Forum Activity for @Rodney Nikkels

Hi Clay,

You're right, it is a very sad story and this should have been avoided. I think it mainly has to do with too big ego's forgetting what it was all about. Fair Trade as a movement was started to offer small scale farmers access to the international markets in order to be able to export their produce to the market, avoiding intermediation and thus obtaining a better price. A lot has changed and power-play came into it. Worker rights are in a way protected by law in many countries, espcially on those estates that are interested in the Fair Trade logo, so what is the benefit?

Would be interesting to see how this would work out for cocoa estates...

Best

Rodney Nikkels

I was substituting in a high school in NYC today and one of the classes was working on this exact issue. Each student was looking at FTUSA, FLO and other related issues. Each student had a different commodity and I didn't realize that there is fair trade rice and other products not produced for export on a small scale. I was discussing the SPO oranizations I am familiar with as at applies to coffee and cacao without even knowing it. I will share this information with the teacher. Thank you Clay.

wow.

And this from Bloomberg news today: Fair Trade Proving Anything But to Farmers With $6 Billion Sales at Stake .

And if that weren't enough, FLO CEO Rob Cameron has resigned .

In a move that has sent shockwaves of disbelief throughout the "fair trade" industry worldwide, Fair Trade USA (until recently TransFair USA), is separating from FLO (Fairtrade Licensing Organization) and the Fairtrade International movement.

The primary reason (the actual decision-making process was done behind closed doors and FTUSA does not feel "comfortable" releasing the names of those involved in the process: So much for transparency!) for the schism appears to be a disagreement over the inclusion of hired labor organizations (i.e., estates and individual farms) in the coffee industry into the fair trade souk.

At the moment, all of the producer entities who have Fairtrade certification - in coffee - are SPOs (small producer organizations). There are other products that already allow estates that use hired labor to "enjoy the benefits" of Fairtrade certification - bananas is one (cocoa is not, for now, included in FTUSA's push to embrace hired labor organizations). FLO/FI does not want to extend certification to hired labor organizations in coffee; FTUSA does. FTUSA's rubric for their new movement is "Fair Trade for All."

Who could possibly object to "Fair Trade for All?" But, of course, there are those who do. [My opinion is that the fairtrade business model is fundamentally flawed and there are better ways to achieve address systemic issues than the premium "aid" model, which, in practice, acts to extend Western economic imperialism.] There are arguments on both sides ... that are convincing to the supporters of their respective positions. In the end, no-one knows what the schism will mean in practice, either for their respective movements for consumers, or producers. But I have a sinking feeling that I know who will lose out: the very people whom "Fair" trade is supposed to help.

I have one more prediction - and I would like to hear the thoughts of members of TheChocolateLife community about the split.

My sense is that this can only be confusing to consumers who will now have to understand and recognize the differences between FTUSA certification and FLO certification. FTUSA has to come up with an entirely new logo and convince their current sub-licensees to switch to the new system. Products with the FLO symbol will continue to be imported into the US and there is every likelihood that an "official" FLO organization will arise, Phoenix-like, from the ashes of this (unfortunate but ultimately fated) implosion.

Perhaps most unfortunately is that monies that should be going to help people who need the help (growers and producers) will now be going to designers, printers, and PR and marketing firms to educate the buying public on the need for the change, to (try) to reduce the confusion in the marketplace, and to convince people that the new logo can be trusted.

Once again I ask: "How is this 'fair?'" In the end, the millions and millions of dollars that will be spent on this will be ill-spent; a testament to massive organizational hubris and naught else. Who will benefit most in the end? FTUSA and ad agency/PR executives who sit in air-conditioned offices and drive around the San Francisco Bay area in "PC/environmentally friendly" cars pulling down hefty six-figure salaries.

Not subsistence farmers who do not (and cannot) earn a living from the fruits of their labor.

Becca -

Try getting close to one of the craft chocolate makers in the UK -- Duffy, Willie, etc., and see they will offer them to you.

Hi Nino,

Sorry, I expect my response is far too late (2 years is quite late!), but after a recent trip to Peru I discovered chocolate tea which is absolutely delicious. It's also full of theobromine (no caffeine) so has wonderful properties but is calorie free.

