By Yuly Carreño
For these unexpected twists of fate, life has led Marisela Urbina and her daughter Marisel Pacheco to a magical and enchanting journey of flavours with smell and taste of chocolate. Get to know the history of these chocolate makers from Puerto Ordaz, Bolivar state.
The adventure began a few years ago, when Marisela’s mother travelled to Peru, her native country. One of her relatives taught him how to make chocolates, and as it usually happens with this divine delicacy, she fell in love with it.
Her grandmother was fascinated. She passed on her knowledge to Marisela, and from that moment on, the chocolate taste remained indelible in the family’s palates. They began to elaborate it in special occasions and to satisfy their increasingly frequent whims for the popular delicacy.
Marisela had always been attracted by chocolate, thus, she united to that interest, what she had learnt in her studies in Hospitality Management at the Simón Bolívar University in Caracas.
Thus, in addition to bolster her inclination for customer service in the gastronomic area, she trained with professor Rosa Spinosa, an expert in cocoa training programmes at above cited university and also, by Maria Fernanda Di Giacobbe, a recipient of the Basque Culinary World Prize, two authorities on cocoa and chocolate in Venezuela.
Bonbons with taste of Venezuela
In the end, in 2013 mother and daughter decided to dedicate themselves to this business and Bombones Cocoa was established with the intention of making homemade chocolates with typical flavours made with 100% Venezuelan cocoa. They started testing with cardamom and rosemary. Then, they began to show their products at a small fair of artisans and entrepreneurs which allowed them to exchange experiences and initiatives.
But the true explosion of flavours occurred with the creation of the bonbon “via Upata”, which they prepared for the event “Guayana Sabe Bien” held in Puerto Ordaz., because they wanted to show a typical flavour of this southern region of Venezuela.
“From then on, there is a chocolate that has remained, people like and recognize,” Marisela says, noting that this delicious combination of catalina (some kind of sweet Venezuelan biscuit) and Guyanese cheese is the brand emblem.
In addition to chocolate, which they buy from Chocolates El Rey, creativity is another key ingredient of Bombones Cocoa. Innovating, testing with a particular flavour and tasting (the most enjoyed aspect by other family members) are common daily tasks for these enterprising women.
Today they have created more than 30 flavours, some traditional and some more audacious, but always prepared to surprise and delight the insatiable appetite of chocolate lovers. Passion fruit, sweet pepper, sarrapia, katara, jaggery with lemon, pesto and tomato, coconut, turmeric, cream punch, black cake, mojito, Nutella (chocolate spread), strawberries with balsamic vinegar, strawberries with cream, chicha, mulberry, candied oranges, cherries with rum , are part of the succulent and chocolaty list.
Hence, it is not a simple bonbon, behind each of these exquisite varieties, there is a unique piece, an image, a personality and a story, as Marisela explains it: “Through the bonbon Vía Upata, for example, we wanted to convey the experience of going down the road and seeing the artisans who offer us the catalina and cheese. In turn, the mental image is like a mixture of milk chocolate with dark chocolate, a remembrance of the union of the Orinoco and Caroni rivers. “
Taste beyond borders
Celebration dates such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or Christmas are special for ordering these delicious bonbons. This captivating proposal has also been an incentive for those Venezuelans who live abroad and not only miss the arepas and typical Venezuelan dishes, but also that taste and aroma of chocolate traditionally made with the best cocoa in the world.
Venezuelan weddings abroad are special events where Bombones Cocoa has stood out by its distinctive mixtures. “Several mothers have made contact with us because their daughters when get married want a gift that reminds them of Venezuela. Also, some friends who have left, ask us to send them their box of bonbons when some of their relatives visit them.”
Dissemination of cocoa
By making these bonbons Marisela Pacheco has developed the customer service area which she is passionate about. “I like to interact directly with people, ask questions to them, talk to them. Each person has a different taste, some like to experiment and others are more traditional in their choices” she says enthusiastically, adding that closeness has allowed her to communicate information on Venezuelan cocoa, a topic that “still needs more knowledge and dissemination”
“In addition to believing that we have the best cocoa in the world we must also act accordingly. It is useless to know that and keep it for ourselves. It is necessary to develop a campaign not only for people in the world, but for all Venezuelans, for us to know the benefits and the variety available in the zones. That gives a great diversity to the grain and allows it to be enhanced.
“Like others involved in the cocoa business, Marisela insists on the benefits of the native fruit as a strategic commodity for the national economy, in relation to oil prices drop, as the main foreign currency source.
“We have the best cocoa in the world, but it is necessary to know it, to exploit it and to spread it. When people begin to do that, it will begin to care for it. There are several examples of countries like Ecuador, Peru or Colombia that are dedicated to promoting their cocoa. Sometimes we start to value what is ours once we see it in our neighbour ” she states.
Good cocoa, better chocolate
In the search for chocolate suppliers for their chocolates, the creators of this sweet initiative emphasize the importance of taking care of good practices in processing cocoa, keeping in mind that the quality of chocolate depends on them.
They are not exempt from the difficult economic situation that affects Venezuela today. Hence, they do not dismiss the opportunity of reinventing themselves by diversifying their production.
They have already made chocolate bars with nuts and candied oranges. Also biscuits, maxi bonbon filled with marshmallow and in the Christmas season the popular panettone in its original version and, of course, chocolate version.
In the long run they would like to expand beyond the Venezuelan borders and create a chocolate with its own label. They also dream of opening a mega chocolate shop to offering a great variety of flavours and put Venezuela on the map for making good chocolate. Judging by their ingenuity shown so far, we do not doubt that they can achieve it.
From Vivaelcacao.com we applaud this type of initiatives that with effort and perseverance manage to motivate us to build a better country. The country of work and progress! And without any doubt, the country of the best cocoa in the world!.
