CarIPI Mentors Cocoa Producers in Saint Lucia and Grenada

During the month of May, CarIPI mentors were in Saint Lucia and Grenada to meet with producers of origin-linked products (OLPs), as part of the GI Mentorship Programme under activity 12 of the second annual work plan (AWP2). In Grenada, the mission coincided with the Grenada Chocolate Festival, where CarIPI delivered a keynote on origin-linked branding for Grenada cocoa products at the Cocoa Forum, with support from the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO). The mentors also met cocoa producers, chocolate makers and sector associations, visited cocoa farms, fermentaries and chocolate factories across the island, and discussed the draft GI specifications and control manual presented by the Grenada Cocoa Association.

In Saint Lucia, CarIPI worked with the Registry of Companies and Intellectual Property (ROCIP) to introduce the programme to cocoa producers and key national institutions, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Bureau of Standards and the Cultural Development Foundation, and visited one of the island’s largest cocoa estates. The meetings focused on raising awareness of Geographical Indications and their potential benefits for producers, clarifying the roles of each institution, and agreeing on follow-up online sessions with cocoa stakeholders. Together, the two missions gathered the information needed to develop GI specifications and codes of practice, and set out the next steps for each country according to its stage of progress.