I wondered where you sourced your cocoa bean shells? I am looking myself for a source of high quality cocoa shells suitable for consumption (ideally organic) so would really appreciate any info.

Warm regards

Becca

Many of the nurseries near my home sell it in large bags -- 20 or 30 pounds or so -- for mulch, but Antonino is right. It can be deadly for dogs, and since I have two, it's out of the question. It does smell great however. You go by the pile of bags and it smells of cocoa. The tea thing sounds interesting.

very interesting ! thank you Denise. Paper is another option, we have to try.

I wish you all the best for the new year

I have a friend who does pit-fire pottery. She usescacao husk from my bean-to-bar chocolate makingin the fire pit to color various kinds of bowls, vessels, etc and it gives a beautiful look to whatever is fired. Husk is good for garden mulch but not if there are dogs around - could make them ill. I keep thinking I'll try making handmade paper that includes bits of husk, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Do you know if it's possible to use the roasted shells to make tea, without any other special treatment ?

Thank you !

Hi Adam,

thanks a lot! we were looking into this option, but i have read that is very dangerous if you have a dog (theobromine poisoning)....

But making tea seems quite a cool thing!

We are also making body products!

Amano Chocolate suggests garden mulch : " Today, cocoa bean husk is sold or even given away as garden mulch. For this, the husk is highly sought after. The husk is full of nutrients and has high concentrations of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorousall important plant nutrients. Its strong fibers help to break up the soil, and thus it is particularly useful in soils with lots of clay. When used to cover the soil, it helps to keep the moisture in and makes a beautiful ground cover. The best part, of course, is that it makes gardens smell of chocolate. What could be better than that?"

Others are using it to create tea .

Hi All,

out of curiosisty, what can be done with cocoa beans shells?

we have quite a bit (few 100kgs..) and we are looking into creative ways to use them...

any idea around the chocolate globe?

Ciao

Nino

Tom,

Is this 3-way valve something that can be added to a Selmi Plus? I have a lot of problems with dosing inaccuracies.

Oops - realize question had already been answered and for some reason I didn't see it!

Dear All, sorry for my late in the reply, I unfortunately do not have the time to follow this great initiative of Clay every day.

Thanks for loving the Selmi machines... We are happy to build the equipment for the professionals and with new machinery and new innovations all the time we try to make a difference.

About the Selmi One you will see that the tank is rather small. Physically it is possible to put the dosing head on the Selmi One, we have several customers that do this, but the outside nozzles will drip in the corners of the vibrating table, which is not really a problem.

The only real problem is when you want to make shells and turn the mould around to let the excess of chocolate drip out of the mould, because then the chocolate from the dosing head will drip on the back of the mould because there is not enough space. It is not an option to push the pedal to stop the flow of chocolate so long, because inside the machine there is a tempering screw with around the screw cold water that turn for the tempering. If you push your pedal too long, the chocolate in the screw stops and the cold water will cool the chocoalte too much and your nozzle will block. It is also a fact that everytime you push the pedal of the machine you reduce the tempering capacity of the machine because in this way in fact you stop the tempering because for the tempering you need a flow...

For this reason we have on our bigger machines special valves. We are now introducing with Tomric the special 3 way valve with long nozzle to be able to fill spinning moulds and to dose 100% correctly. The standard machines have a dosing system, but we have to be clear that this machine is a tempering machine and not a dosing machine, so it's not 100% accurate... in fact it is but the more chocolate you use from your tank, the less pressure on the chocolate so the weight can differ during the work. With the 3 way valve this problem is solved.

Anyway, now I'm giving probably too much information, you know where to find me if you need anything.

I enclose a picture of the machinery that are ready to be shipped tomorrow in our factory, weekly pick up date of the machinery is on Friday [ Moderator Note: Photo deleted because a photo of boxes of equipment ready to ship is not relevant to the discussion. ]

All the best regards

Tom

Yes, the clearance does make sense. Thanks for the replies! Love the Selmi too, may be time to add a bigger one.

