Santiago to host 5th Dominican Chocolate Festival

Santiago, D.R.- For the first time, Santiago de los Caballeros will host the 5th Dominican Chocolate Festival, the country’s largest celebration of cacao and chocolate. The event highlights Dominican culture, tradition, and the richness of one of the nation’s most emblematic products.

The festival will kick off with a prelude exhibition on August 30–31 at the Ágora Santiago Center, featuring over 16 cocoa and chocolate brands showcasing tastings, live culinary demonstrations, and sensory experiences. Sésar Rodríguez, executive director of the Dominican Environmental Consortium (CAD), emphasized that the festival offers a multisensory experience and celebrates the passion and history behind Dominican cacao.

This edition also marks the creation of the first Association of Dominican Chocolatiers (ADOCHOCO), an initiative aimed at strengthening the national chocolate sector and promoting high-quality cacao products. Dominican cocoa remains a key agro-industrial pillar, generating US$399.5 million in foreign currency in 2024, supporting over 40,000 producers and 300,000 direct and indirect jobs, and leading in organic cocoa exports recognized globally for quality and aroma.