We believe in our project!
12. August 2015
We believe in our crowd!
It’s D-Day: Today, at exactly 15:00 hrs our first crowdfunding campaign will go online!
We are very excited, because the start of the campaign also marks the first step towards the realization of the Chocolate Road project. We share our excitement with the farmers of the El Ceibo cooperative along with its president Hoved Pacara and his team. We now have 42 days to infect you, our crowd, with the Chocolate Road fever and you, in turn, have until 15 September to take your chance and become a part of this wonderful project.
Since 2012 I have been engaged with the Bolivian agricultural cooperative El Ceibo and their plans to enter the tourism business. In 2013 I wrote my Master’s thesis about the future “Chocolate Road” and in 2014 I received the great news: El Ceibo decided to realize their plans and start implementing the Chocolate Road project in cooperation with our young NGO destination:development. The Chocolate Road will be designed as a new, sustainable and responsible theme road about El Ceibos main produce cocoa, where guests are welcome to get their hands dirty by planting a cocoa tree, helping with the harvest, learning how to prepare a local meal with cocoa products or producing their own organic chocolate bar.
The journey will take you from the cocoa planting regions in the Bolivian lowlands of Alto Beni up to the Highlands of the Andes and the city of El Alto where the El Ceibo chocolate factory is situated. A unique and breath taking journey along the limits between tropical forests and the highlands of the Andes: 4 days, 4000 meters of difference in altitude, 40 flavours of chocolate.
What is still missing is know-how in the field of tourism and – as always – the necessary financial resources. This is where you come into the picture. destination:development is happy to provide know-how, but as far as the financial resources are concerned, we are now starting our crowdfunding campaign and need your support.
The decision for crowdfunding was a very conscious one. We like the idea to invite you all, the crowd, to join in and support the project. We especially love the fact that literally everybody has the chance to be part of the project, since even very small contributions of EUR 1 are possible and can make a difference. We also very much appreciate the total transparency of where and whom the contributions go to. However, only if we reach our goal by 15 September, will the project get the money. If we fail, all backers get their contributions back, and the project will end up empty handed.
You see, you as backers have a unique chance to be part of something great and snatch some sweets rewards on top, without taking any risk at all.
Take your chance! Join us! We and the farmers of El Ceibo count on you!