I have a Selmi One and love it as an entry-level continuous automated tempering machine. The plate is physically larger than the tank so any excess will not make it back into the machine. Our nextunit will be a Selmi Plus EX and we will use the Selmi One for our lesser used chocolates. Hope this helps.

The way it was explained to me (by people associated with Tomric, Selmi's distributor here in the US) is that there's not enough clearance (back to front and left to right) to fit the standard dosing plates. I can't see any real technical reason why it shouldn't work - but there might also be issues with the amount of pressure generated by the pump and auger (it might be insufficient to push the chocolate through the dosing plates). Personally, I think it's more likely a marketing decision.

I know the export manager from Selmi is a ChocolateLife member, so perhaps Tom can provide a more precise answer to this question.

Looking at the Selmi one and the Plus and on up, there appear to be no differences in connection where the injection plate would mount for filling molds. In fact, we have a reducer attached to help with flow issues. There are even 2 sets of receptacles on the back to plug in the warmer. So, why will an injection plate not work for this model? Anyone tried it? Had one made?

Thanks Brad, merry Christmas to you as well. AND you have helped me a lot, even in the posts you were grilled your knowledge helped me on my way as the internet is the only place where can learn this craft.

Thank you Brad and Happy holidays to you too!

Hi Everyone;

Having been on and off this forum for a few years now, and been roasted, ridiculed, and revered (mostly roasted and ridiculed! haha), I just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

I hope that my contributions to this group, while sometimes not as eloquent as others would write, have helped you, as much as your posts (and flames) have also helped me become better at this craft.

Cheers, and Merry Christmas!

Brad Churchill

Choklat

www.SoChoklat.com

Depends a bit on your factory, i suppose. Generally speaking I like acid brick for floors and dairy tile for walls. It's very easy to clean, can support a lot of pressure if you've got heavy equipment, and is pretty durable should you drop something on it.

We are currently looking to replace the flooring in our factory - now the question I have, is what is the best flooring for a chocolate factory?

Tiles? Vinyl?

Any advice on what is durable, and is easy to keep clean would be much appreciated.

Please send all emails to "thechocolateyogi@gmail.com" or try Nathaniel@cacaoyogi.com

your email is not working> I tried and it was returned, left a message maybe you can write me at beliciousbeth@gmail.com? I am interested in powder paste,and butter, raw and roasted. thanks, Beth

I need 500 lbs in the next few weeks, what can you do for me, please quote, send info on farmer, pictures, etc. rafoley@qzina.com

we're on it Antonino!

Dear Nathaniel,

could you send me an email to antonino@cocoafair.com and we can discuss quantities, delivery time and prices?

Greetings Chocolate connoisseurs,

Just letting you all know that I am a direct source for (certified organic) 100% Arriba Nacional Cacao sourced from these the pristine high elevations of these regions: Country of Origin: Ecuador (Vinces, Manabi, Esmeraldas). Grown in high elevations and irrigated by all natural springs, glacier melt waters, and natural rain fall, these trees span from 30-80+ years old. Grown in these highly mineralized volcanic soils, we bring our cacao (pods) down by donkey back from the mountains to small collection centers then transport to process in our facility near Guayaquil. We have the following cacao products :

Cacao Beans, Peeled Beans, Butter, Nibs, Paste and Powder.

The cacao is gently washed with a mild ozone treatment to eliminate any negative bacteria, fungus, coliforms, etc. The first stage is the beans - they are fermented for around 3 days to bring out the natural, rich and complex flavor and then a portion are hand peeled when "wet." The remaining are then sun dried. After they are sun dried a portion is offered in their whole form with peel and then the remaining go to be winnowed or crushed/peeled to generate the nib form of cacao (the outer skins are blown off after winnowing). From the nib they are then stone ground to generate the paste which is then poured into moulds and then solidified. While still in a ground state the cacao is then pressed for the cacao mass and oil. The oil is portioned out and solidified for the cacao butter. The remaining is cacao mass that is milled into cacao powder. There is temperature monitoring at all states of the processing to ensure its Raw state. All of the cacao is certified organic and certified Kosher by Earth Kosher.

