Highlights

Dous Makos/Douce Marcos

Dous Makos

The production of Dous Makos is an over half a century old heritage.  It goes back to 1939 when a Belgian entrepreneur by the name of Fernand Macos established himself in Petit-Goave, Haiti and created a confectionay, the recipe was held secret but it was primarily based on milk and started its commercialization.  

Between 1939 and 1963, the legacy was passed down to the family Labarre, which has maintained for many years the monopoly of making Sweet Macos in the town of Little Guinea. Competition did not start until 1963-1982 with the emergence of four (4) micro-sized producers. Their number reached a dozen between 1982 and 1986.  The year 1991 marked a turning point for the production of Dous Makos with the emergence of several new production units. Therefore, a marked rise of a new dynamic of the business.

Petit-Goave

There are at Petit Goave sixty units of production and selling posts. All boasting to sell the original Macos recipe. These companies require a space for exchanges to become better acquainted and work together for a good market participation of CARICOM, the Free Trade Area of the Americas and even in the diaspora.

This fragmentation of production worries some producers who question the quality of the product and the consequences of  any changes to the image of this product that is symbolic Petit Goave. They expect, also an impact on income and jobs generated by these candied businesses.

The project to support the production and marketing of fresh macos is part of an approach to group clusters of scattered micro entrepreneurs  selling Dous Macos in the Commune of Petit-Goâve.   Sought for its taste and particular aroma, "Douce Marcos" is a recognized symbol of the town of Petit-Goave. 

Indeed many people, tourists and sweet tooth passengers, stop during their travel through the Route Nationale # 2, to buy a few cubes of "Douce Marcos".

The traditional process of making Dous Makos:

Dous Makos is a dairy product derived from the concentration milk to form a paste form that hardens after cooling. It is composed of five (5) layers. A layer of brown is interposed between the first two layers where one layer white rose is sandwiched between two layers of white.

In  its trading form, the soft makos comes in rectangular shape whose width varies from 8 to 12 cm and length is 13 to 22 cm and thickness from 1 to 3 cm. The width represents the depth of the mold or wood box and the length, width of the mold.

 The molds are handcrafted and can not have a constant dimension.  The variation of its thickness represent the price of the product at cutting. Because of manual cutting, the thickness of Dous Makos is not constant throughout.

Composition of dous makos

Main Ingredient

Milk is the main constituent of the Dous Makos.  It represents between 88 to 90% by of  its total weight. 

 The milk can be used:

• pure milk cow;

• a mixture of cow's milk and sweetened condensed milk;

• a mixture of cow's milk and milk powder;

• a mixture of cow's milk and evaporated milk.

• milk powder

Grading

There are three (3) classes

There are three classes of Dous Makos.  Each differs from one to the other by the quality and nature of milk that it stems from.

Dous Makos 1st Class (Grade A)

Pure cow milk is used, just harvested under good hygienic conditions, provides a very fine product, melting and look very attractive. This Dous Makos is well sought after, it comes from an atelier whose owners have acquired a good know-how from Madame Labarre who introduced the product in Haiti in 1939.

Dous Makos Vendor

Dous Makos 2nd Class (Grade B)

Which was produced with cow's milk, containing a certain amount of water (half to double). The artisans use canned milk to increase the quality of cow milk. The consumer's palate does not appreciate this Dous Makos to the same degree when compared to the first class.

Douce Makos 3rd Class (Grade C)

entirely milk powder based. This lower grade sells in public buses, transit buses and tap-taps.

Most shops use the chocolate powder "Sobrino" to dilute with a little boiled milk before pouring into the boiler. They are rare, the people who use grated chocolate from chocolate made locally. The flavor and color of the latter are better appreciated in the soft, with effective filtration to prevent the particles of chocolate on the tongue.

The Aromas

Cinnamon and star anise

a) Manufacturers boost the flavor and aroma of boiling milk into four (4) gallons of milk, 5 bottles of cinnamon and anise, star of 50gr.

Lime peel or bergamot

  

b)Citrus peels lend a special flavor to milk. These ingredients are often  requested when placing an order for a Grade A Dous Makos.

Peanut butter or almonds

Special Dous Makos are often upgraded with peanut butter or almonds. Such flavors are mostly embedded in the soft white stripes.

Vanilla Essence

Vanilla brings a very distinctive fragrance used in milk drinks and ice cream. Its dosage is 20 grams in liquid in four (4) gallons of milk.

Food coloring

producers give the pink layer to Dous Makos by mixing mealybug pink powder in alcohol or white rum to get the desired concentration. Its dosage is equivalent to vanilla essence.

Dous Makos Recipe

15000 g of pure milk;

Add: 15000g white sugar;

Boil with: 50g of cinnamon and star anise;

Filter for 5 minutes in a clean cloth;

Allow focus to ... mn;

During the mixture to concentrate.

While the mixture is hardening mix in:

• 200g of chocolate in 1000g of hot milk and then strain into a clean cloth;
• 25g vanilla essence in 400g of boiling milk.
• 25g in 400g of boiling milk;
• for ... ... ... ... ... min.  at reaches degree Centigrade.
• Mix the condensed milk with either:
• prepared chocolate
• Prepared vanilla essence
• Prepared Pink food coloring

Spread in the pan in the following order:

• a layer of vanilla milk;
• a layer of milk chocolate;
• a layer of vanilla milk;
• a layer of milk with pink food coloring;
• a layer of vanilla milk;
• Take out of the pan after 6 hours;
• it should yield: ... ... g "Dous Makos"

Ingredient in percentages

Milk: 100%

White sugar: 10%

Spices: 0.33%

Chocolate: 1.33%

Vanilla Essence: 0.2%

Pink food coloring: 0.2%

Yield: ... ..%