Expertise
Awards
Grants and Awards:
- 2018 - 2023: Globe Award by the Georgia Department of Economic Development for exporting to new countries
- 2022 -2023: 10000 Small Business Program by Goldman Sachs
- 2021: Exporter of the Year - Small Business Category from Georgia Department of Economic Development
- 2021: Semifinalist for IFundWomen Entrepreneur of the Year
- 2018 & 2019: Semifinalist for the Manufacturer of the Year award -Small business category for Georgia
- 2021: Completed the Women Export University program in Atlanta GA & received “Women who trade Microgrant” by City of Atlanta
- 2017: Semifinalist for the Atlanta Metro Export Challenge Grant Award
- 2013: “Innovation in Chocolate Products” award from the Fine Chocolate Industry Association.
- 2012: Completed SBDC’s GrowSmart program & ExportGA program
Projects Around the Globe
Here is a brief list of projects that we have participated
- Avanse project in Haiti by USAID
- Gola Rainforest Cocoa project in Sierra Leone
- MOCA USDA project in Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- INIAP - Guittard - ANECACAO – MOCCA project in Ecuador
- Fundación ProPetén in Guatemala
- CNFA-LADA & UNIDO projects in Liberia by USAID
- ACPACI-RUTA-USAID project & ACPACI Los Izalcos project in El Salvador
- Jamaica Cocoa Farmer's Association
- UNDP in the Dominican Republic
R&D and Training facilities using CocoaTown machines
CocoaTown's machines have been utilized for training farmers and small businesses in various cocoa research institutes and programs worldwide, including:
- The Cacao of Excellence (formerly Cocoa of Excellence) for selecting the "Best Cocoa Beans of the World" award
- The Cocoa Research Center at the University of West Indies in Trinidad
- The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN)
- The Cocoa Research Program in Ivory Coast (CNRA)
- The Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG)
- The World Cocoa Foundation Institute of Research for Agricultural Development in Cameroon (IRAD)
- The Cocoa Research Lab in Indonesia
- The CATIE lab in Costa Rica
- Earth University in Costa Rica
- Flavor development labs of big chocolate companies
CocoaTown in the News
-
27 Georgia Firms Honored for Breaking Into New Export Markets
Trevor Williams | Globalatlanta.com
-
Food & Dining: A sweet Journey Around the World
Sucheta Rawal | Khabar
-
2023 GLOBE Awards Celebrate Georgia Exporters Across Diverse Industries
Georgia.org
-
Sweet Success - CocoaTown is paving a path for the sustainable chocolate industry around the globe
Sucheta Rawal | GaBiz | June 2023
-
Meet Andal Balu By Canvas Rebel
April 17 2023 | CanvasRebel
-
Fine Chocolate Industry Association About Andal Balu
2022 | FCIA - Linkedln