Chocolatiers Crisoire and Eric Reid felt right at home among their new family on Dominica.
These two remarkable folks are at the top of their game. They were introduced to Washington DC area attorney Gabriel and his wife Joan Robinson Christian. The rest, as they say, is history. From the moment they touched down at Douglas-Charles Airport they have been taking Dominican farmers by storm. But more than that, it was how this couple met in the first place that touched so many hearts.
It was Eric Reid’s portfolio as an internationally successful information technology expert that had brought him on assignment to the Dominican Republic. Panamanian-born and raised in the United States, he was eager to bond with a fellow Hispanic country, also an incubator for great American baseball players. Cruising for fine pastries, he ended up at the Crisoire’s family bakery. She declined his dinner offer not uno, not dos, but three times. On their first date, Eric made it clear he wasn’t interested in marriage. And as a matter of fact, “Neither am I,” Crisoire responded.
Three weeks later, joyful wedding bells filled the air. Twenty years later they are feted in the highest circles as breakthrough indigenous producers of the world’s fine-flavoured chocolate. Their company Spagnvola founded on the mountain farms of the Dominican Republic, takes its name from the very first maps of Hispaniola. People with a taste for this exotic “food of gods,” (according to ancient Central Americans) flock to the Reid’s exquisite boutiques not too far from the White House. Fresh from helping Nigeria produce its first chocolate bars under warrant of the Governor of Ondo state, the Reids have found eager partners on the Nature Isle.
Dream materializes
Such a project was the fulfillment of every development visionary’s dream: where the people gain control of their own destiny by using science and technology to add value to their resources. The objective of Operation Cocoa Emancipation goes beyond selling our raw cocoa beans. The plan is acquire the means to create vertically integrated industries, from crop to shop. In that way, everyone benefits. This comports seamlessly with Government’s push at the highest levels for effective public-private partnerships.
Dark high cocoa content chocolate is not a mere confectionary, but a health food which enhances memory, favors good heart function and inspires a pleasant mood. It not only stimulates intimacy, but it possesses anti-cancer properties. Immediately upon introduction, Christian told the Reids of the 2008 launch of Chocolat de La Dominique at Alwen’s Promise in the lush Layou Valley of Dominica. Alberta Jno. Baptiste Christian now 85, was born there at ‘Cocoa Center.’ Her offspring now articulate that dream and carry on smartly with the notion that we can do much more with cocoa.
They found highly motivated leadership in Greg Thomas, Director of the Dominica Export Import Agency (DEXIA), Caribbean Agricultural Network (CAN) Director of Operations Errol Emmanuel and DEXIA’s lead cocoa industry liaison, Theodora Williams. Thereupon the www.caribbeanagriculturalnetwork.com team of Gabriel Christian, and long time agriculturist Francis Richards launched Phase I of their cocoa industry development mission.
The farmers gathered at Alwen’s Promise, many of whom had sold beans to the project. Then and there, they committed to form a Dominica cocoa growers association. Ministry of Agriculture officials at the meeting were present at the meeting as well cocoa farmer, and former Prime Minister Edison James who exhorted building our cocoa processing capacity.
With the support of Dense Shillingford of Machoucherie Estate, and the relentless efforts of Lister Shillingford, hundred of pounds of beans were successfully fermented and dried at the Batali Estate cocoa-curing house. The Dominica team and their US partners worked in unison even as the lapeau cabwit pulsated in Roseau over the carnival season.
This partnership aims to preserve and promote our fine flavor cocoa germplasm while encouraging young people to build a new cocoa industry for internal and international consumption. In the view of outstanding local entrepreneur Curtis Tonge, such an international partnership in cocoa industry with Spagnvola bodes well Dominica’s economy.
Love conquers all – “I’m from the Commonwealth of Dominica – not the Dominican Republic!” At some point in time, any Nature Islander travelling anywhere has had to make that distinction. Not to mention untold pieces of luggage and parcels that end up over there. However, if Crisoire and Eric have anything to do with it, whenever we mention Dominican Republic in the future, more often than not it will have to do with their vital contribution to our agricultural sector. The special affection they showed for every single cocoa bean was evident in their unwavering quest for a top quality product.
At the end of the day, here’s one thing you can be sure of: When a woman tells you she’s not interested in marriage, take that – not with a pinch of salt – but with a bite of chocolate! And also, when the women of Dominica get on board with a project, as Alberta, Joan, Theo, Lister, and others did, just standby for action! Women know a thing or two about the power of love.
So we say bravo cocoa! What great things God hath done to bring us to this moment. By prospering via industry with cocoa, that food of the God of Love, we shall yet deliver on making more peaceful and loving, this blessed island we call home.
It’s high time that we go back to the soil from which our nutrients come. This is such a great endeavour!!!I I applaud Mrs. Alberta Christian, who envisioned this cocoa to chocolate project. Sometimes it takes only one person to get the ball rolling. Now, many promising farmers will continue the tradition of our fore-parents. We have always depended on nature to provide for us in the past so we need to continue to do so by cultivating the crops that will be exported to other countries and will also be consumed by us. In that way there will be employment for many.
Once again, this is a great undertaking and I wish all involved success and gain.
PEACE
What is the connection between the story and the pictures posted ?
Representative of the ministry of finance ? The gentleman in question attended as a farmer and not as a representative of any ministry of government.
I like this and think that agriculture is still our best bet.
Great initiative. Good luck!
I’ll never forget travelling to Ghana, a reknown exporter of cocoa, years ago and learning that so many of the children had never enjoyed chocolate, because as an imported product, it was too expensive for the them to purchase. Unfortunately, it’s the sad reality that the producers of the raw materials especially in third world countries are often removed from the final product. How excited an endeavor through the partnership with CAN and Spangnvola to change that. So that when a Dominican child enjoys chocolate in the near future it would be a product they can proudly claim came from their own beloved island. May we all as Dominicans champion this major economic and historical venture ! Great job and every best wish for success to CAN and Spagnvola! Thanks for sharing Doc.
We need more entrepreneurs and risk takers in Dominica. They are now talking at OACS- meeting about production of local goods, and that a great thing , we have to do it our selves no one will help us do it, we all must speak in one voice producing enough to feed the nation and export for foreign exchange, it can be done we produce enough bananas to fill a boad For Guest so we can do it for our selves.
Great visionary , I am an optimist that we will solve most of our problems in time, coffee next. This is what you call the new Elite, the people who takes control of production. Great move educating the college kids about producing more cocoa, the world is hungry for it. There is no revenge so complete as to take control of your countrys production and feeding your people.