Meet Olivier Fernandez, passionate business owner of Gaston Chocolat and active member of VCCI’s national Council!

Olivier’s business focuses mainly on two key activities. Firstly, on providing world class chocolate to the international market, and secondly, providing this same chocolate to the local market, by value adding to locally produced cacao, sourced via Olivier’s vast network of over 200 farmers in Malekula. Gaston Chocolat café, another business venture of Olivier’s, is a beautiful modern café located in the heart of Port Vila town – it’s a place that welcomes you with a rich aroma of roasted cacao and where one can enjoy an amazing cup of local coffee or hot chocolate while having the opportunity learn more about how chocolate is made.

Olivier strongly believes that businesses are agents of change and have the power to directly contribute to socio-economic growth and development. Olivier’s business strives to be of benefit to the manufacturing sector, not only by supporting producers across Vanuatu, but as a role model for other businesses looking to also ‘give back’ – for example, Gaston Chocolate has a B Corporation Accreditation – a European accreditation to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Olivier has also recently successfully gained his HACCP certification, passing a rigorous audit process of his standard operations, manufacturing premises and his product quality, meaning he can now commercially export his products to the region.

As a board member of the Council for the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Olivier would like to be the voice of emerging business enterprises. He would like to see the implementation of Apprenticeship schemes for the private sector, supported by the Government.

He would also like to see the Export Industry grow, and the processes around exporting goods and services being made an easier. Currently, the costs of licensing and other fees are exponentially high, making it very difficult for emerging export businesses to thrive in this area.

Olivier would like to work towards creating an enabling environment for the export market and support the private sector to access pathways to export. As someone who is passionate about local Ni-Vanuatu business development, he would like to see more dialogue and interaction at higher levels of Government between the public and private sectors, to better inform decision makers and work on solutions. It is Olivier’s goal to work on the balance of power, to make it easier for work to be done without political interference.

Olivier is passionate about local Ni-Vanuatu cacao farmers and would like to see the cacao export market grow and develop.