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October 2018
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The festival’s growth allowed CRC not only to showcase more vendors, but to add entertainment, such as performances by the N9 Dance Company and even a cocoa-inspired fashion show featuring jewelry made from cocoa shells and nibs. Youth outreach was another major feature this year. Although the expo is usually open to school visits, this was the first year the CRC hosted a nation-wide school cocoa cooking competition. This was also the first year that AGRIman – the food security superhero created by the NGO WhyFarm – made an appearance. AGRIman engaged students from primary and secondary schools through interactive chocolate production lessons. However, the highlight of his engagement was an extempo competition. Students were tasked with changing the lyrics to Machel Montano’s “Like a Boss” to reflect what they learned about cocoa production and their love for chocolate. The competition sparked uproarious cheering among students and the winner was awarded dark chocolate from Montanos’ Chocolate Company Ltd. Montanos’ is one of many local businesses founded within the past few years focused on creating value-added products using local cocoa. The industry has flourished as a direct result of CRC interventions. CRC began training chocolatiers nine years ago after recognizing that most of the revenue from local cocoa was made outside of Trinidad and Tobago. “The Cocoa Research Centre has trained nearly 250 chocolatiers, and of those, about 40 have start-up companies,” said Umaharan. He added that it was important for T&T to stimulate development within this industry, particularly because of the quality and wide variety of locally grown cocoa. Jenson Alexander of Jenson Enterprise is one of the cocoa farmers who trained with CRC. After completing the CRC programme, he furthered his studies in Israel and the US, and now has a unique, decorative line, Hilen’s Chocolates. Alexander’s display at the expo showcased chocolate stilettos, sneakers and even garden tools. This was the first time Alexander participated in the expo as a chocolatier. “I want people not just to enjoy the taste of chocolate, but to see the art of it,” he said. Alexander isn’t the only vendor who shared a love for the art of chocolate. Many vendors like Gina’s Chocolates and the Trinidad & Tobago Fine Chocolate Company had decidedly artistic blends, mixing dark chocolate with pink grapefruit, passion fruit and most excitingly, Scotch Bonnet pepper. There was cocoa wine and Ponche de Creme from Tamana Mountain Chocolate; chocolate tamarind sauce from Cafe Mariposa; and chocolate samosas from Svadisa Creations. Tea company Twigs Naturals used the event to launch a new line: their Gold Series teas now feature a lemongrass cocoa tea made with Trinitario beans. Svadisa chef, Ameera Mohammed Ali, said the food innovations were indicative of a thriving industry. “We get our cocoa from a farm so the chocolate sauce is farm-to-table. We support farmers and then people support us, so there’s a lot happening with cocoa locally. We actually came up with the chocolate samosa recipe for another event and the response was really positive,” she said. According to Umaharan, the World Cocoa and Chocolate Day exhibitors demonstrated that innovation doesn’t take place in academia, but in the hearts of people.
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This year’s seventh annual World Cocoa and Chocolate Day Expo, hosted by the Cocoa Research Centre (CRC), was the largest ever. In just one year, the expo has grown from 25 to 60 exhibitors, forcing organisers to move from a much smaller venue – the JFK Auditorium at The UWI – to the expansive Sport and Physical Education Centre on campus. This is according to CRC Director, Professor Path Umaharan, who spoke with UWI Today during the two-day festival on September 28 – 29. 