“When Covid started, all my activities stopped,” she said. “I thought about working with a product, and I thought, ‘Why not chocolate?’

“I really love technical types of cooking, so I thought it was for me.”

Since then, she has realised a new dream with the opening of Venko, Senegal’s first and only artisanal chocolate company.

By fusing Belgian chocolate with locally sourced ingredients such as bissap, or hibiscus flower, and moringa, Venko has quickly developed a reputation for blending unique flavours with stylish presentation, making Nganko’s chocolate a coveted delicacy among Senegal’s confectionery enthusiasts.

“The idea is to take a very classical chocolate and work it with local flavours,” Danuta said ahead of World Chocolate Day today. “I hope that moving forward, my work can help to put those flavours a bit into fashion.”

Named after a bakery established by Nganko’s parents during her childhood – a fusion of the couple’s last names – Venko has navigated the Covid outbreak by leaning heavily into deliveries and catering special events.

While lacking the cocoa culture of other regional powerhouses like Ivory Coast and Ghana, Senegal’s stability has made it an attractive destination for investors and entrepreneurs.

Danuta wants to change the way Senegalese regard chocolate. “I think the next challenge will be to accustom Senegalese customers to buying chocolate on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

“They do not yet buy chocolate as something to have in the fridge and take a bite, but we will get there.”