Come meet a cacao farmer and a staff member of CONACADO cacao co-op in the Dominican Republic who will share their history. In 1988, the cacao industry in the Dominican Republic was dominated by four major exporters. Most Dominican cacao production was low quality, unfermented beans shipped to the United States at low prices. Seven hundred small-scale farmers came together to form CONACADO with the goal of producing a higher quality cacao, directly accessing new markets, and getting better prices. Over 20 years later, this small-farmer organization now has 10,000 farmer members who produce approximately 25% of the cacao exported from the Dominican Republic. The co-operative's success in quality improvement and marketing means that the majority of their cacao has been sold as high quality fermented beans, primarily to niche markets: Organic, Biodynamic, and Fair Trade.

Ramón Matías Frías González is a cacao producer and Secretary of the Board at CONACADO. Basilio Almonte de los Santos is an agronomist and Technical Director at CONACADO’s office in Santo Domingo. They will be joined by members of Equal Exchange, a local Fair Trade organization and proud partner of CONACADO.

Chocolates and cocoas featuring organic and Fair Trade cacao from CONACADO’s farmers will be served!

Co-Sponsored by Equal Exchange and Fair Trade Boston