By Valentina Ramírez Director at Transhuella
Train people well so that they can leave, treat them well so that they won’t want toRichard Branson, Founder of Virgin
Editor’s note: Last year, we worked with Transhuella on an artistic project that gathered painting and photography to recognise the cultural heritage of the surrounding communities of our cocoa forest in Necocli. From their experience, they built a book full of stories and, today, we bring you the first one.
In our imagination, Luker Chocolate is, without doubt, the yellow packaging that contains the chocolate that we drink once we stop drinking our mothers’ milk. Hot chocolate is served even in the hottest climates in Colombia and in every family, it represents genuine love and gives rise to expressions such as “Oh”, “Goodness”, “It’s boiling”, when they burn themselves.
Nowhere is hot chocolate served as hot as it is in Colombia.
There is something at Luker Chocolate that goes that bit further. There is a story of tradition and success of innovation and belonging, a story of responsibility that only few know.
A company with a large portfolio of products, sufficient to supply everything that a home needs, to give life and colour to our corner shops. In Colombia, we don’t have to go very far to buy what we need and say hello to our neighbours on the way.
There is a star product with a unique flavour that hypnotises people in the several blocks surrounding the main offices in main cities such as Bogotá: the smell of COCOA.
Luker Chocolate has built the backbone of its social responsibility programme based on cocoa, a programme that has been recognised and praised globally.
Social responsibility or shared value are synonyms for tax exemption and marketing campaigns that show the friendly side of companies. This is what we perceive as common citizens, as an excuse for companies that, rather than helping those in their area of impact and giving back to society what they’ve achieved, are only interested in reducing their taxes.
However, at Transhuella we know that the majority want to do the right thing and act with a social conscience; the majority produce with the intention of giving back all that Colombian society and its land have given us.
This is why we have embarked on this task with those who are willing to open their doors to show what there is behind each of their products: the love and their commitment to their origin and their society.
Sustainable companies are about understanding that the workers, employees, raw materials, and surroundings are as important as their owners.
Does social responsibility not imply involving other people to make them fall in love with the meaning behind an individual effort turned common cause? In society, responsibility is shared; we all have something to contribute.
To our surprise, there is a team behind this great brand thinking not about how to show society its contribution (beyond the daily energy their chocolate gives us) but rather, about how to have an impact on the lives of those who make the Chocolate Dream come true.
Mother and daughter, Rosalba and Silvia, say that Luker Chocolate is synonymous to blessings and opportunities. Silvia works with Luker Chocolate, and Rosalba, despite not doing so, has felt a positive impact on the region since the arrival of the company that has taken up residence in their hearts. A company that embarked on developing its business hand-in-hand with the community that surrounds its cocoa plantations in Necoclí, and not only those who work with them directly.
Without doubt, the presence of Luker Chocolate has given this community life and has driven its dreams, even for those who are not directly related to the company.
Luker Chocolate takes risks when it builds the country; it is an example for the Colombian business sector.
It’s true that chocolate is celebrated around the world… But only a magical place can understand the importance of celebrating the fruit from which this food is produced, a sweet, a product with as many facets and uses as the variety in its colours.
Caribia has 438 inhabitants, 438 voices that sing at the Cocoa Festival’s dawn ceremony:
The Festival is coming, coming, it is coming. The harvest is growing, let’s celebrate. It’s coming, the Festival’s coming. The families come together, each and every one.
The Cocoa Festival is another opportunity for commotion at Luker Chocolate. They work alongside the community, paint the children’s smiling faces, share a cup of hot chocolate and a bowl of stew, everyone participates equally; they bring a team of outgoing and sociable professionals to remind the community of Caribia that without them, the chocolate would not taste as good.
At Transhuella we are proud to work with Luker Chocolate, a company that grows hand-in-hand with the country.
We want to contribute to Colombia’s transformation.
