Chocolate Cortés

Chocolate Cortés
IndustryFood processing
Founded1929
FounderPedro Cortés Forteza
Headquarters
Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic
Key peopleIgnacio Cortés Gelpí (president)
Eduardo Cortés Shehab (executive vice-president)
Websitechocolatecortes.com

Chocolate Cortés, legally Cortés Hermanos (Dominican Republic) and Sucesores Pedro Cortés (Puerto Rico), is a privately-held, family-owned company operating in the Dominican Republic since 1929 and Puerto Rico since 1931. Established by Puerto Rican businessman Pedro Cortés Forteza, the company is one of the largest cocoa producers and chocolate manufacturers in the Caribbean.[1][2] It is led by Cortés Forteza’s grandson, Ignacio Cortés Gelpí, and his great-grandson, Eduardo Cortés Shehab, both of whom are native to Puerto Rico.[3][4][5]

The company also owns the Chocobar Cortés restaurants in San Juan and New York City, and the Fundación Cortés, a nonprofit organization based in Old San Juan focused on cultural and educational initiatives through art and the humanities.[6][7][8]

History

Chocolate Cortés began in the Dominican Republic in 1929 and Puerto Rico in 1931 under the leadership of Puerto Rican businessman Pedro Cortés Forteza. In 1894, he was born in Manatí, Puerto Rico to Ignacio Cortés Valls and María Forteza Alcovar, immigrants from Mallorca, Balearic Islands in Spain.[9] Córtes Forteza died in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1956,[10][11] leaving the company to his son Ignacio Cortés del Valle, who was born in Manatí in 1922.[12][13] When Cortés del Valle died in San Juan in 2006,[14] his son Ignacio Cortés Gelpí took over the company.[15][3] All born and raised in San Juan, Cortés Gelpí and his three sons, Ignacio Javier, Eduardo Andrés, and Carlos Marcial, are involved in the company, making it a fourth-generation family-owned enterprise.[16][17][18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About | Chocobar Cortes". Chocobar Cortes | Caribbean Chocolate Cortés Everything Restaurant. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  2. ↑ Cohen, Jason (2022-04-05). "Chocobar Cortés brings Caribbean delicacies, Puerto Rican roots to redeveloped Mott Haven neighborhood – Bronx Times". www.bxtimes.com. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  3. 1 2 "Edicion 11 de Junio 2013". Issuu. 2013-06-11. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  4. ↑ Charles, Dan (2017-03-01). "Reviving Puerto Rico's Cocoa Farms, Centuries After Hurricanes Destroyed Them". NPR. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  5. ↑ "Chocolate Forteza: Developing the Cacao and Chocolate Industry in Puerto Rico | ReVista". revista.drclas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  6. ↑ "El Vocero edición 30 de noviembre de 2022". Issuu. 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  7. ↑ Cortés, Chocolate. "Puerto Rican Heritage Brand Chocolate Cortés Joins Forces with Superhero La Borinqueña to Promote Arts & Education with Limited Edition Hot Chocolate Bars". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  8. ↑ "Chocolate Cortés diversifica su oferta y actualiza su imagen". Sin Comillas. 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  9. ↑ "Pedro Cortés Forteza". FamilySearch. April 15, 1894.
  10. ↑ "Pedro Cortés Forteza". FamilySearch. August 28, 1956.
  11. ↑ "Beatriz del Valle Jimenez Vda Cortes". FamilySearch. October 29, 1979.
  12. ↑ "Ignacio Cortés del Valle". FamilySearch.
  13. ↑ "Ignacio Cortés del Valle". FamilySearch. October 9, 1948.
  14. ↑ "Ignacio Cortés del Valle". FamilySearch. August 11, 2006.
  15. ↑ "Ignacio Cortés Gelpí". FamilySearch. March 8, 1982.
  16. ↑ "Eduardo Cortés's schedule for Agrohack". agrohack2016.sched.com. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  17. ↑ "Caribbean Produce Exchange, Chocolate Cortés sign distribution agreement - News is My Business". newsismybusiness.com. 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  18. ↑ "Meet the Man Behind the Bronx's Chocolate-Infused Restaurant". New York City Tourism + Conventions. May 31, 2024. Retrieved 2026-05-15.


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