The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority’s dedicated cocoa-handling facility at Pier 84 is no stranger to large shipments of cocoa beans from the world’s cocoa-producing nations, with the facility routinely establishing and breaking records based on the size of the shipments it receives. This happened yet again during the first week of January 2012, when the M/V Pacific Tramp arrived at Pier 84 with its load of 19,328 metric tons of cocoa beans (totaling 293,755 bags of cocoa beans), yet another new record for the United States and this facility. Port officials are optimistic that this current shipment continues the recent upward trend in cocoa cargoes at the Port of Philadelphia, as total cocoa bean cargoes handled at Port in 2011 were up over 26% compared to 2010. A spectacular sight along the north berth of Pier 84 for the several days it took to discharge its cargo, the M/V Pacific Tramp is a newly-built vessel chartered by the Hamburg-based logistics company Unicargo. The vessel left Pier 84 on schedule on Tuesday, January 10, shortly after completing its discharge operation. The Pacific Tramp’s cargo originated in Africa’s Ivory Coast, at the Ports of Abidjan and San Pedro, with the final destination of the cocoa beans being various grinders and processors located throughout the Philadelphia region and beyond. A sizable portion of the vessel’s cargo is destined for Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, located just outside Philadelphia in Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Several representatives of the company visited the vessel to witness the continuing discharge operation on Friday, January 6. There they met with officials of both the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA), which owns Pier 84, and Dependable Distribution Services (DDS), which operates Pier 84. Dependable Distribution Services is a leading handler of cocoa beans and cocoa products in the Philadelphia region, offering a variety of value-added services in addition to its primary discharge operations at Pier 84. That fact, coupled with Pier 84’s close proximity to the region’s many chocolate manufacturers and cocoa processors, makes it a force in the region and the first choice among many shippers and receivers of cocoa beans. “I’m truly pleased to welcome the M/V Pacific Tramp to the Port of Philadelphia and Pier 84,” said Harvey Weiner, President of Dependable Distribution Services, upon meeting Captain Zewan Smit, Master of the Pacific Tramp on Friday, January 6. Joining Mr. Weiner on the bridge of the vessel to meet Captain Smit were PRPA Director of Marketing Sean Mahoney, Director of Communications Joseph Menta, and Marketing Representative Frank Camp. The group later greeted representatives of Barry Callebaut, which shortly arrived to see the vessel and the portion of the cargo that their company owned. Continued Mr. Weiner to the assembled group, “Everyone here today- the Port, the carrier, the terminal operator, and the customer- are necessary components in making a major piece of port activity like this one, with all its economic benefits, a reality. When you have a great team, great things happen.” Barry Callebaut, whose world headquarters is in Switzerland, will be undergoing major expansion at its Eddystone, Pennsylvania facility in its effort to more efficiently serve both the regional artisan/chef trade as well as more traditional food manufacturers. Another regional customer receiving a large portion of the Pacific Tramp’s cocoa bean cargo was Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) of Hazelton, Pennsylvania. A leading producer of high-quality cocoa ingredients, ADM’s cocoa processing and chocolate manufacturing facility in Hazelton became fully active in 2010. The company’s recent activities further contribute to Philadelphia and the surrounding region’s reputation as a major distribution and manufacturing center for cocoa. Upon being briefed on the new year’s record-size cocoa cargo, PRPA Chairman Charles P. Kopp said, “This is a great example of