SPAGnVOLAs chocolate producton business embodies Eric and Crisoire

Reids philosophy of self-determinaton. While the main ingredient of the

worlds famous confecton or beverage is cocoa and the main growers and
suppliers of that product are mainly farmers from West Africa and the
Caribbean, the beneft is not evenly distributed. Chocolate is among the
most eaten dessert and as such, is considered a lucratve business. To the
cocoa producers, however, the cocoa business as a lucratve enterprise is
all but a dream and the founders of SPAGnVOLA, Eric and Crisoire Reid
have started to challenge that imbalance.
The Reids journey to making one of the worlds best premium, dark choc-
olate is rather inspiring. In 2009, Eric told his wife that he was going to
make not only his own chocolate but the best in the world. In fact, the
Reids chocolate making enterprise came about afer bouts of frustraton
when trying to sell their cocoa beans. Out of that experience, they soon
realized how the cocoa farmers were locked out of this industry and could
only get as far as the farm gate but not beyond.
Fast forward to 2014, the resilient couple now imports 6.5 tons of cocoa
from their 400 acre cocoa farm in Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Repub-
lic. From that commodity, they produce single-estate premium choco-
lates, from bars to trufes and bonbons and other chocolate confectons.
These are manufactured at their headquarters at Gaithersburg, Maryland,
which also hosts their very frst boutque from and which these products are retailed. Their business has also been extended to
another boutque at the famous Natonal Harbor, Maryland.
Through their philosophy The best chocolate can only be produced by farmers, and over a period of about two years (2011
2013), the Reids have established partnerships in West Africa (Ondo State, Nigeria) to establish the very frst premium chocolate
factory and most importantly, to establish the very frst chocolate academy. This project is designed to transform Nigerian cocoa
farmers into chocolate makers and chocolaters. As cocoa farmers and chocolate makers, the Reids understand that the exportng
cocoa results in the exportaton of jobs, cash and wealth.
Very recently, also, the Reids signed yet another Memorandum of Understanding to establish a partnership with the Centers of
Food Security and Entrepreneurship, University of West Indies, Cave Hill Campus in Barbados. An integral component of this part-
nership is to cooperate in revolutonizing the cocoa and chocolate industries in fve Caribbean source countries, namely, Grenada,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago. Most importantly and under the auspices of the Uni-
versity of West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, the Reids will establish the frst chocolate academy in the Caribbean. .
The Reids are on a mission to enrich cocoa farmers while producing the most exquisite chocolates in the world, specifcally de-
signed for the most demanding customers YOU! We invite you to visit our factory in Gaithersburg, Maryland for a FREE tour.
Our chocolates are a piece of our land; you don't
eat it, you 'experience' it and your soul becomes part
of our land. We're not out searching for customers,
we want an extension of our family.
Natonal HarborOxon Hill, MD
181 Waterfront Street
(240) 493-4609
KentlandsGaithersburg, MD
360 Main Street
(240) 654-6972
www.spagnvola.com
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FARMERS TO CHOCOLATE MAKERS:
A TRAILBLAZING STORY by LUZETTE KING