Concord International Hotel to host Yaounde’s premiere Chocolate Festival.

Concord International Hotel is bringing chocolate tasting and promotional offers to the capital, against the backdrop of a cocoa sector producing more than 300,000 tonnes annually. 

The five-star hotel will tomorrow October 31, 2026, host what organisers have described as the first Chocolate Festival of its kind in Yaounde. It will feature free tasting and promotional packages, designed to introduce visitors to the pleasure and variety of chocolate.

The event comes at a significant moment for Cameroon’s cocoa industry. 

According to figures released by the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC), the country marketed a record 309,518 tonnes of cocoa during the 2024-2025 season, up from 266,710 tonnes the previous season. The increase of approximately 16% highlights the scale of an industry that remains important to the national economy.

Cameroon is also making progress in processing more of its cocoa locally. Industrial processing reached 109,431 tonnes in the 2024-2025 season, an increase of 27.7% from the 89,672 tonnes recorded a year earlier, according to figures announced during the launch of the following cocoa season in August 2025. 

Beyond the numbers, the increase also presents an appreciation of chocolate as more of a culture than just a means to an end.

A culture of chocolate
Cocoa and chocolate are closely connected, but they represent different stages of a much longer journey. Between the harvesting of cocoa pods and the finished chocolate enjoyed by consumers lie processes involving fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding and the creation of products with different textures and flavour profiles.

Yet, for most Cameroonians, the chocolate experience as they know it starts and ends within the wraps and in shops where they don’t get to have any part in the journey from the farms to the flavours and even the luxury of form and brand choice. 

For these consumers, a chocolate tasting therefore offers an opportunity to engage with that transformation through the senses. Through it, they will be able to learn differences in sweetness, bitterness, texture and aroma which all contribute to making the experience one of a kind.

In a country with a substantial cocoa industry, such experiences also provide an accessible entry point into conversations about food culture, local processing and the value of moving beyond the perception of cocoa primarily as a commodity. The challenge is not simply to produce cocoa, but also to cultivate greater appreciation for the products and experiences that can emerge from it.

It is within this wider context that Concord International Hotel’s planned festival takes on significance. By placing chocolate tasting at the centre of the event, the hotel is creating an opportunity for visitors to explore a familiar delicacy in a more deliberate setting. 

The promotional packages add a commercial dimension, while the tasting experience offers reason for people to gather around a shared interest.

For Yaounde residents, the festival would provide a different option for a leisure outing, being both a social experience, as well as a rare opportunity to discover new flavours. 

The initiative also reflects a broader role hotels can play in urban life. Beyond accommodation and conventional dining, hospitality venues can create experiences around food, culture and shared interests, giving residents and visitors new reasons to explore what their city has to offer.

Concord International Hotel is one of Yaounde’s newest luxury hospitality establishments. It was inaugurated on September 2025, by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Dr Chief Joseph Dion Ngute, representing the President of the Republic. 

Located in the Olézoa neighbourhood of the Yaounde III Subdivision, along Avenue Charles Atangana Ntsama, the five-star hotel has been constructed by the Mutual Fund of Treasury Staff (MUTRESOR), under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance.

The structure reflects MUTRESOR’s ambition to diversify its investments, while creating an asset, capable of generating economic value and supporting its broader institutional objectives.

The hotel features 116 rooms and suites, alongside restaurants, conference and banquet facilities, a panoramic rooftop terrace, an indoor swimming pool, a spa and other leisure amenities. Its facilities are designed to serve business travellers, tourists, conference delegates and residents seeking dining and recreational experiences.

Beyond accommodation, Concord International Hotel represents an effort to expand Yaounde’s premium hospitality and events offering. Its emergence also creates opportunities for the hotel to host cultural, culinary and social activities that bring people together while showcasing new experiences in the capital.

By Giyo Ndzi

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3955 of Friday October 30, 2026