2022 Annual Results Report

SUCCESS STORY

Chocolate and Makaya Chocolat Create a Binational Chocolate Collection

A new range of chocolates burst on the scene last year co-created by Makaya Chocolat from Haiti and Definite Chocolate from the Dominican Republic (DR). The two companies have been participating in the Cocoa/ Chocolate Binational Value Chain Project which focusses on enhancing the competitiveness of companies in Haiti and the Dominican Republic operating in the cocoa sector. Master chocolatiers Ralph Leroy (MAKAYA) and Jens Kamin (Definite Chocolate) met through a best-practices mission organized by Caribbean Export which sought to facilitate the exchange of ideas and best-practices between industry practitioners. After several virtual elaboration meetings in February and March 2022, the master chocolatiers met in person in May 2022 at the Definite Chocolate’s laboratory to finalize their joint recipe and share their knowhow; from the selection of the cocoa pods to the tempering of the grains, through to the roasting and mixing of the ganache. Together they created a chocolate collection that combines the history of cocoa from both countries, while using recipes that highlight organic indigenous ingredients, such as coffee, cashews and peanuts, and common traditions. This initiative was funded by the European Union and implemented in collaboration with the Haiti Jazz Foundation and Caracoli through their Gastronomic component of the Binational Cultural Dialogue.

The co-creation of a Binational chocolate collection between a Haitian and Dominican company is the first of its kind. The two countries share the same land space of the Hispaniola Island which has the indigenous name also known as ‘Quisqueya’ and believed to mean “mother of all lands” in the Taíno language.

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Annual Results Report - 2022 | Transforming to a Greener, Smarter, Resilient Caribbean