Several cocoa entrepreneurs will be able to take their businesses to the next level after being successfully matched with investors, said InvesTT.
In a statement the state agency said the Trinitario Cocoa Webinar Series, done in collaboration with the European Union, came to a conclusion on September 28, 2022.
The organisation said the grand finale of the three-part series, entitled “The Cocoa Pitch”, was designed as a ‘Shark Tank’ styled business pitch event.
Two youth start-ups and five medium-sized cocoa SMEs were given the opportunity to present a robust business pitch to investors, resource providers and key industry players with the aim of accessing technical, financial and capacity-building support and mentorship to start-up or scale their cocoa business operations.
EU Ambassador Peter Cavendish said the EU was proud to have been part of this venture.
“The Trinitario Cocoa Webinar Series has become a rich carnival, caravan tour of Trinidad and Tobago’s cocoa and chocolate producers. This heritage industry is moving forward to find and delight consumers worldwide with what every Trinbagonian knows, that the best chocolate is close to home – and the European Union has been proud to be a part of this dynamic.”
Trade Minister Paula Gopee Scoon said the sector is "a strategic commodity with the potential to generate foreign exchange and contribute to economic diversification.”
"The exports of primary and value added cocoa products increased by 31% over the period 2020 to 2021, from approximately TT$93 Million to over TT$122 Million. Of this increase, the European market accounted for 41%.”
“There is a clear demand for our products, however, what is needed are innovators to create new products and experiences, and entrepreneurs to ensure that these products are made available.” 
Sekou Alleyne, President, InvesTT said the venture will aid the local cocoa industry.
“The success of episodes 1 and 2 and the execution of The Cocoa Pitch event have enabled us [InvesTT] to fast forward the cocoa business agenda by facilitating investor matchmaking opportunities among European chocolatiers, investors and local cocoa stakeholders.”
Pramilla Ramdahani, Vice President, Investments, InvesTT also shared that the Series aimed to increase bean to bar opportunities and joint venture/FDI opportunities.
With 750 attendees in Episodes 1 and 2, and 244 attendees in Episode 3, representing over 32 countries worldwide inclusive of the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Singapore, Ghana and Jamaica, Mrs Ramdahani expressed confidence that the outcomes of the webinar series will contribute towards the development of a thriving and collaborative cocoa ecosystem.
The organisation said two youth start-ups;  GEM, owned by Giselle Mills and 19-year-old youth cocoa entrepreneur Oshun Matthews, owner of Tamana Mountain Chocolate both delivered strong business cases.
Three SMEs presented their pitches next; Ashley Parasram, founder of the Trinidad and Tobago Fine Cocoa Company, Tobias Schulze Frenkling representing the Original Trinitario Cluster and Vanessa Moses, Director at Caribbean Roasters.
At the end of each pitch, the distinguished group of panelists comprising Crisen Maharaj, Manager of Capacity Building and Funding at ExporTT, Michael Mcquilkin, Manager, Investment Banking at Republic Bank, John Hadad, Group Co-Chief Executive Officer, HADCO Group, Sandy Roopchand, CEO/Managing Director at Royal Castle and Markus Mann, Producer-Artist-Entrepreneur, shared thoughtful comments and invaluable insights on how each entrepreneur/enterprise can advance their cocoa ventures through various grant funding programmes and partnership and/or mentorship opportunities.
The panellists also posed a series of questions to each pitch presenter which enabled presenters and the live virtual audience to gain firsthand insights into the requirements for a compelling, investment-ready business case.
Next on the agenda was a special presentation made by Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan, Director at the Cocoa Research Centre, UWI, where he highlighted the Chocolate Island initiative, a cocoa, carbon and community innovative project which seeks to attract Impact Investment into the cocoa sector in Trinidad and Tobago, and contribute towards building sustainable cocoa based supply chains.
