The Government of Colombia — along with its two largest cocoa companies, Casa Luker and Compañía Nacional de Chocolates, and the National Cocoa Federation — has committed to eliminate deforestation from the country’s cocoa supply chain by 2020.  

Colombina, which started as a small confectionery concern more than 85 years ago, is now a global diversified food and candy company based in Cali, Colombia with sales working their way to the billion-dollar mark.

With summer only a few months away, nostalgic foods and drinks immediately come to mind. Refreshing cola cools you down, tangy lemonade calms the mind after a long day and watermelon with a punch of sweetness energizes you throughout the long afternoons.

Maybe it’s the mountains, maybe it’s the fruit that tastes like it’s from the Garden of Eden, or maybe it’s the fact that a local confided in me that every time she talks about the drug trade she gets a headache — but whatever the reason, it only takes a few hours in Colombia to feel the same desire for change that the locals do.