contact us

For more information about the Festival, as well as exhibitor information and sponsorship opportunities for 2010, please email us at info@toledochocolate.com, or use our contact form. Any questions, comments, and suggestions please just let us know!

For those who prefer human contact, our Festival office is based in the Tourism Information Centre  on Front Street in Punta Gorda Town, and you can telephone us on (+501) 722-2531.

Holy mole!

An informal discussion one evening following a local tourism association meeting once again brought to life the idea of a Toledo chocolate-themed festival. By the next morning, several potential stakeholders and individuals received an email entitled 'holy mole' from Darla Mallory, who owns the Coral House Inn with her husband Rick!

Darla's enthusiasm and vision for the Festival resulted in the formation of, and her Chairing, the Toledo Cacao Festival Committee which quickly grew to become a community-focussed event. The Committee and additional volunteers included local BTIA members, the Toledo Cacao Growers' Association, PG Town Council, Toledo Environmental Educators' Group, and Sustainable Harvest International.

The Cacao Festival Committee is this year led by Lisel Alamilla from Ya'axche Conservation Trust, and includes members from the Toledo Cacao Growers Association, BTIA Toledo, Sustainable Harvest International, and other local stakeholders, along with the invaluable support and assistance from NICH, the Institute of Creative Arts, the Institute of Archaeology, and the Belize Tourism Board. Sulma Hernandez, marketing officer at the BTIA Information Centre on Front Street, is the CacaoFest co-ordinator.

Our mission
"The Toledo Cacao-Festival Committee was formed in 2006 by members of the Toledo branch of the BTIA and other key stakeholders, to organize an annual community development event.

We seek to raise awareness of the Toledo District and its unique cultural and environmental diversity, promote sustainable tourism throughout the District, and extend the tourist season for the benefit of the entire community."

Our aims and objectives

  • To organise an annual community CacaoFest, designed to raise awareness of the Toledo District through the development and promotion of a sustainable tourism product
  • To increase the number of visitors to the Toledo District to the benefit of the entire community through the 'ripple effect'
  • To work with other stakeholders in the Toledo District with similar and comparable interests, including the Toledo Cacao Growers Association, and the BTIA Toledo Chapter in supporting the BTIA's goals of promoting sustainable tourism while maintaining the natural and cultural integrity of Belize.
  • To provide a fair and transparent process for businesses to tender for all elements of the Festival which are sub-contracted.
  • To assist those local businesses identified as a result of the tender process through the provision of mentoring and training, as necessary, to improve the professionalism and quality of the product.
  • To improve the infrastructure and appearance of the area.
  • To do all such other lawful things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of any of the above objectives.

How the Festival makes a difference

As a responsible tourism event, the Festival draws together a wide range of stakeholders from the community - the cacao farmers, environmental groups, artisans, performers, restaurants, tourism and transportation providers among others. As well as a cultural celebration to help foster a resurgence of ethnic pride, the Festival raises funds for community projects - including the ongoing re-development of Punta Gorda's Central Park, and improvements to the Lubaantun visitors' centre. Marketing workshops are held to develop new product ideas and help the artisans with their packaging, display and selling skills, and the Festival also aims to raise awareness of the Toledo District as a responsible tourism destination, thereby benefitting the community through the associated ripple effect.