Olimpo López

Olimpo López Cáceres (June 24, 1918[1] – October 16, 2015) was a Colombian pastry chef.[1] He was nicknamed "Don Olimpo" by Colombians.[1] López was the creator of the Chocoramo, a packaged square-shaped cake coated in chocolate, as well as the Ponqué Gala.[2][3] Both desserts are popular treats manufactured by Productos Ramo, a Colombian snack food company which was founded by Rafael Molano, who died in 2014.[4] Lopez's original, secret recipe for the Chocoramo is currently stored in a bank in the United States.[3]

He was born in Jericó, Boyacá Department, Colombia, on June 24, 1918.[1][3] He was raised by his mother, Evangelina Gómez, who taught him how to make pastries.[1]

López first met Rafael Molano, the founder of Productos Ramo, during the 1940s.[1] In 1968, López began working at Molano's factory in Mosquera, Cundinamarca, as a manager and developer of new snack products.[1] The first new dessert he created was the Ponqué Gala.[1] Then, in the early 1970s, López developed the recipe for the Chocoramo, a cake enrobed in a coating of chocolate.[1] Chocoramo proved popular with consumers and become one of Productos Ramo's signature products.[1]

Productos Ramo now produces approximately 700,000 Chocoramos per day, or 242 million of the chocolate covered cakes annually.[1]

Olimpo López died in Mosquera, Cundinamarca Department, Colombia, on October 16, 2015, at the age of 97.[1][2]