Africa produces nearly 70% of the world’s cocoa yet the continent is not known for making luxury chocolate. Princess is a woman on a mission to change that. Her company, Kalabari Gecko produces different kind of chocolates in Nigeria, using only Nigerian contents.

Princess had always loved chocolate from as far back as when she was little. This is probably one of the things that motivated the business. In her own words, “there is something very compelling about the visual structure of chocolates and its formation in a box. There is the mystery embedded in the interiors of its inner cavities, and the burst of polyphenols, a reward your brain is always thankful for.”

Another reason she started making chocolates was the fact that whenever she traveled outside Nigeria, she was always asked to come back with chocolate, when there’s so much cocoa in the country. She wanted to change the narrative.

The journey to achieving this has not been easy. Since there were no chocolate making schools or classes in Africa, she had to go to North Europe to learn the art of turning bean to bar.

Her dream is for her factory to produce high quality affordable chocolate for Nigerians and the people they love all over the world.

On how knew how to make chocolate

I have always had this love for chocolate. I think it was as far back as when I was a little girl and being ascribed to as having a chocolate complexion. Also as a child, my sister planted a cocoa tree in front of our house all on her own.

There is something very compelling about the visual structure of chocolates and its formation in a box. There is the mystery embedded in the interiors of its inner cavities, and the burst of polyphenols, a reward your brain is always thankful for.

Whenever I travelled outside Nigeria, people would request I come back with chocolate. That used to get me upset. My response sometimes would be, “But we have cocoa, why don’t we make ours?” It was even sadder when visiting friends or family abroad, I had nothing to offer as gifts from my beloved Nigeria. So, you can say it was a two edged-sword. Thinking about Nigeria and the cocoa we have motivated me to stop talking and start creating.

She wants to make Nigeria the sweetest place in Africa!

 

Write A Comment