This Caribbean Fine Cocoa Conference and Chocolate Expo is the first event of its kind ever to be staged in the Caribbean and will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago this November (2010). The event will bring together practitioners, academics, researchers, farmers associations, private manufacturing companies and public sector officials from across the Caribbean - all of whom have an interest in seeing this important sector grow and develop in the region.

The Cocoa Growing, Producing and Processing Industries in the Caribbean are an integral part of rural farming communities. Countries such as Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent, Trinidad & Tobago, Dominica and Jamaica between them have tens of thousands of rural, low income farmers and workers engaged in this industry serving hundreds of thousands of dependents. Currently, despite world record prices for fine cocoa, most of this Caribbean agricultural sector is in a poor state of development.

The world price of cocoa has doubled from US$1,500 in mid-2004 to US$2,900 in mid-2008. There was an even greater increase in price (which continues to rise in the current year, 2010) for the “Fine Cocoa” product from the Caribbean. The Caribbean Region accounts for at least 5 countries of about only 9 countries globally exclusively producing this highly regarded category and market-classification of cocoa.

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