In Ecuador and throughout the world, the chocolate industry is alarmingly led by men. Conexion, as a women-owned company strives to do things differently, bringing a feminine touch to this traditionally male-dominated industry.
Female Leadership in a Male-Dominated Industry
Jenny Samaniego founded Conexion Chocolate after nearly 10 years in the industry. She is unique in believing it is possible to produce exquisite, high-end chocolate in the country of origin. What better place to do this than her home country of Ecuador, birthplace of the famed Arriba Nacional heirloom cacao beans. Jenny is one of the only women in the heavily male dominated world of bean-to-bar and couverture chocolate company founders.
In 2008, shortly after moving to New York City, she started working in the world of chocolate for a number of well-known chocolate companies. Since then she has worked in many areas of the industry – production, sales, and founding the sourcing company Cocoa Provisions to name a few – and she has learned the needs of everyone along the way.
In 2013, Jenny started making Ecuadorian couvertures under the company name Chukulat. Three years later, Jenny returned home to expand her offerings and take an even larger hands-on role in production at origin. That is when she decided to rebrand as “Conexion” – to help make the connection between local cacao farmers and consumers of fine Ecuadorian chocolate throughout the world.
The Woman-Owned Difference
Through this connection, we empower small family farms. By keeping our chocolate production in the country of origin, we add value to the local economy. Not long after launching Conexion Chocolate, our products won awards from the Academy of Chocolate and the International Chocolate Awards in 2017. Since then, we’ve won a total of 33 awards from the international chocolate community.