Austria chocolate suggestions?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Zotter is a chocolate maker in Austria. Xocolat is a sorted chocolate shop and there you can buy zotter.
Forum Activity for @giovanni
Austria chocolate suggestions?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Giovanni, thank you for your response. I've put in a request to my friends visiting Austria to pick me up Zotter and Xocolat. I knew I could count on the knowledgeable Chocolate Life community!
Austria chocolate suggestions?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
XOCOLAT in Wien Freyung 2 www.xocolat.at
Austria chocolate suggestions?
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Suggestions requested: Friends offering to bring me chocolate back to U.S. from their trip to Austria. What should they look for?
updated by @Christine Doerr: 04/09/15 13:44:47
open book accounting
Posted in: Opinion
Sarah:This is a very good question and I will ask Shawn to join TheChocolateLife and comment on his take. Before then, however, Shawn tells me that he uses this accounting practice in all aspects of his business, not just with growers.In fact, Shawn practices it weekly in his factory. Everyone in the company meets and they learn about where the company stands, financially. This helps them better understand some of the decisions that get made, and it also shows everyone how their actions affect the company's finances. People can see the direct effect their jobs have on the bottom line. Shawn told me that knowing this information makes his employees more responsible workers with more of a stake in the business.In fact, you may wish to look up A Stake in the Outcome by Jack Stack, a business philosophy book that inspired some of Shawn's thinking.
open book accounting
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Sarah,The practice of open book accounting is fairly simple: you make your financial records available for some form of external scrutiny (like showing them to your suppliers). The point being that people can see what you spend your money on and what profit you take. You are then forced to justify your actions. If people think that you are ripping them off by paying peanuts for beans and reaping huge profits, then they can are in a stronger position to negotiate with you.Langdon
open book accounting
Posted in: Opinion
I've seen the mention of "open book accounting" in other forums, particularly in reference to Askinosie chocolate. And when I was at Valrhona in November for a stage, I got to be friends with a woman from Recuitti who told me that they have gone to an open book accounting system there. My interest is piqued and I wonder who here might have more information on the subject, how to get educated, books, insights, etc.
updated by @Sarah Hart: 05/04/15 07:03:03
WSJ: Premium Chocolate Holds Steady in Tough Economy
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Those New M&Ms,are totally different than the old M&M's, They did use a Premium Chocolate in them along with different nuts and Berries, There is a total different taste and texture.
WSJ: Premium Chocolate Holds Steady in Tough Economy
Posted in: News & New Products Press
There was an interesting article in the NYTimes or WSJ in the last week or so that indicates that while overall alcohol sales have not dropped what's happened is that instead of buying one $200 bottle people are buying six $35 bottles. An article on wine auctions in today's NYTimes corroborates that prices at the high end are well off their highs and it's time to go bargain hunting (comparatively speaking and if you (still) have the money for it).The market research company Packaged Facts puts out a research report on the chocolate industry penned by ChocolateLife member Curtis Vreeland. That report is the source of the market segmentation I and many other people use:Mass Market : up to $15/lb retail.The Premium Market is everything over $15/lb and it is segmented in three distinct markets:1) Mass Market Premium - $15-25/lb2) Gourmet - $25- $40/lb3) Prestige - > $40/lbI think that this is not fine enough any more and there needs to be a $40-$70 range and a $70+ range (Luxury).You might try what I did for a while which is to aggregate orders. Tell everyone you'll special order the Hannah for a minimum number of pieces but you won't place the order until you've got enough orders to meet the minimum. Contact them when you place the order and then again when it arrives. Sure it's high touch but that's one of the things that really generates customer loyalty.
WSJ: Premium Chocolate Holds Steady in Tough Economy
Posted in: News & New Products Press
A great mixed metaphor as I like to wear those very same Emperor's clothes when I homebrew chocolate. (Here's the line. Here's me crossing it.)I think that there is a perception that non-milk chocolate is premium -- that any dark chocolate will suffice for a premium label. However, the other flavors, ie "raspberry almond", may be a reflection of the impact of flavored chocolate makers (Vosges, Godiva, etc.)As an anecdote that may or may not be related to the economy, I was recently shopping at my local Trader Joe's and my local Safeway on separate occasions and both were fairly bear in their organic produce department. I'm not sure if it's a sign of the economy but it sure looked like these higher priced items were not being restocked as readily as before.
