Today we started our day off at Sibö Chocolate Tour. They are one of the first gourmet chocolate producers in Costa Rica. It was a lot like your traditional wine tasting and not much of a tour but more interactive, but still very educational. We heard all about the history of how chocolate was first created, originated, and how it turned into the tasty treat we know today. Fun fact, it started off as a drink for adults at first. Each chocolate we tasted took us through the years of development of chocolate and had its own unique flavor. I loved every second of it!

Sibö Chocolate was founded in 2007 by Julio Fernandez Amón and George Soriano who traveled to Europe to study with chocolate masters. They decided to create a company that made chocolate but also was sustainable. For example no plastic packaging, historical tours, and maintaining it’s values and growth throughout the years. I think the relationship between coffee and chocolate is quite interesting. Because after al these site visits, I learned that both products started out as drinks. We learned chocolate was originally used for medicinal practice and mainly for adults. In addition I thought it was interesting that both products originate from a fruit on a plant. Honestly, before coming abroad it never occurred to me where chocolate was grown. But surprisingly both have beans that need to be extracted from a fruit and then ground up into finer pieces, roasted, evaporated etc.

Some challenges and risks that the chocolate supply chain faces is competition. Of course some competition is good. But small companies like Sibö Chocolate have a hard time marketing their product on a large scale. They are not as well known internationally even though the quality may be better. To remedy this issue Sibö Chocolate said they are working on social media tactics to grow awareness for their company on a global scale.

When comparing Sibö Chocolate and Britt I notice a lot of similarities. One being that they both make chocolate! And also that they focus on sustainability and creating products from local plantations. Unlike Sibö Chocolate, Britt has a large monopoly in the industry because they advertise in airports and hotels.

If I had to choose I think I would work in the chocolate industry because of all the things we’ve tried so far, chocolate is by far my favorite !