Meet Vicdaly Williams | Chemical Engineer & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vicdaly Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vicdaly, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Chocolates Dalila is a family project that started in 2018 after my husband and I made a trip to Venezuela and noticed the need to start a business that not only includes our family but also had a positive social and economic impact in the community. We started out brain storming the products that Venezuela is best known for and ultimately decided that we would make craft chocolate, bean-to-bar, from cacao we would import from Venezuela and in that moment Chocolates Dalila was born! Chocolates Dalila celebrates our love for chocolate and supports the communities that cultivate it. By partnering directly with local farmers and cooperatives, we ensure fair prices for their labor and contribute to sustainable farming practices. Together, we promote the well-being of farming communities and the preservation of high-quality cacao crops.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We faced many challenges with making the business a reality. For starters we had no idea how to make chocolate; we only knew that chocolate comes from cacao which is grown in many regions across Venezuela. We spent several months researching where we could source our cacao from in Venezuela and how to make chocolate at home; fortunately, after a great deal of trial and error and research we were able to find some really good sources of information along the way and courses to improve our skills. We have been very fortunate in that we have developed a great relationship with our Cacao Producer in Venezuela, Cacao Marquez, and have a fantastic community that supports our business, especially in Tomball, TX where we really got our start at the local farmer’s market. I am passionate about the craft chocolate business and every day I am turning the wheels in my brain thinking of new ways I can make the business grow; every day I try to be better than the day before and continuously strive to better myself and the business. We actually almost gave up on the business altogether after most of our batches of chocolate we absolutely could not temper properly. Tempering is the method of aligning the crystal structures within the fats of the chocolate to get that nice shine and snap and it is very challenging to master until we finally found Chocolate Alchemy and John Nanci was able to get us on the right track with zero tempering issues going forward. Early on we quickly learned just how much work chocolate making really is; when you make your own chocolate you have to separate, roast, crack, winnow (remove the husk), and stone grind your beans into smooth chocolate which is an effort that takes a couple of days. Our next challenge after learning to make chocolate was how we would be able to sell it, who would buy it, and where we would sell it. Craft chocolate is quality over quantity and therefore far more expensive than a chocolate candy bar from your local convenience store, so there was also a great deal of educating the customer on why craft chocolate is more expensive and a better option. Craft chocolate is an experience with unique terroir and inherent flavor notes just like a fine wine. There are several other craft chocolate makers in the Houston area that came before us but overall it is a fairly new concept for many Houstonians and Texans in general. Our business has been a constant evolution as we balance what we want to make and what sells best in our local area and also finding our own unique niche within the industry. Currently, our biggest challenges are debottlenecking our processes for producing more chocolate and continuously improve our marketing to increase our reach. As CEO of Chocolates Dalila, I strategically identified and capitalized on business opportunities that steered the company’s trajectory towards growth. By overseeing multifaceted aspects of the business, I established a robust foundation for our chocolate journey. We currently have two physical stores in Venezuela where I have a team of 10 people. I am now pursuing my purpose of growing the business so we can impact more people and continue to have a direct positive impact in the cacao community in the area we source our cacao from.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Houston is so diverse and offers something for everyone. If you love food, there is food from every part of the planet; if you love art, we have world class art exhibits, if you love sports we have it all from football, baseball to rodeo. Houston is truly a city for everyone and we love how inviting the city has been to those relocating here from outside the city or from other states or countries. I particularly like Hermann park, we can plan a picnic day and walk around such a beautiful green area within the city. We can also head to the Heights and get our groceries from Central City Co-op and prepare a nice dinner with high quality local grown products. I would also visit Tejas BBQ in Tomball, they have the best BBQ in Texas!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband Tom who has been a key contributor to my success as an entrepreneur, offering unconditional support and valuable advice, guidance, and support throughout my journey.

Website: www.chocolatesdalila.com

Instagram: @chocolates.dalila

Facebook: chocolates.dalilaofficial

Youtube: Chocolates Dalila