Text and photos: Juan David Latorre
Yesterday, the Embassy of Venezuela organized a tasting of its Chocolate&Café at the headquarters of Casa América, with the presence of the Venezuelan ambassador, Gladys Gutiérrez Alvarado, and the general director of Casa América, León de la Torre.
“In the name of this house, introduced the director of Casa America, it is a pleasure to welcome you to this meeting organized by the Embassy of the Republic where we are already enjoying since we passed here through the corridors, and you smell this wonderful coffee and when you taste it with some chocolate, the truth is that it’s a great moment of life. We gather in this hall of ambassadors to walk through a story that is cultivated, smelled, tasted and shared. A story that has shaped territories, communities and ways of life, and continues to evolve in dialogue with the challenges we face today.”
“Venezuelan coffee, grown in high altitude areas, comes from China and other parts of the world where the quality of both cocoa and coffee is highly recognized and valued. And with them, a rural economy is also developing which has created links between generations and landscapes. Venezuela is also a key territory in the history of cocoa”, continued León de la Torre.
Ambassador Gladys Gutierrez took the floor and asked, “How are Venezuelan coffee and cocoa? Cocoa and Venezuelan coffee are the result of cycles of agricultural installation, communication between families, producers and rigid geographical and climatic conditions that give both products special characteristics. Our coffee has conquered an international status. Similarly, our cocoa has been internationally renowned as one of the most well received in the world. These two products are emblematic”.
The first coffee beans in Venezuelan lands arrived in the middle of the 13th century from the Antilles. It quickly adapted to the Andean mountains, becoming one of the most important crops in the country during the 19th century and an essential part of its agricultural identity.
Despite the economic challenges and changes in the global market, the coffee sector continues to show potential both in the production of green coffee as well as its roasted and milled. There is a strengthening of the quality and traceability of coffee, a promotion of high-end products and an enhancement of the characteristics of beans grown on Venezuelan lands.
