Page 55 - #64 eng 电子版

Seriously, Y
S P E C I A LT

C
You O C O L AT E H

Deserve

Better

Chocolate.

S outh Korea is a very beautiful place, where Nowadays, the situation has changed quite drastically. The

innovation and culture have such a vivid mix
political and social turmoil has caused this beautiful country
that it impresses visitors from all around the
crisis in Venezuela is the socioeconomic and political crisis
world when they come for the first time. Last to turn in a very dangerous country to live in,” says Jon. The
time when Coffee T&I went to Seoul, we were wandering that Venezuela has undergone since Hugo Chávez’s tenure
around the city, trying new coffees and, of course, pastries and which extended over the years into the current presiden-
and discovering hidden gems, just like this one, that intro- cy of Nicolás Maduro. According to Moody’s investors Service,
duced us to the world of specialty chocolate and its link to it is the worst economic crisis in Venezuela’s history, and the
the specialty coffee as well. contraction of national and per capita GDPs between 2013
P. Chokko shop was opened by two Korean brothers that and 2017 has been more severe than that of the US “during
grew up in Venezuela. Jon and Dan grew up in a fusion of cul- the Great Depression”, or of Russia, Cuba, and Albania “after
tures, this experience made them the connoisseurs of distinc- the fall of communism”. The crisis has affected the average
tive tastes and flavors. Their commitment to create a transpar- life of Venezuelans on various level: unemployment and in-
ent culture of chocolate led them in their adventure to find flation rates grew high, people started protests, internation-
the highest level of quality throughout the process from the al businesses started facing problems which affected the rest
cocoa bean to the chocolate bar. The name for the shop was of economy etc.. That’s why Dan and Jon decided to leave
also carefully thought of: The “P” stands for Premium, but Venezuela. “The reason we decide to leave Venezuela was
the brothers decided to keep it short and just put a first because it was too dangerous and we could not see a prom-
letter. While Chokko sounds exactly like “Choco” of choc- ising future. It is heartbreaking and frustrating to this day to
olates, but the reason they spelled it ‘wrongly’ this is because see Venezuela and its people go through such hard times
in Spanish the “kko” is spelled as “cacao”. And because there because of an irresponsible and corrupt government. It is
is “cacao” in chocolate, naturally, it became “chokko”. hard for the people and business when a government inter-
“When our parents immigrated to Venezuela, it was a venes in their personal and business lives. Plus, the crime
paradise. Even during our childhood, so we have wonderful and kidnapping rates are off the charts. It was too insecure
memories of its nature and beautiful Venezuelan culture. to live there and to conduct businesses.”

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