All attendees were then given a sneak peek into a short film entitled “Trinitario – On The Edge”, produced by filmmaker Denise Speck, who joined from Europe to introduce the trailer video. The documentary explores the storyline of the world-famous Trinitario Cocoa, birthed right here in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Cocoa Accelerator Network was highlighted after, whereby the live virtual audience and all pitch presenters would have been edified on various opportunities to access resources and/or funding required for business growth, such as the Shaping the Future of Innovation project, the Linking Farmers Platform and Government’s Grand Fund Facility, the latter allowing individuals to access up to a maximum of TT250,000 to finance 50 per cent of the cost of acquiring new machinery and equipment.
Albada Beekham, Director of Research at the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to support cocoa agri-entrepreneurs through the Agriculture Finance Support Programme, among other initiatives.
All three episodes in the series were moderator by Jessie-May Ventour, a seasoned broadcaster and media professional who effortlessly managed the conversations and ensured a seamless, interactive, informative and enjoyable experience for all. (Source: The Loop, October 3, 2022)

In keeping with time-honoured tradition, President Paula-Mae Weekes was pinned with the first poppy on Thursday.
Making the presentation at the Office of the President were Colonel Lyle Alexander, Denzil Mason and Hilton Clarke of the Trinidad and Tobago Legion of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League.
The annual distribution of poppies commemorates Remembrance Day, the day on which the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany took effect - the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918 and so is observed annually on November 11 in honour of the fallen soldiers of World Wars I & II.
The Trinidad and Tobago Legion of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League is a member of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League which assists ex-Service men and women who served The Crown, and their widows, who are now in need. (Source: The Loop, Oct 14, 2022)

VETERAN broadcaster and newspaper columnist Yusuff Ali died peacefully on Sunday at his home in London, England.
He was 85.
The Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) shared the thoughts of two other veteran journalists, Dominic Kalipersad and Neil Giuseppi, who worked with him and described him not only as a pioneer in the field of journalism in Trinidad and Tobago but as an individual who helped shape the media landscape as we know it in T&T today.
“His rich voice, charming smile, and piercing interview style endeared him to viewers of Panorama, the flagship evening news programme of the-then lone television station (Trinidad and Tobago Television),” said Kalipersad. 
“A former teacher at Five Rivers TIA School, Ali’s entry to media, however, began in radio. He was among those who opened 610 Radio (Radio Guardian) in September 1957. It was there that he learned the craft of radio broadcasting, news-writing and broadcast journalism,” he said.
“Under the tutelage of media heavyweights such as Larry Heywood, Frank Hughes and Ed Fung, Ali worked alongside great radio personalities such as Desmond Bourne, Freddie Wharwood and Ashton Chambers, as well as ace reporters John Babb and Geoff Lewis,” Kalipersad added.
Eventually, he became chief editor at the station, where they pioneered hourly news bulletins.
After four years at 610 Radio, Ali left to take up an announcer’s position at Barbados Rediffusion and, later, as an international functionary at a United Nations agency in Geneva.
In the late sixties, he returned to Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT) in the post of news director/Panorama producer and built a news team that started the journalistic careers of Giuseppi, Dale Kolasingh and Jai Parasram.
Ali left TTT in 1975 for a position at the Commonwealth Secretariat at Marlborough House in London.
For 25 years he wrote a newspaper column, first with the Sunday Guardian then with Newsday.
Broadcaster Giuseppi described Ali as one of the greatest news personalities this country has known.
“When I joined Trinidad and Tobago Television in July 1971, Yusuff was the news director and on that day began a friendship that I have always treasured and I became part of a team that day that comprised Yusuff, Ed Fung and Dale Kolasingh, all of whom have now passed to the Great Beyond,” he said.
He said that Ali was the consummate professional who insisted on standards of excellence at all times.
“ ‘There’s a time for work and a time for play’, he would say, ‘and when it’s time for work, I don’t want to hear about play’. And he lived that philosophy to the hilt,” said Giuseppi.
“Yusuff, my friend and mentor, you have left an indelible mark on the news media in Trinidad and Tobago and this country will always owe you a debt of gratitude,” he said.
(Source: The Daily Express, November 2, 2022)

CANADIAN energy company Touchstone Exploration has announced that the Coho facility has safely delivered first natural gas, representing the first onshore natural gas project to come on stream in Trinidad and Tobago in over 20 years.
The Coho area is located in the Ortoire block, where Touchstone has an 80-per cent operating working interest, and Heritage Petroleum Company holds the ­remaining 20 per cent.