WSJ: Premium Chocolate Holds Steady in Tough Economy
Posted in: News & New Products Press
"It's just too weird to seriously consider M&Ms - whatever flavor - a premium chocolate product."Perhaps that is more of a reflection on consumer perception than anything else
That being the case we have a long way to go with educating the public ...Langdon
WSJ: Premium Chocolate Holds Steady in Tough Economy
Posted in: News & New Products Press
More-Selective Consumers Make Each Morsel Count With Emphasis on Ingredient Sourcing and Artisanal ProductionBy HOLLY HENSCHEN
Even in a recession, frugal consumers shell out cash for popular premium chocolate, but the variety they purchase depends on its value, quality and manufacturer. Analysts said trendy, pricier premium cocoa varieties promote chocolate consumption growth. Throngs of products from smaller specialty as well as major chocolate manufacturers line store shelves. But consumers are buying the sweets less often and more discriminatively as household incomes contract with the U.S. recession and world economic crisis.The text of the full article is here .I don't agree with everything the article says:
Large chocolate manufacturers Barry Callebaut and Hershey Co. delved into the premium chocolate realm previously occupied primarily by smaller-scale specialty manufacturers. In 2008, Mars Inc.'s Mars Snackfood US introduced M&Ms Premiums in flavors such as mint chocolate and raspberry almond, as well as dark chocolate varieties.It's just too weird to seriously consider M&Ms - whatever flavor - a premium chocolate product.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 03/11/26 06:20:34
What do you think of these cocoa!
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Everyone!What do you think of following Origin beans in accordance to its Size and Taste.a) W. Javab) Philippinesc) Malaysiand) Indiane) Netherlandsf) Dominican Republicg)TogoAny other interesting information on the above you want to add, please do so.
updated by @Bhuvan: 04/10/15 13:09:19
Is chocolate a part of the traditional Mediterranean diet?
Posted in: History of Chocolate
You can do some research on what was eaten during the period before the 1950-1960 period, albeit unscientifically, by taking a look at the cookbooks of the time and relating that to contemporary written records that talk about meals, etc.And/or you can qualify your terminology by saying that the "traditional" diet is actually a very modern, post-WWII, artifact. When I think of culturally-based food traditions I think back several centuries, not several decades.
Is chocolate a part of the traditional Mediterranean diet?
Posted in: History of Chocolate
Thanks for you comments, Clay.This is what I've read in the medical literature recently about the fats in dark chocolate:The fats are 1/3 oleic (healthy monounsaturated, as in olive oil), 1/3 stearic (saturated, but no effect on cholesterol levels, unlike some other saturated fats), and 1/3 palmitic (saturated, and could increase cholesterol levels and heart risk). So its sort of a wash in terms of adverse health effects.That's compatible with your remarks.And regarding dark chocolate's antioxidant flavonoids:Elevation of HDL cholesterol, with no effect on total and LDL cholesterol,Decreased LDL cholesterol oxidation , leading to fewer atherosclerotic complications .Researcher Ancel Keys, who I consider the father of modern cardiovascular epidemiology, was the key investigator (pun intended) for the Seven Countries Study, published in the journal Circulation in 1970, then as a book by Harvard University Press in 1980. This study is the one that found lower rates of cardiovascular disease and longer lifespans in association with the "Mediterranean diet." The version of the Mediterranean diet he studied was the one eaten around 1950-1960, or so. That's when the Seven Countries Study research was done.Many say that the Mediterranean diet of that period was unusually low in meat, a result of post-World War II economic deprivation.To my knowledge, no one was comparing diet and rates of chronic disease and death across various cultures 150 to 200 years ago. So we don't know with certainty if the traditional Mediterranean diet of 1809 was any healthier than any others in existence then or now.BTW, I'm working on a blog post about the recent Italian study showing significantly lower CRP levels in healthy people eating an average of 20 grams of dark chocolate every three days.-Steve
Is chocolate a part of the traditional Mediterranean diet?
