Indulging in Chocolate & Supporting Developing Farming Communities in Peru

Did you know that by eating chocolate, you can support farming communities in developing countries? From cacao beans to chocolate bars—this is a value chain that provides opportunities for trade and development in cacao producing countries.

This was the subject of an event jointly hosted by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) Delegation and the Embassy of Peru in Canada. On April 5th, the event, “Cacao production in the Americas—a rewarding path to trade and development,” showcased investment, trade and development opportunities in Peru’s cacao industry and raised awareness on the role of cacao production and processing in rural livelihoods.  

Six Peruvian companies and cooperatives attended to showcase their products and discuss trade and investment prospects with Canadian companies. 

 Among them were three Uniterra program partners back in Canada to continue negotiations begun during the first trade mission in Spring 2016: Francesca Valdivia, founder and executive director of Q’uma Chocolate, Samir Giha, co-founder and CEO of Cacaosuyo, and Violeta Lozano, manager of the Oro Verde cooperative.

The delegation visited specialty boutiques in Ottawa and Montreal, met with distributors and visited the Chocolate Academy to become better acquainted with the Canadian chocolate market and develop business relationships between Peru and Canada.

Canada is among the largest consumers of chocolate in the world. The average consumption is 6.4 kg per year, or 160 chocolate bars per year per person, making us the ninth largest consumer of chocolate in the world.