In a few short months, New Providence will be home to an interactive chocolate factory that could draw some serious crowds from tourists and locals.
Top Graycliff executive Paolo Garzaroli sat down with Guardian Business to reveal plans behind the novel idea.
Located on the site of the Graycliff Cigar Company on West Hill Street, the chocolate factory aims to be a full interactive tour for both children and adults.
The cigar factory will move to a newly-renovated building behind the Graycliff Hotel.
Garzaroli said Graycliff has already come to an agreement with Disney Cruise Lines to place the factory on its itinerary for thousands of passengers.
"During the day it will be set up for tourists as an interactive factory. At night, it is all production," he explained. "There will be a gift shop. The actual experience will not be looking through a glass. That is not what we do. What we do is an interactive show where you come in, we sanitize you, and you are able to enter the factory. You'll learn about chocolate, and then at the end you'll get to make your own chocolates."
The equipment to produce the chocolate should arrive in 45 days, he said, and construction is imminent. Graycliff is shooting for an opening in roughly three months.
Each tour takes around 45 minutes, Garzaroli added, with the company hitting a "sweet spot" price between $50 and $60. The Graycliff chief anticipates up to 100
people flowing through the factory each day, with the reception thus far from the cruise lines being "fantastic".
Garzaroli told Guardian Business he got the idea while traveling in South Africa. After visiting a winery, he was surprised when chocolate was paired with the wine tastings. If the proper ingredients are used, the two actually worked well together, he said.
His first thought was to combine tobacco with chocolate, but over time the idea evolved into creating a full experience to harness the impressive flow of the cruise traffic into Nassau.
"They (the cruise companies) love this tour. I can see it being a problem with how many we do at a time," he said. "My initial thought was to do 10, and bring them through in phases. But from how long it will take, we're moving to 15 to 25 each tour model."
While the gift shop provides that retail element, Graycliff intends on using the factory tour as a means to pay the bills. Already on the minds of executives is adding chocolate to the brand as a whole, which now includes airport lounges, cigars and watches.
The creation of Bahamian-made chocolate for export is the ultimate end goal of the project, he revealed.
Garzaroli said it is important to "get the foundation and then plug it into the next model".
Initial hirings for the factory include a certified chocolatier to spearhead the creations and provide the tours. A technical team will also be required to keep it all running.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
