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Danuta Nganko in work uniform. © VENKO
Belgian-Congolese chef Danuta Nganko - economic advisor to our FPS - is a successful artisan chocolate maker in Senegal. Her ambition is to combine delicious Belgian chocolate with local, often forgotten ingredients. She told us her story.
Danuta Nganko spent her childhood in DR Congo, her father's country. But her mother - surname Vergauwen - is a pure-bred Antwerp native. "My mother was a pastry chef and my parents had a business producing waffles and ice cream," she says. "So I have always bathed in sugar."
Still, Nganko did not go straight into nutrition. When conditions deteriorated in the Congo in 1992, her family moved to Belgium. There, she attended secondary school in various places such as Liège and Brussels. She then worked at the Petit-Château for Fedasil (reception centre for migrants) and for the Mercatorfonds, which publishes art books, among other things.
Diploma in culinary arts
"I travelled quite a bit around Europe - including the Netherlands and the UK – to learn languages," she says. "I also spent some time in the Congo, Mali and Morocco. In Lisbon, Portugal, I gained a diploma in culinary arts that allowed me to be a chef."
This robust education in Portugal marked the definitive start of her culinary adventure. "In truth, I had trained as a chef so I could open a restaurant in Senegal. But then COVID-19 came along and my plans were scuppered. So I decided to devote myself to chocolate."
VENKO
The choice of (Belgian) chocolate did not come out of the blue. "I already had a great deal of experience creating desserts. And in Portugal, my chef tutor was also a representative of Barry Callebaut and trained in Belgium. I also received plenty of advice online from Belgian chocolate maker Alexandre Bourdeaux. Anyway, as a chocolate maker, you must always throw yourself into the practice while remaining very humble."
The name for her company was easy to pinpoint. "I simply adopted the name of my parents' company. VENKO is a combination of the surnames VErgauwen and NgaNKO."
Hibiscus and moringa
Belgian chocolate is still the "go-to" in Senegal. "My starting point is Belgian chocolate for professionals, which I buy from Barry Callebaut and Belcolade. I think that is essential. Belgian chocolate has a very different, much smoother texture than Swiss or French chocolate. It melts less quickly in the mouth. I prefer the Belgian chocolate flavour - from Côte d'Or, Neuhaus and so on - that I grew up with."
She then adds typical Senegalese ingredients to the Belgian chocolate. "Of course, I also have plain ganache (a mixture of melted chocolate and cream for fillings, ed.) with caramel or raspberry flavours. But I love to experiment with local flavours too. For example, I often use hibiscus - which is wildly popular here - and moringa. I also like to use forgotten forest fruits - like sapotille and konkorong - that are not well known here anymore. And I don't want hazelnuts or pistachios in my products, just nuts from here, such as cashews, groundnuts and sesame seeds... I even discovered the "newu", a previously unknown nut!

VENKO's delicacies are only available in Senegal. © VENKO
Easter eggs and bunnies
Her passion for experimentation has already resulted in an extremely wide range: 19 different bars, 14 types of chocolates and various truffles and chocolates with trail mix. But that's not all. "I also make special products for holidays throughout the year such as Mother's Day. Or Easter eggs and bunnies for Easter, and St. Nicholas and Santa Claus figurines, and so on. During Ramadan, I prepare small rochers with a nut, and dates coated in chocolate, filled with praline. With these, I am capitalising on the custom of giving numerous gifts during Islamic fasting.”
After three years, Nganko has a thriving business with one boutique plus several outlets, in addition to a few exports through a distributor in France. "If I wanted to export more, I would have to provide sturdier packaging."
3,000 CFA francs
Unfortunately, her chocolate is too expensive for the poor in Senegal and even the Senegalese middle class. "One bar costs 3,000 CFA francs, about 4.5 euros. That is 1.5 times more expensive than the 2,000 CFA francs you have to pay for a vegetable-based meal you can buy on the street. So my clients are mostly wealthy Senegalese and expats. The Belgian and French embassies are also good buyers, offering my chocolate at their receptions. I also have contracts with hotels and restaurants."
Fairtrade and traceable
One thing she does not need to worry about is the origins of her chocolate's cocoa beans. "The chocolate I buy from Belcolade and Barry Callebaut carries the Fairtrade label and is made without child labour and so on. Every pack of chocolate is traceable and I am confident that this is accurate."
That said, she would like to find time to visit small cacao growers to see for herself how things are done. "I think it is really unfair when small cocoa farmers are paid a low price while chocolate, as a luxury product, is so expensive. But I also fear that if manufacturers pay a fairer price for cocoa, the chocolate will become much more expensive and practically unaffordable."
Dark clouds
Although her business is doing well, dark clouds appeared in the sky last year. "The political climate in Senegal has become quite unstable and elections will normally be held in June (in the meantime the date has been set on March 24, ed.). So this year will be crucial in deciding which direction to take: do we want to expand or leave things as they are?"
In any case, Nganko plans to stay in Senegal for several more years until her 4-year-old daughter is out of school. "Of course, I can return to Belgium but I feel happy here. I like being in Belgium but I would still have trouble adjusting all over again."
Danuta Nganko on her role as economic advisor
Danuta Nganko has been an economic advisor for our FPS for one year. She apparently stood out as a genuine and highly successful entrepreneur. So our embassy suggested she become an economic advisor. "I chatted at some length to then ambassador Roisin and I said yes but I can't really remember why," she says, laughing.
In any case, she has no regrets. "It is not an onerous task, I estimate about six hours a month. The past year was especially dominated by the economic mission with Princess Astrid. I participated in many preparatory meetings and sat on a panel on entrepreneurship in Senegal."
She is also guiding and supporting the new Belgian ambassador who arrived this summer. "We regularly have lunch with her, along with the four other economic advisors in Senegal. Then we give our view on current cases and suggest contacts from our network. I also attend various events, such as a cocktail reception for the Belgian EU presidency."
She also thinks she was invited to perform the role because of her interesting profile. "Our small group of five economic advisors is very diverse in terms of age, experience, gender and so on. I am also a bit different myself; I am young, female and run a very small business. These diverse profiles complement each other extremely well. Finally, I am of both African and Belgian origin. I have lived in Belgium for a long time, but I also know Africa. The fact that I understand both sides well is guaranteed to be an asset in my role as an economic advisor."
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