UWI, St Augustine has further invested in the local cocoa industry, as the construction of the UWI Chocolate Couverture Factory is under way.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and campus principal Prof Rose-Marie Belle Antoine said UWI is now one step closer to fulfilling a dream that will further enhance national development.
The factory is being built at the Business Innovation Centre of the university's Cocoa Research Centre at its field station in Mt Hope.
On Monday, officials laid a foundation block at the site.
Antoine said the factory will be a "tangible mark" of UWI's commitment and service to TT and the rest of the Caribbean. Calling it a "flagship project," she said it represents the best of the university, of which she is very proud.
[caption id="attachment_1012971" align="alignnone" width="1024"] COCOA RESEARCH CENTRE: The launch of UWI Commerical Chocolate Factory at the Cocoa Research Centre in collaboration with the International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre held at the UWI Field Station Site. - Photo by Roger Jacob[/caption]
She said it will generate revenue and "speak to the bigger issues of our time" such as food security, the environment and the green agenda.
Another benefit, which she said is often overlooked, is that it will challenge the unequal trade structures between the global south and the north.
"It's not just the raw product (any more), we are upscaling.
"We hope it will go one step further and be a shining example of private-sector partnership with academia."
She said the background work leading to this factory is heartwarming, as it involved years of training others and engaging with farmers and chocolatiers.
[caption id="attachment_1012967" align="alignnone" width="609"] SPRIT OF CHOCOLATE: The launch of UWI Commerical Chocolate Factory at the Cocoa Research Centre in collaboration with International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre held at the UWI Field Station Site. Pictured is a Spirit of Chocolate chocolate bar product.- Photo by Roger Jacob[/caption]
Reaffirming that TT cocoa "holds a unique place in the world," she said the university is capitalising on the "rapidly-growing dark chocolate sector.
Currently, UWI produces Spirit of Chocolate – a 70-per-cent dark-chocolate bar – at the Cocoa Research Centre. It was first made in 2012. It uses cocoa from the International Cocoa Genebank which is along the Caroni River basin in El Carmen.
Antoine thanked the funders of the factory – the European Union (EU), TT government and Lindt and Sprungli.
[caption id="attachment_1012968" align="alignnone" width="1024"] COCOA PODS: The launch of UWI Commerical Chocolate Factory at the Cocoa Research Centre in collaboration with the International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre held at the UWI Field Station Site. - Photo by Roger Jacob[/caption]
She promised that UWI is determined to assist with agriculture and continue to work with farmers and the government, and added that it is actively seeking collaborators and investment partners from the private sector.
She said this can hel