We do offer lightly roasted selections for certain situations as well.

As you all know, true Arriba Nacional is Ecuador's pride and joy heritage, heirloom variety in which the recent "infestation" of CCN-51 and other hybridized varieties has been making it in the cut for most if not all of the cacao exported from Ecuador on larger scale operations no matter what the claims may be. The demand for Arriba Nacional helps preserve Ecuador's heritige otherwise getting drowned out by CCN-51's mass production style farming operations that threaten the highest quality, best tasting cacao on the planet. This not even mentioning the use detrimental farming techniques not doing anyone a favor (except the $$ makers) including the land itself to the end user. (Sacrificing quality for quantity in this game)

FYI: CCN-51 are trees grown usually in open sun and mono cropped with no thriving ecosystem surrounding them akin to traditional shade jungle grown cacao (like our Arriba Nacional- full thriving eco-systems in wild) CCN-51 is grown because you can get a higher price for this varieties higher oil content and is a high yielding plant. This originally geared towards the cosmetics industry is now exported as Ecuadorian cacao used in many finished chocolate products, unless you are getting it from us- the only exporter from Ecuador with True Arriba Nacional.

Your dollars demanding this variety helps local people earn wages far beyond the normal pay rates out there, for we have our own "sense certification" process that ensures we pay our workers wages far exceeding normal jobs they would have there. We feel it is integral for our end product that everyone along the way is completely taken care of for the success of our company and desire to preserve and make accessible the variety (Arriba Nacional) that chocolate enthusiasts have sought after for years ever since it was discovered by the first European chocolate makers that found Arriba's flavor profile to be top in the world.

Our trees are essentially wild, and are *certified organic* and we source our cacao to reach our high standards *by the pod* to ensure we truly have Arriba Nacional. NO aggregate sourcing chucking CCN-51 in our mix and passing it under another name. We have true Arriba Nacional, and that is 100% guaranteed by only accepting pods, and not beans which are difficult to truly judge by looks alone, whereas the pods are clean indicators of the variety.

Our warehouse is in Oakland, CA so if your in North America it is very easy to connect you. If in other areas of the world, we can likely ship it directly from Ecuador with special arrangements.

Contact Ordering Info:

Nathaniel-direct: 925-395-4933 or email at: thechocolateyogi@gmail.com

To receive more information regarding the products I am offering. I am capable of doing all types of quantities from 100lbs of beans, paste, butter, or powder to orders exceeding 1-ton at a time or more. Let me know what your needs are and I will take care of you.

Thanks Davy. I think using it in a filling is the best idea. Here is the recipe I used to make the 50ml of gluhwein I needed.

50ml dry red wine, I used a good cabernet

t cinnamon

t cloves

all spice

1 orange rind

1 slice of lemon

Why don't you make a cake or something and use this chocolate as topping, or use it in a cream ganache between the layers of the cake?

What recipe did you use? I love gluhwein, so I believe you as you say it a great taste :)

Hi, I was making someGlhwein truffles using Glhwein I made myself. Sadly it was one of my total disasters. I drained the fat off and stored the remaining glob of chocolate in the fridge. Today I thought I will grate it and use it to make something for ourselves. It turned out exceptionally tasty when I grated it. Now I sit will all the lovely grated chocolate that I do not want to waste by using it as chocolate chips, it's just too tasty you all the lovely Christmas tastes coming through and it is smooth, not at all grainy.

So, any ideas what I can do with it. I thought of the possibility of using it in a cassata-like ice cream. Any better ideas? It sitting there in my fridge and I do not want it to go to waste.

Brian - I think this is a really excellent idea and a way to incorporate the cocoa-infused vodka in the same beverage! Not a Black Russian ... what might a good name be?

mildly alcoholic cacao smoothie? could be nice for the beach (its summer here). muddle the nibs with mint for a mint chip martini? add them to any kahlua or baileys based drink?

these are all wild guesses obviously.

whats your process for the cacao/vodka, just soak them in there? how long? what temp? i love vodka and have lots of cacao, i might start my vodka as soon as tomorrow.

brian