Press Release

The World Chocolate Fair: an opportune showcase to exhibit and promote Haiti’s exquisite cocoa

30 October 2024

Caption: Worker in cocoa fermentation centre, Anse d'Hainault, Grande Anse, Haiti
Photo: © ILO Haiti

Project to Strengthen Agricultural Opportunities through Training and Technological Investment (P.R.O.F.I.T.) / Participation of a Haitian delegation at the World Chocolate Fair

From October 30 to November 3, 2024, Haitian cocoa will be proudly represented at the 29th edition of the Salon Mondial du Chocolat to be held in Paris, Porte de Versailles. With the support of the International Labor Organization (ILO) through the PROFIT project funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, several players in this sector such as –, KALEOS S.A., KAÛNA CHOCO, the Association of Women in Solidarity of Dame-Marie (AFESDAM), the Platform of Agricultural Cooperatives of Grande Anse (PLACAGA), AZAKA, GEONOVA – will travel from the Caribbean to exhibit and sell cocoa products and their derivatives, and to demonstrate the wealth and opportunities associated with this crop.

These partners, operating at different levels of the value chain, are joining forces and speaking with one voice to promote Haiti’s delicious cocoa with its unique flavours. They will also deliver the message of resilience and hope of producers who are courageously investing in the sector, despite the colossal challenges facing Haitian agriculture. At the World Chocolate Show, ILO partners will showcase their expertise in cocoa cultivation and processing into cocoa products; they will also talk about the innovative elements they have brought to breathe new life into this sector. Such efforts have enabled Haiti to obtain fair trade certification on several occasions.

The PROFIT project will highlight the efforts made to offer traders fermented cocoa that guarantees fair and decent income for producers. Partner companies will also present, exhibit and offer for tasting cocoa from the rich and particular terroir of Haiti, which, once processed, offers the most exotic and refined flavours. It will also discuss the technology now integrated into the management and structuring of the sector, through the implementation of a logistics intelligence system that allows the georeferencing of plots and producers. This guarantees the transparency of the value chain and the reliability of the traceability system as well as obtaining data in real time. This data makes it possible to analyse and assess the state of the value chain in order to make the right decisions. Capacity building for agricultural service providers, the involvement and empowerment of women, as well as producer cooperatives will also be highlighted to demonstrate this resilience in a country often marked by crises and natural disasters.

This participation of Haiti in the Salon Mondial du Chocolat highlights the potential and the many opportunities of Haiti in various fields, in particular agriculture. It gives rise to the hope that actors with diverse skills and experiences can unite in all spheres of society to contribute to establishing practices that bring sustainable change in the lives of populations.


Attached: Brochure of Haiti's participation in the Salon (About PROFIT and participating companies)

Ariel Pino

Ariel Pino

ILO
Country Coordinator
pino@ilo.org
Mr. Ariel Pino became Coordinator of the International Labour Office in Haiti in November 2022. Between 2016 and 2022, he held the position of Social Protection and OSH Specialist.

In this role, it provided expert advice and guidance on the application and implementation of international labour standards, guidelines and codes of practice relating to social protection and OSH in order to formulate legislation, national policies and plans on the effective implementation of social protection systems, including respect for occupational safety and health at the national and subregional levels.

It has provided policy advice and technical assistance to government authorities and social partners in the Caribbean region on the design and implementation of policies, strategies, programmes and mechanisms to extend the safeguards included in the Social Protection Floors Recommendation (No. 202). 2012, the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102), and other ILO Conventions relating to social security.

In 2014 and 2016, Ariel worked as a Regional Coordinator for the International Social Security Association. In this position, he: (i) Strengthen relationships with ISSA members and regional organizations in the Americas and Africa in order to provide high value to members, retain and grow the number of ISSA members; (ii) Coordinate the development of the ISSA regional structures in the Americas and Africa regions, as well as the establishment and implementation of work plans for each of these structures, in order to ensure the regional dimension of ISSA activities, in accordance with the needs expressed by constituents in these regions; (iii) To advise and support the Secretary-General on strategic and political aspects of relations with constituents in the Americas and Africa, as well as on political and planning issues with a regional dimension; (iv) Manage the organization of the ISSA Regional Forums on Social Security for the Americas and Africa.

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