ‘Chocolate Academy for courses to support bean-to-bar enterprises. Future plans for IFCIC include a cocoa museum; a cocoa tourism centre and a restaurant, and a bean-to-bar tour to support agrotourism.
The factory will be equipped for chocolate-making and the manufacturing of a range of products such as couverture, cocoa liquor, cocoa nibs, and chocolate. The construction of the factory is expected to be completed and commissioned in January 2024.
