A large crowd gathered at Hot Rocks bar in Puerto Viejo Friday for the opening ceremonies of the third annual Chocolate Festival, only to have the event shut down by the Health Ministry. The community festival was planned to celebrate Puerto Viejo's re-emerging chocolate scene.
Ecuador, where the fatty beans used to make chocolate have been grown since pre-Columbian times, is surpassing Brazil as Latin America's top cocoa producer after boosting planting and offering education programs for farmers.
