The Dominican Republic

San Francisco de Marcoris
19°19’12.1”N
70°16’24.9”W

In 1984, a group of 45 farmers in the San Francisco de Marcoris area decided to form a cooperative so that they themselves could export the cocoa they grow. Thanks in part to help from Germany, the cooperative quickly started exporting its Fairtrade and Organic certified cocoa. 

IMPROVING LIVING CONDITIONS

Since 2017, COOPROAGRO and Valrhona have been working together closely on a long-term basis, the aim being to improve cooperative members’ living conditions. Our collaborative efforts center around producing a high-quality cocoa called Hispaniola. “In order to take the partnership a step further, in 2023 Valrhona will finance its first community projects with the cooperative. The needs of those producers have been ranked through a voting system that has included every member.”

COCOA TRACEABILITY

In 2023, Valrhona is funding a project to map the plots of producers who deliver cocoa to Valrhona. Once this work has been finalized, we will be able to state with confidence that our cocoa doesn’t come from protected areas.

COOPROAGRO cocoa

2017 Partnership signature

Length of partnership : 10 years

Cooperative Type of organization

3194 Producers

36 experimental plots

created with 23 producers in the regions of Duarte, San Cristobal and Espaillat

4 innovative models

Agroforestry systems