Amanda had a dream and that dream smelt of chocolate. In Barlovento she could see her dream come true. This chocolate maker says that for more than twenty years her life rhymes to the rhythm of this fruit.

Text: Erika Paz (@erikapazr)

Photos: Raymar Velásquez (@raymarvelasquez)

All Amanda Gonzalez de Garcia’s life had gone by at a flower shop in Caracas, until, as fate would have it, a fertile land in the beautiful region of Barlovento appeared on her way. She and her husband had always wanted to buy some small land to “retire” when they were already tired. However, they know very little that this adventure would be called Mis Poemas (My Poems) and would give them life, as she says: “a fountain of youth.”

Her property is located on the outskirts of San José de Barlovento, which now everyone identifies by a large cocoa sculpture at the entrance of the village. There the Garcia family used to plant bananas which Amanda took for selling “with God and the Virgin” in a pickup truck. They also collected cocoa, but the sale of this product did not even cover the labour costs. In those days, along with her work on the hacienda she was doing voluntary work when she met Enrique Mendoza, who was the governor of Miranda State. Without having a second thought she said to the governor “Governor instead of selling the cocoa and taking it out, why do not we process it ourselves?” Once again fate led her to what she does today, because some months later, the regional government would activate credits to allow the locals to create factories for cocoa processing and she was among the chosen ten for the project.

How it started

It was not an easy journey, Amanda tells. In 2000, at 60 years of age she received the credit and took some courses given by the same public entity. The machinery for the factory was designed and developed by his son-in-law, who at that time also appeared as it was a heaven plan. The Agricultural Development Corporation of the Miranda State, which was responsible for motivating Barlovento producers and giving them the funds to start the cacao business, developed a copy of a Colombian model of artisanal plants. However, the result in Venezuelan soil was not the same as it had been in the neighbouring country. Then, Simón Pérez was hired as an adviser. Amanda says that he “came out badly” but as he was in love with her daughter, he never complained.

Currently, Chocolates Mis Poemas processes about 200 kilos of cocoa per week, which is turned into liqueur, tablets, chocolate powder, bonbons and even they make tea with the husks.

This producer proudly says to have 26 chocolate flavours stuffed with peanuts, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, figs, and even blueberries, which mixing and dehydration is made by her. She has learned everything from a trial-and-error approach. She learned the basics from the courses she took. Then she had to search for information on the Internet, in magazines, in seminars. What she does not say is how well she has learned the business.

Venezuela is made very proud

Amanda has represented Venezuela on several occasions with her cocoa preparations, for example in 2012 she attended the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the Department of State of United States to participate as an international visitor in Texas, in its leadership programme. She attended it as the best female entrepreneur in her country.

Every morning Amanda opens the factory and the store to receive tourists as well as distributors who come daily to bring what is made here to several supermarkets in Caracas. To put together sowing, production and tourism, she opens her hacienda to the public and hosts groups that sometimes spend all day trying to know how cocoa is processed and enjoying what can be made with this. Almost always she is the guide, who also constantly supervises the husking, grinding and tempering of chocolate. She checks that the chocolates and tablets are bright and crispy, that their shapes in the moulds are correct, that they are wrapped one by one with elegance in the fine papers of bright colours and are identified with the label indicating their stuffing.

From time to time, the chocolate maker goes out to the yard to turn over the cocoa beans from her crops to get them dry. All her harvest is used in her small business, but also she has to buy from her neighbours. Some of them began this path together with her, but were left half way on the process. Amanda says that her success has been thanks to perseverance and a lot of work, since the word “surrender” is not found in her dictionary. “It’s been a long and difficult journey, but at the same time very happy,” The secret? Garcia believes that it is within the same chocolate that makes people so happy.

Where is the magic? It is in the work that keeps very busy all those who work in this company. What’s the result? It’s the smile of those who taste her products and enjoy them, as much as she enjoys making them. “These years have been the best, I feel useful, I feel alive, I do not depend on anyone. I am very happy to realize that Venezuelans are returning to the cocoa, to want it and take care of it. Also, that they could see it as a source of work and as a way to give economic base to Venezuela.