Commercial value of chocolate homemade

Abstract

Objective: To know the commercial value of traditional homemade chocolate made in the Chontalpa Region, Tabasco, México.

Design/Methodology: The study was carried out in the Ejido Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon municipality of Cardenas and in the Rancheria Miahuatlan municipality of Cunduacan, Tabasco. Interviews were applied and two participatory workshops were held. With two cooperating families, participatory observation was performed, work times were recorded, and photos and videos of the process of making homemade chocolate were taken.

Results: The estimated commercial value of one kilogram of sweet homemade chocolate was $290.20. The average price of homemade chocolates offered by the producers was $198.60, ranging from $150.00 to $300.00. The price of sweet chocolate, offered by the Cardenas chocolate factory is $110.10. This product is manufactured in an industrial way and the processes and production volumes are automated.

Limitations of the study/Implications: Traditional homemade chocolates are made with community inputs; no electric or fossil energy is used. In the chocolate homemade production process, personal expertise and indigenous technology are applied. The product is for self-consumption; the production surpluses are marketed in the local market.

Findings/Conclusions: Traditional homemade chocolate has a commercial value 80.1% higher than industrial chocolate. However, for the proportion of cocoa and for its taste, smell and aroma consumers pay this higher price.