How useful is certification for guaranteeing the quality of cocoa beans from a given source? And how does it benefit the farmers in producing countries? It’s a debate that has raged within the cocoa community for some time and it… Read More ›
Cocoa
Why gender matters in the cocoa value chain
When world leaders meet at the United Nations in New York next September for a Special Summit on Sustainable Development, their minds won’t necessarily be on chocolate. Their task will be to agree on new Sustainable Development Goals to replace… Read More ›
Are we really running out of chocolate?
Amid the media hype over fears of a worldwide shortage of cocoa caused by surging chocolate consumption in emerging markets like India, China and Brazil, how are chocolate industry leaders addressing sustainability issues in the global supply chain? In their… Read More ›
Cocoa is Ghana, Ghana is Cocoa…
Cocoa is Ghana, Ghana is Cocoa – as the saying goes here. Ghana is the world’s second largest exporter of cocoa beans after the Ivory Coast. Historically, cocoa production has been the mainstay of the Ghanaian economy and today cocoa… Read More ›
Willie and the chocolate factory
In my previous post, I mentioned how more and more chocolatiers are turning away from big wholesale manufacturers of chocolate in order to make their own chocolate from beans they have sourced themselves directly from producers. Willie’s Cacao, based in… Read More ›
The revival of bean to bar chocolate-makers
With the festive period in full swing, many of us will be savouring chocolates of different kinds and types. But what do we know about how and where the cocoa beans used to make our chocolates are grown and processed ?… Read More ›
Inaugurating Valrhona’s cocoa plantation in the Dominican Republic
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of working with Valrhona, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of fine chocolate, on the inauguration of their Loma Sotavento cocoa plantation in the Dominican Republic. It was an important occasion for Valrhona. The… Read More ›
Tain l’Hermitage: where fine chocolate meets fine wine
Tain l’Hermitage is a small town on the left bank of the Rhône in south-eastern France. Located in the northern part of the Côtes du Rhône appellation contrôlée area, Tain l’Hermitage produces some of the world’s finest wines. It is… Read More ›
Chocolate tasting in the Basque country
Although the Basque Country has a strong history in chocolate-making, there are today very few artisan chocolatiers of Basque origin, let alone chocolatiers who make their own chocolate, from bean-to-bar. A century ago, nearly every chocolate craftsman would have made… Read More ›
The first cocoa recipes
I thought that I would share these two drawings that show the early stages of cocoa consumption. What I finding amazing about both of these drawings, are their similarities, and it really shows how the Spanish were influenced by the… Read More ›
