Moruga prepares for Cocoa and Coffee Festival

CHOCOLATE lovers can look forward to the different flavours of locally brewed chocolate at the upcoming two-day Cocoa and Chocolate Festival (CCF). The much anticipated annual festival is taking place at the National Cocoa and Chocolate Museum, Rock River Hill, Moruga from May 25-26.

The event’s chief coordinator, Eric Lewis, said the festival continues to attract a lot of people from TT and the Caribbean.

“For the past two years, we hosted a number of cocoa and chocolate sellers from south and central.” The festival, Lewis said, is all about the culinary delights prepared with the finest cocoa and coffee from Moruga and other parts of the country. One of the specialties at the festival, the Moruga Chocolate Rum, remains a main attraction.

“There are many ways in which chocolate can be prepared including cakes, drinks, foods and cosmetics,” Lewis said. The CCF hopes to bring a number of these products to locals visiting the festival.

Lewis said the cocoa grown in TT is being exported to chocolatiers in Europe and other part of the world while a percentage is used to produce chocolate-based sweets and foods here. “One cannot escape the original scent of TT’s freshly roasted and ground chocolate which is used to make hot and cold beverages on the spot.”

According to Lewis, the museum will showcase a number of artifacts from the cocoa plantations dating back to just over 100 years. Also known as the heritage complex, the museum houses the plantation scene with cocoa huts, managers’ quarters, barracks, stables, cocoa and coffee factory, stone walls, a wishing well, and a 106 year old water cistern.

The museum, Lewis said, also has an archival collection of over 100 books that dates back to the early 1900's about the day-to-day functions of the estate. One can also look forward to a photo collection of cocoa plantations of the 1800s.