We have been working with cacao from Hacienda San Cayetano in Venezuela since 2017. (Find out more about the hacienda here.) Rodrigo is the son of the farm’s founder and visionary, Luis Morales. Rodrigo joined the farm in 2010 and now takes care of all the cacao and their own chocolate manufactory, which is located on the farm. I spent 10 days in Venezuela in February 2023, and I was mesmerized by the country and its people, particularly by their daily efforts. To be honest, this is exactly the motivation and the reason why I like selling chocolate: it’s the people behind the scenes and their vision to create a long-term impact. I find it difficult to put the work of Rodrigo and his family into words – in my opinion, I experienced a paradigm shift: I no longer see an image of a ‘poor’ farmer, but of someone who makes a difference, someone who creates stable jobs for Venezuelans, builds a training center for sustainable (organic) agriculture, develops high-quality chocolate products and creates a tourist destination and therefore a destination of interest and education for Venezuelans. In a nutshell: a beacon in Venezuelan agriculture. However, as nice as that sounds, this family of entrepreneurs and visionaries struggles to overcome daily challenges I can’t possibly imagine as the founder of a company: 3–4 days a week without electricity (in a chocolate factory!), limited access to markets or gasoline. Rodrigo was in Europe for three weeks to visit various chocolate fairs, and we invited him to spend three days in Zurich. We organized an event at our manufactory and a tasting in the Schwarzenbach chocolate store. Interacting both with our team and with you, our customers, is very important to us. It allows us all to understand and appreciate the quality and work behind laflor. Following Rodrigo’s visit to Zurich, we then took the TGV to Paris together to visit the Salon du Chocolats. Rodrigo and I were accompanied by Ivo Müller (laflor co-founder and responsible for purchasing our cacao and manufacturing machinery) and Sarah Kaiser (chocolatière and production). Our verdict from the Salon du Chocolats: Many new and well-known bean-to-bar chocolate makers. Highlight and recommendation for your next visit to Paris: Plaq chocolat at 4 Rue du Nil in 75002 Paris. Definitely make sure you go there! If you would like to visit Rodigo at Hacienda San Cayetano, please let me know – more trips are in the pipeline!
Rodrigo in Zurich
