“We have this motto… never ask your customer what they want, because they of course have no idea what they want. A customer, a consumer, a person on the street can only tell you what they already know.” -Julia Zotter, Creative Director at Zotter Chocolate Since 1995, Zotter Chocolate has been creating confections in southeastern …

“Against all odds, you know, these growers who were at one time among thousands— and now we’re down to really a handful of growers— the best plots are the ones that have survived… the ones… that have remained really are the ones that are worth keeping.” -Ning-Geng Ong, Founder of Chocolate Concierge For over a …

“I was the first person that came to East Timor and asked about East Timor cacao… one of the guys there had somehow gotten a hold of some information on how to ferment and dry, so he had done just a little bit with a few trees, and they sold me those first tries.” Mikaël …

“Sugar is demonized.” -Ayano Kimura, Co-founder of Böhnchen & Co. Chocolate When I was a kid, discovering my Mom’s chocolate stash in the pantry was always exciting— until I realized it was made up of only sugar-free chocolate. For as long as I can remember, sugar free chocolate was the “other” category in the chocolate …

“When we first started trying to purchase beans, when we called up the bean broker… we said, you know, we just want to buy one bag, two bags [of cocoa beans], and they kinda laughed and said ‘no one ever orders two bags of cocoa… I only have 11 customers. There’s only 11 companies in …

“For us it’s important, very important, that we protect the good name of Cambodian cacao.” -Stefan, Co-founder of KamKav Cacao Company Ancient temples or genocide. Those are the two most common things people seem to associate with the Kingdom of Cambodia. Located in Southeast Asia, and bordered by Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, Cambodia is so …

“Basically we’re finding the limits of what there is today [in terms of quality Vietnamese cacao].” -Samuel Maruta, Marou Chocolate Many people still think of Vietnam in terms of its contentious civil war, back in the 60’s and 70’s. But while the war has certainly left its mark, for chocolate lovers Vietnam has become one …

“We haven’t counted this year, but in 2018 we got samples from over 400 new chocolate companies.” -Matt Caputo, Chocolate Buyer for Caputo’s Market & Deli Sometimes it feels like craft chocolate is just an expensive hobby. Very few of the people I meet know anything about chocolate and cacao; educating the world’s populace seems …

“Most Asian people care about their health. And the dark or black [chocolate] means health.” -Joyce Lee, Founder & Chocolate Maker of JL Chocolate Taiwan has developed immensely over the several decades since Japanese occupation ended, often referenced as one of the Four Asian Tigers. The country is now better known for bubble tea & …

“The passion and the love runs out at some point, when there isn’t enough return.” -Sunita De Tourreil, Founder of The Chocolate Garage Most people who grew up eating chocolate will remember it as a cheap candy, something you bought from the store for less than a dollar. So to most people, the idea of …