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Episode 93 Overview
In this episode of #PodSaveChocolate I will be interviewing long-time ChocolateLife member Thomas Forbes, who is currently in the Dominican Republic on an extended visit.
Thomas first arrived in the DR as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1987-89 in San Francisco de Macoris. He worked primarily on developing a rural solar energy business with two brothers, Francisco and Jesus Frias. He returned in 1997-99 to manage SOLUZ Dominicana on the North Coast which developed a solar energy utility company. In 2011, Thomas was asked to translate for a US-based consultant working at the CONACADO plant in San Francisco de Macoris under a USAID/Equal Exchange/TCHO grant. He did this for two consecutive summers, reconnecting with his original Peace Corps site in Los Naranjos de Castillo where a women’s association was working to expand its chocolate-making capabilities beyond the “bolas de cacao” used in rural areas.
Thomas first became a member of TheChocolateLife shortly after it went live and we met in person on many occasions when I lived in the New York metro area (he lives in New Jersey). We have also been in contact because Thomas has been (is still?) making chocolate from cocoa beans.
This episode will explore Thomas’ connections to cocoa and chocolate on the island, explore some of the history of cocoa, and examine some of my experiences visiting the Dominican Republic in pursuit of my ChocolateLife for the Swiss chocolate maker Felchlin and looking for partners to help produce Solbeso, a distilled spirit made from fresh cacao juice.
Where’s Hispaniola?
Overall map showing where the island of Hispaniola is in the Caribben
Top row: [L] The North Coast; [R] Exploring place names. Bottom row: [L] The Bay of Samana and the port of Sanchez; [R] From San Pedro north through Hato Mayor on the way to Sabana de la Mar.
Image Galleries
All photos ©2025 Thomas Forbes
Resources
Questions?
If you have questions or want to comment, you can do so during the episode or, if you are a ChocolateLife member, you can add them in the Comments below at any time.
More Episode Hashtags (and Related Accounts to Follow)
#DominicanRepublic
#cocoa #cacao #cacau
#chocolate #chocolat #craftchocolate
#PodSaveChoc #PSC
#LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife
Future Episodes
ChocolateLife Member Thomas Forbes – The Current State of Cacao and Chocolate in the Dominican Republic
#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives
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