Life-changing chocolate in the Dominican Republic

21.07.2023 - 08:29 / roughguides.com

The Dominican Republic is acclaimed for its breathtaking beaches and warm waters — ripe for relaxation and sea-based adventures. But there's a whole lot more to this Caribbean nation besides sun, sand and sea. The Dominican Republic is also a hotspot for uplifting cultural adventures. For example, the tasty tourist experience offered by Chocal Chocolate Factory. We were delighted to hear from this female-owned, female-operated collective in response to our 'tell us your story’ initiative.

Located in hilly Palmar Grande, Chocal has been empowering women and boosting the local economy for thirteen years. Like we said, the Dominican Republic really does create chocolate that changes lives.

Playa Rincón © Go Dominican Republic

While the Dominican Republic has been a chocolate exporter for years, its cocoa industry has only recently become a source of income for women in rural communities.

Back in 2007, thirty women from Palmar Grande decided to take their future into their own hands. To that end, they set up a women’s cooperative to cultivate, process, package and sell chocolate. With that vision — and with support from non-profit organisation Fundelosa — the Chocal Chocolate Factory was born.

Since its founding, the cooperative has empowered women by creating jobs and offering opportunities to learn new skills. It also enables young women to continue their education. At the time of writing twenty-two women work in the cooperative, with the wider community also benefiting from the income it generates.

Salto El Limón, Dominican Republic © Go Dominican Republic

Easily accessed from the resorts of Puerto Plata, Chocal offers visitors a unique experience. A typical trip kicks-off with a tour of the factory. Here visitors will meet the women and see how the cacao is processed and pressed into bars. In addition, there’s an all-important opportunity to taste chocolate and make your own bar.

Nature-lovers won’t want to miss trekking the plantation’s trails. Alongside serving up stunning landscapes, rambling through the cacao trees gives further insights into the full bean-to-bar process.

Forming strong relationships with tour operators is vital to the success of the cooperative. As Chocal’s representative told us, “our interaction with the tourism industry is very dynamic. The women have a great supportive relationship with tour operators.”

Horse trekking in Santa Barbara de Samaná, Dominican Republic

In its early days, the cooperative faced the challenge of a “lack of knowledge and understanding of leadership and how to run a cooperative." This was “due to the age of the women when they joined the cooperative.They were young and so it was understandable that they lacked the work experience and knowledge.”

However, thanks