It is very surprising to find someone who doesn’t love chocolate. Just think about its aroma, the feeling in your mouth when you taste it, and the amazing satisfaction you get after eating it. I’m pretty sure you’re already craving a bite of chocolate. But what maybe you don’t know is that this delicious treat is a gift from ancient Mexican cultures to the world.
Even though other countries like Belgium claim that they were the ones who started producing chocolate, the truth is that it comes from the Aztecs and the southern pre-Columbian cultures in Mexico. Following that tradition and understanding the importance of chocolate for Mexicans and the world, two young entrepreneurs started a small business in 2015 under the name of Oaxacanita Chocolate, with the purpose of promoting social and economic growth in the Mixtec area of Oaxaca, in Mexico, one of the most important cacao-producing states in the country.
Germán Santillán, the director of Oaxacanita Chocolate, explains that they sell traditional Mexican chocolate around the world thanks to social media, as most of their sales come from Facebook and Instagram. They employ 26 people to produce the chocolate, and this has helped improve the quality of life of their families in one of Mexico’s poorest regions. They have also been working with artisans who create the packaging with palm trees, so all of the effort benefits Mexican people.
“We started producing chocolate and working with traditional cooks from the area. Chocolate in the life of someone from Oaxaca is very important, for births, weddings, parties, and daily life. We decided to use chocolate as a pretext to make a social impact in our community”, explains Germán.
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The project was recognized in 2016 by former president Barack Obama as one of the best entrepreneurships in Latin America, and in 2018, as one of the best social companies in the world by the International Youth Foundation.
Germán runs this project along with Ruth Valladares, who is happy that most of the people working on it are women who are more empowered than before, as they have developed some of their social and professional skills.
“For us, this project is our goal and it is part of our lives. We are becoming a reference of chocolate not only in Mexico but also around the world,” says Germán.
If you want to enjoy the real flavor of traditional Mexican chocolate, take a look at what Oaxacanita Chocolate has to offer.
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