Entry: Joseph Anikwe, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria

One integral part of the programmes slated for the PMCA Conference was the Student Outreach Programme. I joined my colleague Samuel Orisajo, who is currently a Cocoa Borlaug Fellow, as well as 27 other students from selected universities across the United States for this outreach programme. It was indeed a forum for interactions and exchange of ideas among students in this year’s programme. The student outreach programme reached its peak with a facility tour of Mars Snackfood in Elizabethtown on April 26, 2010. It was a highly informative experience. The student outreach ended with an interactive session between students and their mentors alongside a farewell lunch.

Joseph Anikwe and Samuel Orisajo at the Mars facility in Elizabethtown.

The World Cocoa Foundation also facilitated a visit to some member companies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for us. The companies visited included: The Hershey Company, Barry Callebaut and Camden International Commodities Terminal. The processes involved from ‘bean to bar’ were practically seen. The interactions, ideas shared and questions raised will go a long way in charting a new course of research for the two of us when we return to our home country. I wish to use this medium to express my profound gratitude to the World Cocoa Foundation for organizing this trip. Thank you.