Are West African consumers liking chocolate? This is the bet that more and more West African entrepreneurs are making, and not only in cocoa-producing countries.
In Burkina Faso, André Bayala, an artisan chocolate maker, last week opened his second store “Chez Chef André” in Ouagadougou in the Paag la Yiré district after the one located on avenue Mouammar Kadhafi in Ouaga 2000, which opened in 2018.
Crowned best African chocolate maker in 2016, he was awarded last April at the Dubai Business Awards, member of the World Chocolate Federation, and best African chocolate maker. The next step is the creation of a training center in the processing of cocoa and its by-products.
In Senegal, Danuta Nganko, Belgian-Congolese chef, opened at the beginning of the year in Dakar, the first and only chocolate factory in the country, called Venko. By fusing Belgian chocolate with locally sourced ingredients like bissap or moringa, Venko quickly established a reputation for blending unique flavors with an elegant presentation, making Nganko chocolate a coveted delight among confectionery enthusiasts. from Senegal. ” The idea is to take a very classic chocolate and work it with local flavors, ” Danuta Nganko told Reuters ahead of World Chocolate Day on July 7. She specifies “I think the next challenge will be to get Senegalese customers used to buy chocolate on a daily basis. They don’t buy chocolate yet as something to have in the fridge and have a bite to eat, but we’ll get to that. “
