Dominican Republic cooperative, Conacado

In September 1998, hurricane George landed on the Dominican Republic. What was once a luxuriant forest land was no more than a barren land.

Conacado members faced the challenge and decided to invest the surplus drawn from Fair Trade in the construction of cocoa-trees and fruit-trees nursery gardens. They could reforest the devastated areas and rebuild there farms.

Generally, Dominican Republic cocoa doesn't have a good reputation on world markets. Hence, farmers always got below-average prices for their cocoa. One of Conacado’s foremost objective was quality improvement.

Conocado successfully improved quality by focusing on fermentation techniques. Cocoa bean fermentation is a crucial process; the chemical reactions give the aroma and flavor sought for chocolate. A substantial increase in cocoa bean quality allowed Conacado to get better prices and attract new customers to the Dominican cocoa market.

Fair Trade encourages sustainable farming techniques. First, cocoa plantations are under tree cover. Cacao trees are often planted with other fruit trees, such as banana trees, that provide both food and an additional source of revenue for the families. Co-operatives use organic methods when it comes to fertilization and crop pest control. Conacado trains its members to use organic, sustainable and healthy techniques to protect the environment, workers and consumers.

Organic cocoa is also more profitable, since it is sold at a higher price than conventional cocoa.
With 60% of its production now organic, Conacodoa has become a leading supplier of organic Fair Trade cocoa.