In a media release yesterday, the company said on September 26 the Coho facility was approved by the Certified Verification Agent with the Energy Ministry promptly authorising facility commissioning.
“On September 27, 2022, we commenced commissioning and achieved commercial deliveries on October 10, 2022, with a field estimated sustained gross production rate of approximately 10.5 million cubic feet per day (approximately 8.4 million cubic feet per day net). We will continue to monitor the Coho-1 well in an effort to optimise production,” the energy company said.
Touchstone said in conjunction with initial production, the company has sold the 2.7-kilometre, six-inch gathering line tying in its Coho facility to the Baraka natural gas facility to the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd (NGC).
It noted natural gas production from the Coho facility will be sold to NGC pursuant to a natural gas sales agreement executed in ­December 2020.
Paul Baay, president and chief executive officer, said Coho production represents the first stage of diversifying our product mix in Trinidad.
“The Coho facility is capable of 24 million cubic feet of gross natural gas per day, giving us the ability to potentially add incremental production volumes through a combination of additional drilling and well optimisation. I would also like to recognise the collective contributions of our team in making this project a success,” Baay remarked.  (source: Daily  Express, Oct 12, 2022)

AFTER an absence of two years, due to the pandemic, the Divali Nagar returned at the nagar ground in Chaguanas, with a gala opening on Saturday evening.
Although opening night saw significantly less crowds than in years gone by, those who did show up, were treated to traditional East Indian music, songs, dance and food.
East Indian clothing, shoes and jewellery were also on offer for sale at the many booths.
Local VIPs including former prime minister Basdeo Panday, Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell, Agriculture Minister Kazim Hosein, and Chaguanas mayor Faaiq Mohammed were present.
President of the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC) Dr Deokinanan Sharma greeted the small crowd at the main stage and in revelling in the return of the celebrations, said that management of the organisation will see changes in the near future. The NCIC manages the nagar annually.
Mitchell also spoke at the opening and thanked Sharma and his team for the work they have done over the years to ensure the continued survival of the nagar.
"Their work has undoubtedly made citizens more aware of traditions associated with Hinduism and East Indian culture; a culture which has significantly influenced our life here in TT," Mitchell said.
He also reminded of the important message behind the celebration of Divali, for both Hindu and non-Hindus, which is the triumph of good over evil. He urged everyone to enjoy the nine nights of celebration at the nagar leading up to the observance of Divali on October 24.
“More importantly, let us challenge ourselves to be more peaceful, polite and gracious to one another. Let us continue to walk along the path of positivity, hope and light.”
In between these speeches, there were performances from various cultural groups including the ZeeTV Shiv Shakti dance group led by Michael Salickram; the Dragon Boys' tassa group and even a steelpan rendition of a bhajan (Hindu religious song). (source: Newsday, Oct 16, 2022)

HENRY Pereira will for­ever be lauded for bringing a local identity to parang music.
So exclaimed National Parang Association of Trinidad and Tobago (NPATT) public relations officer Joanne Briggs following the recent passing of the parang stalwart.
“What Henry did is bring a sense of ‘Trinidadianess’ to the music. Even though he kept the tradition of the parang music structure, he incorporated some of what we are in the music,” said Briggs, during a WhatsApp exchange with the Express yesterday.
That vision changed the course of the genre and gave parang the unique sound that is loved throughout the islands today, Briggs said. Pereira’s iconic parang hits “Parranda Fina”, “En El Corazon del Hombre”, “Andamos Buscando”, “Soca Sereno” and “Canta Noel” are all standards of the genre.
“For example, with ‘Parranda Fina’—which is a favourite of a lot of parangderos, and they perform it as part of their repertoire—that song has a calypso rhythm to it. And it also describes where we go to sing parang and what we do for parang. It’s basically a tribute or love song for what parang is for us as parangderos,” Brings added.
Pereira, 76, passed away on September 25. The Los Reyes parang band lead singer had suffered “a long illness” and was buried on September 29, following a service at St Anthony’s RC Church, Tabaquite.
