TRANSCENDING ORIGIN

Chocolate is one of the most consumed foods in the world, originally as a drink, and later as pastries, in gastronomy and as a candy. Chocolate has transcended through the history of man, but its origin is proudly Tabasco. From that pride arises the “Festival del Chocolate Tabasco”, which since 2010 has been promoting the management of knowledge of this ancestral grain. The 12th Chocolate Festival grows and brings new experiences that will undoubtedly make this the largest in its history, it will take place in an area of 13,000 square meters and 2,000 square meters of gastronomic area and the incorporation within the festival of the ShowCase Mexico and Mayan World Showcase. In addition, there will be the certification program of the “International Institute of Chocolate & Cacao Tasting”, with its Level 1 and Level 2 courses. For the first time in Mesoamerica, Level 3 will be held during the Festival, and for the first time in the world level 4 which will be called Origin.

THANK TO OUR SPONSORS

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHOCOLATE AND CACAO TESTING

ICCT is an accredited study center in the United Kingdom, dedicated to training professionals in cocoa and chocolate tasting with an emphasis on sensory analysis. The Institute, founded in 2014, grants certificates for each of its courses and has more than 1,500 students from all over the world. They come from different worlds: chocolatiers, pastry chefs, chefs, journalists, farmers, scientists, sommeliers, baristas, as well as chocolate lovers. This year the 12th Tabasco Chocolate Festival will host this certification program. In this course, the participants specialize as fine chocolate and cocoa tasters, the institute brings together experts in the field to learn more about chocolate. This time it will be Dr. Maricel Presillas, and she offers the first accredited qualifications in the world with levels 1 and 2, along with the festival level 3 will be presented for the first time in Mesoamerica. Topics: What is fine chocolate, Training the senses to taste chocolate, Understanding and tasting defects in cocoa and chocolate, The origins and varieties of cocoa, Cultivation and production of cocoa, How chocolate is made, Direct purchase, sustainability and ethical aspects, Study guide, Official certificate.

HONOR GUEST

This year we will have the honor of having Italy as the guest country, a country world famous for its chocolate and products that have crossed borders, famous for its chocolates and its chocolate cream, the latter, made for the first time in Turin by the master pastry chef Pietro Ferrero in 1946 and what we know today as Nutella. Another emblematic city of Italian chocolate is Perugia, known throughout the world for the famous “Baci” bonbon, made with chocolate-covered hazelnuts like a fortune cookie. Perugia is also famous for its “Eurochocolate” festival, an event of great tourist attraction that captivates more than a million visitors to taste the creative varieties of the most important artisan and industrial manufacturers in Italy and the world. In its 2022 edition, Mexico, specifically Tabasco, was invited to this event where we were recognized as “The homeland of cocoa and cradle of chocolate.” All these delicacies and knowledge of the subject will be present at the Tabasco Chocolate Festival 2023

SHOWCASE

The 12th Chocolate Festival brings new experiences and events such as the Showcase Mexico and the “Mundo Maya” Showcase, an event that will bring together the 32 states of the republic and the 5 countries of the “Mundo Maya” to expose their tourist destinations, gastronomy, handicrafts and producers of cocoa and chocolate, inviting their representatives to participate, not only as exhibitors, but also as judges and participants in conferences and tastings. The festival provides the invited state with a courtesy stand, so that within their area they can exhibit all their products and services, and their universities with gastronomy careers will compete in the “Chocolate Promises” program, with the invited state participating in the cultural exchange of chocolate and tourism in Mexico.

BANK OF CACAO

Did you know that… cocoa became a currency for transactions or barter, and there was a designated storage place called “Casa del Cacao”? Remembering our origins, the Bank of Cacao” arises, which invites children and adults to learn in an experiential way, the historical and tourist value of this ancestral tropical fruit. In this place you can experience and recreate the ancient commercial practice of Barter, so when you visit the Chocolate Festival, Eat Local! and acquire your cocoa beans with participating cocoa farmers to exchange them at the Bank of Cacao” for exclusive items. Besides, if you are interested in tasting the best cocoa beans from Tabasco, you can access our Vault, where we will have cocoa from different producers and regions of the State in safekeeping.

RESULTADOS 2022

THE 5 DIMENSIONS OF THE FESTIVAL

Producers

Better practices
Production increase
New techniques
Networking
Organic production
Recovery of the Domesticated Forest concept (Agroforestry)

Post-Producers

Better practices
Cocoa Grijalva
New techniques and technologies
Organic processes
Networking

Chocolatiers

Innovation
Cocoa Grijalva
Brand value
Tabasco essence
New techniques and technology
Networking

Gastronomy

New dishes
Rewarded innovative chefs
Headquarters of gastronomic innovation with cocoa and chocolate
Innovative gastronomy schools

Tourism

Main tourist destination for cocoa and chocolate in the world
Visits and experiences in the field and the farms that relate to the five senses in the Route from Cacao to Chocolate
Networking Organic Production

FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES

Chocolate Lounge

Everything there is to know about chocolate gathered in this room, where there will be conferences, demo-conferences and conversations given by chefs and specialists from the chocolatier world.

Cocoa Lounge

From sight, smell and taste knowledge is born. In this room you will be able to learn about the different products derived from cocoa, by the hands of experts who will guide you in the world of chocolate.

Cavacao

In this space, participate in the tasting of chocolates, wines and cheeses, attended by the hand of a guest chef who will tell you about its characteristics and ingredients to the rhythm of live music.

Chocolate Promises

Meet the new promises of gastronomy in this room; a space destined for gastronomy universities, where they will develop culinary activities with dishes made with chocolate.

Chocolatiers

Tabasco cocoa and chocolate is presented in an exhibition room where you can find more than 120 cocoa and chocolate exhibitors as well as a diversity of tourist products and services that the State offers

Taste of Tabasco

Tabasco through its gastronomy. Enjoy the autochthonous cuisine of the Yokot'an, Zoque, Olmec and Mayan cultures through its traditional cooks and its pre-Hispanic dishes made in the smoke kitchen.

Sensory Experience

Enjoy a spectacle of images, lights and sound in a sensory experience, through a trip to the world of cocoa from pre-Hispanic Tabasco, learn about the processes and how the ancestral drink came to light.

Memorable Experiences

Get to know all the wonders that Tabasco has to offer through its 7 Great Routes. In this tourist area you will find routes, exhibitions and tours, and everything that travel agencies and hotels in Tabasco offer you.

Hurrah for the children!

Adventure and fun is also for children, take your little ones to this space dedicated to games for childhood development and inclusive activities that help children's social integration.

Craftsman

Learn about everything that Tabascan hands are capable of making with materials from the region and enjoy all the Tabascan products in this space dedicated to the promotion of state´s artisans

Sowing life | Tabasco essence

Space destined for the exhibition of products of the “Sembrando Vida Program” of Tabasco producers on the subject of agrotourism

Media

Enjoy live broadcasts and recordings of radio and television programs, as well as live shows of local content generators that will be at the festival with interviews with distinguished personalities from the chocolatier field

COMPETITION

During the festival, various activities and contests will be carried out where talent from Tabasco, the 32 states of the Mexican Republic and the 5 countries of the “Mundo Maya” will participate in many disciplines and activities.