A Sweet Partnership: PLU students partner with Tonči Chocolatiers in Tobago
Image: Students Audrey Blais ’26 and Kai Lewis ’27 with Tonči chocolatier co-owners Randy Taylor and Carlina Jules-Taylor.
By Britt Board
Assistant Director of Communciations
For a small-batch chocolatier in Tobago, it’s all about family. “My mother, Marie Jules, taught me to make drinking chocolate,” said Carlina Jules-Taylor, co-owner of Tonči. “Her father worked on an estate with cocoa, coffee, and coconut. My grandmother processed everything – squeezing sugar cane to make syrup, roasting coffee, and making cocoa sticks for tea.” Tonči is a tree-to-bar chocolate company that prides itself on using locally sourced cocoa to create high-quality chocolate.
Tonči’s success is in its attentiveness to the craft – skills that have been lovingly honed across generations. This deep-rooted tradition in cocoa inspired business marketing students Audrey Blais ’26 and Kai Lewis ’27. As part of their J-Term experiences in Tobago, Blais and Lewis collaborated with Tonči to expand their reach and grow the business.
Blais and Lewis were part of a J-Term study away experience called “Social, Educational, and Health Services in Tobago,” a course that gives students hands-on experience through community connections. The program explores service, cultural wealth, and how factors like race, gender, and nationality shape interactions. Students learned about Tobago’s social, educational, and health systems by working with local professionals and joining cultural excursions.
For Blais and Lewis, studying away was more than just an academic experience. It was a chance to leverage the marketing skills they’re refining at PLU to contribute to Tonči’s growth.
The website project started when Blais noticed how much Tonči relied on QR codes to share information with visitors. “I thought a website would be more helpful in organizing things for owners Carlina and Randy, as well as for those interested in learning more about Tonči,” she said. With the couple’s support, Blais and Lewis built a website where customers could order products, book experiences, and connect with Tonči’s story.
From the start, their work with the chocolatiers was hands-on. “On the first day, we sat down with Randy and Carlina to discuss what we could do for them and we started capturing content right away,” Blais shared. Lewis focused on video production while Blais handled photography. Together, they created engaging Instagram posts and documented the chocolate-making process to showcase Tonči’s craftsmanship and history.
Tonči’s story is deeply personal to Carlina Jules-Taylor and Randy Taylor. After the family moved to Tobago, their connection to cocoa reawakened following the loss of their son and namesake for the business, Tonči. Jules-Taylor remembers “We could still hear him chanting ‘cocoa tea, cocoa tea, cocoa tea,’ and his joy mixed with the aroma of roasting cocoa. The idea of making chocolates to remember him evolved.”
For Blais and Lewis, the experience of working with Tonči was a highlight from their time in Tobago. “The most meaningful conversations I had were with Carlina and Randy,” Blais said. “They care more about sharing Tonči’s story than making it a big business. They made it clear that Tonči is more than chocolate – it’s a celebration of life.”
For Lewis, studying away was novel and transformative. “This was the farthest I’d ever been from my family, and instead of struggling like I thought I would, I found it liberating,” he said. “I realized I could handle things on my own, solve my own problems, and grow as a person.”
The students’ work with Tonči reflects PLU’s commitment to service-oriented learning. The J-Term study away program in Tobago challenges students to think critically, step outside their comfort zones, and work alongside local communities in meaningful ways.
This was the farthest I’d ever been from my family, and instead of struggling like I thought I would, I found it liberating. I realized I could handle things on my own, solve my own problems, and grow as a person.
Looking back, Blais and Lewis are proud of their work and the connections they built. “I’m so proud of Audrey and I for creating international relationships that I hope will last for years,” said Lewis. “This is an experience I will never forget.”