NPATT president Alicia Jaggasar expressed condolences to both the Pereira family and Los Reyes yesterday. Jaggasar, lead singer of Los Alumnos de San Juan, said Pereira’s contribution will live on for decades to come.
“Mr Pereira will be missed. Many parang bands play his music, and his contribution to the artform would live in the hearts of all parranderos and parang lovers forever,” Jaggasar said.
Briggs, meanwhile, said while parang music has lost another formidable act, they are still privileged to call on the experience and wisdom of veterans like Clarita Rivas, Michael Lezama and the surviving members of the famous Santa Cruz-based Lara Brothers band.
“We still have people like Clarita Rivas around. We still have some members of the Lara Brothers still there—for example, Pink Eye. Even though he hasn’t been in the frontline as the Lara Brothers were, he is still part of the foundation of parang here. Yuh have people around. Our foundation members like Michael Lezama from San Jose are still here to learn from,” Briggs said.
The Spanish teacher from Tabaquite
In life, sharing knowledge is what Pereira did best. He was fondly known as the Spanish teacher from Tabaquite, having taught at the only secondary school in the area, Taba­quite Composite, after starting his teaching career at Rio Claro Government Secondary School.
Pereira’s big break in music came unexpectedly after joining his first band, Los Muchachos del Agua, in 1973.
The guitarist for the band, a young Pereira, found himself thrust into the spotlight and asked to do a solo one night when the original lead singer failed to show.
“That performance won him the prize for best lead singer. He went on to win this title numerous times,” Briggs recalled.
Jaggasar, meanwhile, says the passing of legends like Pereira leaves immense spaces in parang that must be filled by those next in line. It’s up to the more experienced parranderos on the island to set the pace anew for the next generation, she said.
“Henry Pereira has influenced the lives of all parranderos in Trinidad and Tobago. During his earthly presence [he] ensured that his legacy would live on through the knowledge and skills imparted to us parranderos. On a personal note, Mr Pereira has been instrumental in me being the writer and parrandera I am today. I am writing and my eyes and heart are filled,” Jaggasar concluded. {source:  The Daily Express, Oct 5, 2022}

Winston David “Dave” Elcock, one of the most beloved radio personalities that Trinidad and Tobago ever produced, died on Aug. 25, of natural causes in Brooklyn, his son Marc David Elcock confirmed.
Funeral Service was held on Sept. 3 at R. Steven Legall Funeral Home on Avenue N in Brooklyn.
Elcock’s body was cremated 10 days later at Greenwood Cemetery in Newark, NJ.
Marc told Caribbean Life on Thursday that his dad’s ashes are currently in the family’s possession and that the family is yet to determine a final resting place.
Marc said his father became known throughout Trinidad and Tobago as “Big Brother Dave”.
“He was dubbed the Dean of Broadcasters for his versatility and dominance of the early morning airwaves,” the obituary says.
Elcock was born on Sept. 20, 1943 on Duncan Street in Port-of-Spain, the Trinidad capital.
He was one of four children born to Jonathan and Sybil Elcock. His siblings were Lloyd Elcock, Victoria Vidale (deceased) and Gloria Rodriguez (deceased).
Elcock received his primary education at two schools, first St. Agnes E.C., and then St. Crispin’s E.C.
He then attended Queen’s Royal College (Q.R.C.) for his secondary education.
In 1962, he joined the staff of 610 Radio, which, at the time, was called Radio Guardian, as a trainee announcer.
“Over the next 10 years, [he] began to establish his name in the field of broadcasting,” the obituary says, stating that Elcock first launched “The David Elcock Show”, which ran for 10 years until 1972, when Elcock made a slight career change by joining the advertising firm of Christiansen and Belgrave, working there for three years.
During that time, however, Elcock continued doing the Sunday Hit Parade, “which had become very popular under his watch,” the obituary says.
In 1976, Elcock returned to 610 Radio, “and Elcock in the Morning was born, a show which would top all the annual radio surveys for almost 15 years,” according to the obituary.
“He created a number of characters, which became household names in Trinidad and Tobago, and the population looked forward on a daily basis to hearing from ‘Leggo Beas’, ‘Granny’, ‘Mr. Bitter’ and ‘Jose Joropo’, among others,” it says.
