I’m taking you back to the Dominican Republic this week to recap more of my trip as an ambassador to Fathom. As I mentioned last week, our group was able to experience 6 of the 8 projects that Fathom is currently developing. Cruises begin a month from today, with the inaugural sailing to the Dominican Republic from Miami on April 10th.
It’s safe to say that one of the highlights of the trip was our day spent at Chocal, an organic chocolate producer founded by a group of 30 women.
We were able to visit the nursery next door where some of the plants are grown and meet the farmer, Gumercindo Cristano. He explained the growing process from seed germination all the way through fermentation and the drying process. His daughter, Noemi, is one of Chocal’s founders
Once inside the facility we were broken into smaller groups to work in stages throughout. Our first station happened to be where the chocolate bars are wrapped and boxed so they can be distributed in grocery stores and other lo
cations throughout the country. To date, the bars can not be shipped to the US, but you sure can bring some home to enjoy after your trip!
The ne
xt stop for my small group was outside in the gazebo helping sort the cocoa beans so they could be processed. This was actually a very
relaxing part of the operation, we were able to talk a little bit, through our translator with the ladies we were working with. They both told us how the co-op had improved their lives by allowing them to work in their own community.
Once the sorting was complete the beans went to processing, where the shells were removed from the nib. We then took trays of the nibs to make sure that all of the shells had been discarded. It was here that I worked alongside Agustina, she is one of the original co-op members. Since the formation of Chocal in 2007 she was able to give up her job as a maid in Santo Domingo, a nearly 8 hour drive from her family. She was making less than $50 a month and only able to see her children every 15-30 days. Now she is working in her own neighborhood and able to see her children and now her grandchildren as well. 
Our group was able to save the best stop for last – this was the part of the day where we got to try our hand at some chocolate making. It’s harder than it looks, but the payoff is fantastic, as we got to start sampling while we were here as well as at lunch. I know this was the favorite activity for the two children who were with our group, a 12 year old girl from New England and a 13 year old boy from Florida, each traveling with their Dad.
While each did politely eat a few bites the meals that were made for us at the facilities, they thoroughly enjoyed eating the chocolate!
I spoke to each of them several times throughout the trip to get their feedback on the destination, the activities and the impact. I have to say, they were both wise beyond their years. I imagine that with fathers in the travel industry, that both are very well traveled. However, it was interesting to hear them talk about how different things were than at home. The young man commented to his Dad, while we were touring the cruise port, that it didn’t look like the surrounding areas, that it was very new and polished compared to the neighborhood that we had visited only hours before. This is exactly why I think a Fathom cruise is an ideal trip for children and young adults. We get so used to our surroundings and the comforts of home that it’s difficult, for children especially, to grasp that in other parts of the world the conditions aren’t the same as at home. It’s not all country clubs and iPads! Some of the children that live in the neighborhoods we visited had no running water in their home. The travelers that visit through the cruises on Fathom will have the opportunity to help improve the lives of those that they meet directly on the projects, but that will spread through the community as well. I can’t help but think that the impact will also be made on the traveler, as it was me.
You may
wonder how much of an impact we had working in a chocolate factory where we actually ate what we made, that was a question I had as well. Luckily, there was someone who could break it all down for us. In the few hours that we were there we sorted 15 bins of seeds which was about 35 kg, or enough to make 50 dark chocolate bars. Removing the shells from the bins, we were able to sort through about 30 kg. Our largest impact was through wrapping just over 500 bars that went straight to market – actually I think the bulk of those bars were purchased by members of our group to take home!
This is not a “fun ship” cruise for the party crowd, this is a vacation that will let you get your hands a little dirty, let you meet the locals, other than the taxi driver that drops you at the beach, let you work side by side with someone who wants to build a better future for their loved ones. In the end, if that is something that sounds like the vacation you’ve been looking for, but didn’t want to give up all the comforts of home to experience, I would love to talk to you more about Fathom and the opportunity to “Vacation for Good.” Click here and let’s get started.
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