IMAGES: AWL IMAGES; TONČI CHOCOLATES & COFFEE; HAMPDEN ESTATE RUM


Randy Taylor Co-founder, Tonči Chocolates & Coff ee, Tobago


“Every bar we produce is made from a place of love, and people feel that,” says


Randy Taylor, co-founder of Tonči Chocolates & Coff ee in Tobago. “I cherish knowing that something resulting from a tragic incident can bring a smile to someone’s face. And our chocolate does just that.” The Tobago-based, husband-and-wife team pour


their hearts into the business, not simply because every single cocoa bean is shelled by hand, or because they live where they work and only employ two people, but because the company is a tribute to their late son, who died in 2017 after being diagnosed with brain cancer. “Tonči was two years and 10 months old when


he passed away,” says Randy. “Before he died, he’d endured four brain surgeries, and something that helped sustain him through that time was the thought of having cocoa tea.” Their son’s love of cocoa is still shared by both


his parents. Randy’s wife, Carlina, originally hails from Dominica, where her grandmother worked


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on a cocoa estate and her mother taught her to make cocoa tea as a child. After their son’s death, the smell of this rich, comforting drink took on a new meaning for the couple. “The aroma reminded us of all the times he’d say to us, ‘Cocoa tea, cocoa tea!’ We wanted to keep his memory alive, so in 2018, we launched our fi rst cocoa-based product, a drinking chocolate.” The project was a leap of faith. Neither Randy


nor Carlina had any experience in chocolate production and the industry was struggling. Hurricane Flora had ripped through the tiny island, destroying 50% of the ancient cocoa crop that yielded the biggest, sweetest beans. “Luckily, some of those old trees still exist,” says Randy. “Those pre-hurricane trees produce pods with the most wonderful fl oral notes.” The couple learned from the land: Tobago’s rich


soils have produced some of the world’s fi nest cocoa and their home, hidden in a swathe of green near the country’s northern coast, turned out to be the perfect terroir. Carlina was soon creating recipes


for their fi rst bar — a 65% dark chocolate with rich, nutty notes — and this was followed by four more. Randy struggles to name his favourite creation,


but admits to a weakness for the 70% Guava Pâté de Fruit chocolate. “Raw chocolate already has fruity notes, but then imagine merging it with the taste of guava. When you combine the two it blows people’s minds; it’s always exciting to see someone try it for the fi rst time.” And for Randy and Carlina, that’s what it’s all


about. “It’s proof that something born from deep grief and emotion can still bring joy to others. We had a catalyst, and it’s that drive — to show people that Tonči existed, and that this is what he loved — which keeps us experimenting with new fl avours and creating new products.” HOW TO DO IT: Visitors to Tobago can sign up for Tonči Chocolates & Coff ee’s two-hour Cocoa and Coff ee roasting experience. Participants can roast cocao and coff ee beans using a traditional coal pot, followed by a chocolate-tasting session. From $40 (£27) per person. toncichocolates-coff ee.com


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