"It's a joy to wake up and go to work every day, knowing what we're going to be doing with the rest of our day, AND it's [still considered to be] work."-Cynthia Leung, Co-founder SoMA Chocolate Cynthia Leung is a calming presence. She almost …
Interviews
Interview: Mackenzie Rivers, Founder of Map Chocolate
"The first bean to bar chocolate I ever tasted was my own— and I'm sure it was really bad. But I thought it was so exciting, so amazing, that I wanted to keep doing it instantly."-Mackenzie Rivers, Founder of Map Chocolate Mackenzie Rivers is the …
From Big Family Business To Cacao Farmer & Beyond
It's the 1950's; your country is poor and in the throes of recovery from WWII— but in the south, there's the promise of land. The Japanese occupied the Philippines for 3 years, and after they were forced out, the country was devastated. Many …
Interview: Greg D’Alesandre, Cacao Sourcerer At Dandelion Chocolate
"There's too much power in the chocolate makers' hands as opposed to cacao producers' hands.... for the industry to be truly long-term sustainable, that power dynamic has to shift."-Greg D'Alesandre, Dandelion Chocolate Greg D'Alesandre is almost …
Interview: Emily Stone, Co-Founder Of Uncommon Cacao
"Craft chocolate is still such a small industry that it's very rare that one, or even five craft chocolate makers would be able to purchase the entire harvest of one origin... they need the stability of a buyer who can bring on the cacao from the …
Interview: Vincent Mourou, Co-Founder Of Marou Chocolate
"Every farmer that we started with [in 2011], we are still working with."-Vincent Mourou, Marou Chocolate Vincent Mourou is widely recognized as one of the first craft chocolate makers in Asia. He's one of the co-founders of Marou Chocolate, a …
How Young People Are Reorienting Philippine Cacao
A commonly-quoted statistic is that the average age of a cacao farmer is 50 years old. That statistic comes from this 2014 article detailing studies done to determine the average age of cocoa farmers in West Africa. So while that number is not …
Maddy Smith, Barefoot Chocolatini: Growing The Napa Valley Of Chocolate
Maddy Smith comes from a family of fabricators. For her entire childhood, her family had this secret chocolate toffee recipe that served as the envy of the neighborhood. For the longest time, this was Maddy's favorite treat. Years later, her …
Interview: Pam Williams, Founder of Ecole Chocolat
We all come to chocolate from a different perspective... [but] for me it's really all about education.-Pam Williams, Ecole Chocolat Pam Williams is somewhat of a legend in the world of chocolate. She's been in the industry for over thirty years, …
Chocolate On The Road: The Internet
To listen to the previous episode click here. The Queen of England, with all her billions, cannot buy better chocolate than you can.-Clay Gordon Craft chocolate's growth, just like that of Milliennials', has paralleled the rise of the internet. …