In addition to being recognized as one of the twin-island republic’s leading broadcasters, Elcock emerged as one of the “most in-demand Masters of Ceremonies of his era,” the obituary says.
“This afforded him the opportunity to welcome onstage international entertainers like Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Barry White, King Curtis, Ray Charles and Redd Foxx,” it says.
During his time at 610 Radio, the obituary says Elcock pursued a course in Television Performance at New York University.
“This prompted him to try his hand as a television host,” the obituary says, adding that, in the 1970s, Elcock’s night-time music and talk TV show, “T&T Tonight”, aired for two seasons on Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT).
On it, the obituary says Dave featured entertainment by and chats with leading local artistes, as well as with visiting entertainers, sports personalities and even government officials.
In 1988, Elcock married Juliet Mangal, with the union producing two children, Marc and Amanda.
Sadly, Juliet passed away in December 2019.
Elcock also had a son, Jason, from a previous marriage to singer Mavis John.
In November 1990, when Neil Giuseppi was appointed managing director of the Trinidad Broadcasting Company, one of his first acts was to launch Radio Tempo (105.1 FM), the first all-local music station in Trinidad and Tobago.
The obituary says Giuseppi was able to persuade Elcock to leave 610 Radio, where he was “an institution for so many years,” to join the Tempo team.
“On Jan. 1, 1991, Radio Tempo hit the airwaves and Dave Elcock’s voice was the first ever heard on the station,” the obituary says.
“For the next few years, he became the voice of Radio Tempo, as he had been for so many years at 610 Radio,” it adds.
After Giuseppi left the Trinidad Broadcasting Company in 1994 and established his own company, Communications Specialists Limited, Louis Lee Sing, chief executive of the International Communications Network, (610 Radio and TTT), approached Giuseppi a year later.
According to the obituary, Lee Sing “wanted to bring back ‘Scouting for Talent’, which had been off the air for several years.
“He asked Neil (Giuseppi) if he would be prepared to produce it,” the obituary says. “He agreed and, a few months later, the new ‘Scouting for Talent’ hit the airwaves.
“In putting the show together, David Elcock was approached to serve as presenter, and he readily accepted,” it adds. “He hosted the show in his very professional style for the first three years that it ran until he migrated to the United States.”
Though semi-retired, the obituary says Elcock, a Born-Again Christian, took his talent to Internet medium, on Radio KYSO in the United States.
“That station seeks to attract music lovers worldwide with Trinidad and Tobago’s unique gifts to the world, calypso and steel band,” it says.
In 1990, during the National Awards, Elcock received the Humming Bird Medal (Silver) for Public Service.
In 2019, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Trinidad and Tobago United Community Association in New York for his “valuable and outstanding service to country and community.”
“David Elcock has always owed his success in radio to some of his predecessors who, in an interview with the Trinidad Guardian in 2009, he called the ‘deities’ of Trinidad and Tobago broadcasters, legends like Ed Fung, Frank Hughes, Leo de Leon, Bobby Thomas, Sir Trevor McDonald, Sam Ghany, Bob Gittens, Errol Chevalier, Clyde Alleyne, Desmond Bourne and Carl Redhead,” the obituary says.
Marc told Caribbean Life that his father’s radio programs were “an integral part of the morning routine in many a household of Trinidad & Tobago.
“He was a pioneer, a trailblazer, a passionate man of the media industry, with a healthy dose of humility and gratitude for all of his life’s blessings,” said Marc, who works as an administrator for lawyers at an unidentified music company in Manhattan. “He was my biggest inspiration when I decided to pursue my own career in media here in New York, and I would ask for his insight countless times.
“As a father, he was caring, loving and supported me in all aspects of my life, even when I didn’t believe in myself,” Marc added. “And it is his unshakable positive outlook and faith that I will use as a template for my life going forward. I will miss him dearly.”
Elcock is survived by his children – Jason, Marc and Amanda; grandchildren – Rachel, Jonathan, Joshua and Avirae; and his brother, Lloyd Elcock, Esq. (Source: Caribbean Life, Sept 16, 2022)