An interview conducted in partnership with the Climate Smart Summit 2026 ·
June 16-17, Bridgetown, Barbados
When investors think about the Caribbean’s climate-smart economy, they tend to think about megawatts and carbon credits. Ashley Parasram, thinks about cocoa.
As the Founder and Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Fine Cocoa Company, Trinitario, Parasram has spent more than a decade working at the intersection of agricultural heritage, biodiversity, climate-sensitive farming, and economic resilience. Established in 2013 as a public-private partnership with Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Agriculture, Trinitario’s mission is to rehabilitate one of the Caribbean’s most storied agricultural sectors while building a commercially viable, export-ready enterprise rooted in local pride and ecological responsibility.
Ahead of his appearance at the Climate Smart Summit on June 17, we asked Parasram what climate-smart agriculture looks like on the ground in Trinidad and Tobago, and why the cocoa sector may represent exactly the kind of overlooked opportunity investors should be paying attention to.
Q: For investors who may not immediately see cocoa as a climate-smart opportunity, how do you explain the connection?
Parasram: Trinidad and Tobago imports 3000 metric tonnes of cocoa and chocolate products per year and only grows 300 tonnes of which 80% is exported as beans. There is an opportunity to significantly reduce emissions through import substitution.
The Trinitario project seeks to rehabilitate 1000 acres of cocoa land with the opportunity to extensively replant cocoa trees thus creating an opportunity for carbon offsetting.
The project will be using new technologies such as solar drying for cocoa beans and energy efficient technologies to lower our carbon footprint through a new state of the art cocoa processing facility.
Q: Trinidad and Tobago has a globally recognised fine flavour cocoa heritage. What makes the sector commercially distinctive today?
Parasram: Like Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, Trinidad and Tobago Trinitario, the cocoa variety, is becoming more well known to the consumer in the industrial, culinary and retail sector. This is highlighted through our current partnership with Harrods Stories (UK) demonstrating the premium market demand for Trinitario.
Q: Your work touches biodiversity, pollinators, climate-sensitive farming, value-added processing, and export markets. How do these pieces come together in the Trinitario model?
Parasram: Through our replanting programme to rehabilitate historical estates and linked to our existing cocoa processing facility located in Central Trinidad. We are developing cocoa estate plans to increase the supply of raw material but also explore other approaches such as bee keeping to assist with pollination and use of new technologies to help manage with pest and disease control.
Q: Trinitario was established as a public-private partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture. Why was that model important and what has it made possible?
Parasram: We work very closely with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Cocoa Development Company to share our experience and learning to farmers as well as providing training courses and assistance with the development of cocoa estate management plans. As a PPP, we also have worked closely with the TT Intellectual Property Office where our trademark has been protected around the World through the Madrid Protocol and with the Ministry of Trade and Industry where the Trinitario chocolate was present as the official chocolate of the China International Import Expo in 2024 by the Trade Minister.
Q: One of the themes of the Climate Smart Summit is that the Caribbean should focus not only on what it lacks, but on what is already working and can be scaled. What does the cocoa sector show us about that?
Parasram: Product innovation is a critical component of scale. For example, in 2020 we developed a product with Angostura Distillers called ‘Cocoa Bitters’ which has been shipped around the world. This is achieved by exploring new uses and innovative products for the Trinitario Cocoa. We have also developed chocolate stout with 3 breweries (2 in Trinidad and 1 in the UK) and are working with the UK based culinary school to develop new uses and applications. Scale is important but to achieve that you need consistency of supply, this is what we aim to achieve.
Trinidad and Tobago imports 3000 tonnes of cocoa. We hope to secure 20% of that market within 8 – 10 years.
Q: What role can private-sector companies play in connecting farmers, institutions, and markets in ways that accelerate climate-smart development?
Parasram: The private sector can play a valuable role in helping farmers by providing the assistance when needed and specifically ensuring there is a stable and consistent market for their products. The current global geo-political situation is creating high volatility in the cost of fertilizer and equipment for farmers… it is therefore critical that the farmer knows he has a consistent and secure market demand throughout the year. Based on this, we can start to explore what climate smart technologies can be used. In this context we have begun to explore how AI can assist with climate and production projections to aid the farmer manage their resources.
Q: How can value-added local production help strengthen economic resilience and reduce dependence on imports?
Parasram: Trinidad and Tobago exports 80% of its cocoa in bean format. I believe there is an opportunity to develop localised value-added processing where many of the historic cocoa villages can create a unique product/experience for agri tourism. Not only will the revenue from the cocoa be increased but income generated from our tourism services would help rural communities. It is in this context we are developing a ‘chocolate island’ strategic plan for Tobago which is supported by the Tobago House of Assembly.
Together with cocoa farming, we will also be planting many other cash crops to reduce the dependency on imports. This includes citrus, banana, pineapple, vegetables, spices and also other high value crops such as vanilla.
Q: What would it look like for an investor or corporate partner to engage with the cocoa sector in T&T?
Parasram: We would look for a 5 to 10 year investor that would offer standard debt terms at a feasible interest percentage. Financing would be to support the replanting programme, build a factory extension to increase production and provide some working capital.
Given the current global economic condition and the recent price spikes in the cocoa market, few companies are willing to offer a 12 month purchase order which many funders would like to see before issuing a loan. Therefore an investor would need to understand the challenges facing the agricultural sector and be willing to be flexible with the sales metrics used in the evaluation process.
Parasram’s work is a reminder that the Caribbean’s climate economy is not only being built in solar farms and geothermal plants. It is also being built in cocoa groves, processing facilities, and the supply chains connecting Caribbean farmers to global markets – the kinds of opportunities that may become increasingly relevant to investors looking for resilience, diversification, and regional scale.
Ashley Parasram will join the Climate Investment Marketplace panel at the Climate Smart Summit, June 16–17, 2026, Bridgetown, Barbados.
The leaders shaping the Caribbean’s climate-smart future will gather in Barbados for the inaugural Climate Smart Summit, a new platform designed to accelerate investment, partnership, and implementation across the region’s climate-smart economy.
Register now to join Ashley Parasram and other leaders in Bridgetown this June 16-17.
