CubaPLUS Magazine

Of the Chocolate Houses that may exist in Cuba, the one in the primate city of Baracoa has the unique charm of being located in the largest agricultural region that harvests the cocoa fruit, from which the star of the chocolates is obtained right there in a modernized industry.

Sweets that cause so much pleasure to the palates of humans from their earliest childhood, Baracoa, which is a fertile and very wild and beautiful land, seduces not only for its history, culture and unparalleled nature, but also for knowing how to sweeten anyone's life while sharing the legend, influence of the South American fruit, highly appreciated by Aztecs, in the east of this country.

The House of Chocolate or Cocoa, as some also call it, was inaugurated on August 13, 2006, dedicated to selling the sweet drink of hot or cold chocolate, along with other accompanying sweets and a kind of thick cream, with an intense flavor, called chorote, very typical of the northeastern region of Cuba. With the creation of the popular establishment, the locals saw a long-awaited dream come true, since this product has been closely linked to the life of that agrarian community, a place where indigenous communities who were the first settlers of the island settled in the past.

With the Spanish colonization, the intensive planting and reproduction of cocoa trees spread throughout the mountains of the area, closely linked to the promotion of flourishing coffee plantations, and an entire culture and very productive techniques of that industry were developed. With only 10 tables with 4 chairs each, it is a very busy place. Its supplies come from the nearby Cocoa Derivatives Company, a highly esteemed factory since it was inaugurated by the legendary Commander Ernesto Che Guevara, in April 1963.

This industry provides necessary foreign exchange for local development, and its assortment includes cocoa butter and licquor, micropulverized cocoa, solid, filled and coated chocolates, all manufactured manually and among which Rita Montaner, deceased popular Cuban artist, stands out, mixed with milk and caramelized chopped peanuts.

Today Baracoa boasts the largest cocoa plantations in the country. with a long tradition and notable knowledge in this field, both from the artisanal and popular point of view, as well as in the promotion of the chocolate industry. The Baracoa Chocolate House is assured a long and happy existence, although it is not free of difficulties. .