Under the shade of mango and avocado trees in the Dominican Republic countryside, cocoa farmer families are celebrating a quiet revolution. Twenty-five years ago, most sold unfermented beans to middlemen at prices that barely covered costs. Today, many of those same families are at the heart of one of the world’s most successful organic cocoa stories – and this winter, that story had a party.
In December 2025, YACAO, the Dominican Republic subsidiary of Swiss organic cocoa specialist PRONATEC, marked its 25th anniversary with a celebration in Santo Domingo. Employees from across the country, members of the smallholder organisation FUNDOPO, international buyers and officials gathered not just to toast a company milestone, but to acknowledge how far the Dominican cocoa sector has come in a quarter of a century.
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“Without the high-quality organic cocoa from the Dominican Republic, Swiss chocolate would not be what it is today,” Swiss ambassador Rita Hämmerli told guests. “Behind this quality stand generations of dedicated people whose knowledge and hard work form the foundation of this success.”