Interview: Jan Schubert, Conservation Leader at Original Beans Chocolate

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“I would say… for the farmers we’re working with, [for] eighty percent of them cacao is the most important income solution, but for zero percent it’s their only income.”
-Jan Schubert, Conservation Leader at Original Beans Chocolate

Jan Schubert works in the cocoa industry in Latin America, largely in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. Focusing on conservation in cocoa-growing areas, his efforts & the efforts of his team have led to the planting of over 2.4 million trees in some of the world’s most vulnerable areas. ‘One bar, one tree’ is the motto of Original Beans Chocolate.

So what is happening on the ground, in the world’s oldest cocoa-growing regions? After well over a decade working with cacao in South America, Jan had a lot to say on the topic. From a hostel in Colombia, we dive into post-harvest improvements from farmers, rare cacao varietals, and potential value-adds in-country. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.

Note that the idea of the end of chocolate as we know it was the focus of my interview with Jan, with the end product being this podcast episode titled Is Chocolate Going Extinct?

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A post shared by Original Beans (@original_beans) on Oct 3, 2018 at 11:42pm PDT

Jan in the South American rain forest.

Topics We Cover

how Jan got involved in cacao in the first place, and how he came to work at Original Beans
the conservation-specific work Original Beans does in the Americas
farmers’ efforts to improve cocoa quality, and the results therein
obstacles in improving cacao farmers’ production volume and access to market
prices farmers need in order to stick with cocoa production
industrial cocoa farming vs. small-scale cocoa farming
governmental intervention in increasing cocoa cultivation
climate change’s impact upon cacao farming