Dominican Republi Ruta del Dorado: the investment case for fisher-buyer matchmaking events

This document presents the case for investing in business-to-business matchmaking events in the Dominican Republic, supported by the FISH4ACP programme, to connect mahi-mahi fishers and processors with buyers. Despite strong local demand for mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), also known as dolphinfish or dorado, fishers and processors struggle to access higher-value domestic markets due to poor cold chain infrastructure and weak relationships with buyers. To address these challenges, a national marketing channel called La Ruta del Dorado was created to connect fishers with high-value buyers, including processing companies, supermarkets, catering businesses, hotels and restaurants. Following the matchmaking events, end-market buyers made purchase commitments benefiting 60 fishers for a total of 105 tonnes of mahi-mahi and other species at prices averaging 5 percent higher than those available through lower-value domestic market channels. These results demonstrate that business-to-business matchmaking events, when carefully planned and supported with follow-up assistance, can effectively open new market channels for small-scale fishers.