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UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 14 OCTOBER, 2018
AGRIBUSINESS
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 CRCDirector, Professor Path Umaharan,
who spoke with UWI Today during the two-day
festival on September 28 – 29.
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 fromprimary
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
WORLD COCOA DAY
sees massive growth
By
Zahra Gordon
Zahra Gordon
is a poet, freelance writer and communications lecturer
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 andmost 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.
Chocolate sweets made by Cocobel.
Delicious chocolate gelatos from Ciao Café.
Jewelry made from cocoa products.
Café Mariposa makes all manner of cocoa infused treats.
Creamy skin-care soaps, lotions and masks using cocoa products.
