Chocolates El Rey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids  |
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| Industry | Chocolate |
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| Founded | Caracas, Venezuela (1929) |
Chocolates El Rey is one of the oldest chocolate makers in Venezuela. They are known around the world for making high-quality chocolate. They often use special, rare cocoa beans that cost more than what other companies use. Like many businesses in Venezuela, El Rey has faced some tough times and seen its sales go down.
Contents
A Sweet History
Chocolates El Rey started way back in 1929. In the 1990s, the company tried to grow its own cocoa beans on a large farm called a hacienda. They wanted to try new ways to grow beans faster. However, this project faced problems when people moved onto the land.
Expanding Beyond Venezuela
In 1994, El Rey began selling its special single-origin chocolate to the United States. Soon after, they started exporting to Europe and Japan. For many years, El Rey was the only company in South America selling chocolate to international markets. In 1995, they opened a new factory in Barquisimeto, a city in Venezuela.
Serving the Home Market
By 2006, El Rey mostly sold its products within Venezuela. They made four main types of chocolate products:
- Large amounts of chocolate, like chocolate chips.
- Chocolate powders used for making chocolate milk.
- Special chocolate products for other companies, like the chocolate used in McDonald's ice cream.
- Regular chocolate bars.
These products were sold in bulk to places like supermarkets and bakeries. At that time, El Rey was a very important chocolate company in Venezuela.
Working with Cocoa Farmers
In the 2000s, El Rey teamed up with eleven cocoa processors to form a group called Aprocao. Aprocao bought cocoa beans to share and also ran a research center. This center studied the best ways to grow cocoa. El Rey often bought the more unusual and expensive cocoa beans.
Facing Challenges and Looking Ahead
In 2015, El Rey spent a lot of money to improve its factory in Barquisimeto. This upgrade allowed them to process all their cocoa beans themselves. At the same time, the company tried to sell more chocolate to other countries. This was important because the market in Venezuela was becoming difficult.
By 2018, the challenges in Venezuela were clear. The amount of chocolate El Rey produced had dropped. Even with these difficulties, the company still had a great reputation for quality around the world. As of 2020, the situation became even harder due to the global health crisis. Despite this, El Rey continued to work hard to find money to help the Venezuelan chocolate industry grow.
The Cacao Route
Chocolates El Rey offers special trips called the "Cacao Route." These tours take visitors to cocoa farms, chocolate factories, and shops that make chocolate. The tours are designed for international chefs and food writers. They also include cultural shows about cocoa. These trips help to promote both Chocolates El Rey and Venezuela to people from other countries.
See also
In Spanish: Chocolates El Rey para niños