Posted in: History of Chocolate
Steve:Many of what are thought of as the traditional components of the Mediterranean diet pre-date the 1900s and in fact can be traced back hundreds if not thousands of years.Taking that as the starting point, chocolate can not possibly be a part of the "traditional" Mediterranean diet because cacao did not make it to Europe until the late 1500s and did not spread much beyond Spain and its holdings until the mid-1600s or thereabouts. Other staples of the "traditional" Mediterranean diet are also relative newcomers, lycopene-rich tomatoes for example, are also a New World food and would not have been a part of any European's diet until at least the mid-1500s if not later.It is important to keep in mind that until at least the 1840s (and really more like the 1870s in Europe and the 1890s in the US) chocolate was not readily affordable by the general population as well as the fact that during cacao's early history in Europe, physicians strove to fit cocoa and chocolate into the prevailing medical canon, based on Galen's "humors." Was chocolate hot, cold, wet, or dry? Simultaneously it was hailed as a miracle cure-all as well as to be avoided at all costs. (The True History of Chocolate by Sophie and Michael Coe has quite a bit to say on this subject.) So there was a lot of confusion about whether cacao was healthy or not (remember, tomatoes at one time were considered deadly poisonous).Given all of the above, I would have to say that neither dark nor milk chocolate can be considered to be a part of the "traditional" Mediterranean diet but that dark chocolate (e.g., chocolate without any dairy protein or fats) does - in moderation - deserve a place in the "modern traditional Mediterranean diet." (NOTE: I am not a doctor and this does not constitute medical advice. It's merely my opinion based on meta-analysis reading lots of papers on the subject. Check with your physician first. YMMV.) Coincidentally, there is a very interesting article in today's (January 13, 2009) New York Times Science Section, the Personal Health column by Jane Brody titled New Thinking on How to Protect the Heart . The article confirms the value of the Mediterranean diet with a twist:The traditional Mediterranean diet is NOT low-fat, it's the type of fats that are consumed that are important. Reducing saturated fats (fats that are solid at room temperature) and replacing them with fats from fish, olives, nuts, seeds, and certain vegetables is one of the key beneficial elements of the diet.Technically, cocoa butter is a saturated fat. However, the molecular structure of cocoa butter is such that it is metabolized by the body as if it were unsaturated. Several studies have confirmed that the consumption of cocoa butter does not contribute to elevated serum cholesterol levels.As many may now, cholesterol is not a single number. There is LDL (low-density lipoprotein - bad) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein - good) to consider (not to mention VLDL (very low density-) and IDL (intermediate density-) but I just did) and it is not just the relationship between these but also the ratio between these and blood triglyceride levels. "Good" fats such as olive oil and cocoa butter work to reduce LDL, increase HDL (which transports cholesterol back to the liver for processing), and improves the ratio between these and triglycerides. While I am not an expert in the area, one of the effects appears to be that they also somehow reduce inflammation as well as affect blood's ability to coagulate.CRP (or C-Reactive Protein) is apparently a better indicator of risk than absolute levels of LDL or HDL.
Is chocolate a part of the traditional Mediterranean diet?
Posted in: History of Chocolate
I am a huge advocate of the traditional Mediterranean diet (defined by me at my website) because of its ability to prolong life and prevent or mitigate certain chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes), cancer (breast, prostate, uterus, and colon), type 2 diabetes, and dementia. Oldways Preservation Trust has also defined the traditional Mediterranean diet, as has Wikipedia .The traditional Mediterranean diet associated with the health benefits was the one eaten around the middle of the 20th century, heavily influenced by southern Italy and Greece.Most of the readily available literature on the traditional Mediterranean diet does not mention chocolate, but instead mentions fresh fruit and honey as deserts or to satisfy a sweet tooth.Could you save me some research time and tell me if chocolate was commonly eaten by the traditional Mediterraneans? Dark or milk?Thanks!
updated by @Steve Parker, M.D.: 04/17/15 16:13:20
Is like or dislike for dark chocolate genetically determined?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Thanks for the comments and tip, Clay. Will try Bonnat.-Steve
Is like or dislike for dark chocolate genetically determined?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Steve:You are on to something here. From what I have read, bitterness receptors in the mouth develop over time: as children we don't have them (or not many of them) and it is not until we hit puberty that they start to develop, and we start to develop a taste for bitter foods.Something similar happens with Brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc. People who are missing a receptor or enzyme in the tongue generally don't like a class of foods; without the enzyme or receptor these foods taste nasty. For example, as a kid if you don't like Brussels sprouts it's highly likely that you won't like other cruciferous veggies: cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, etc. As their bodies mature, many people develop the receptors or the enzyme and find that foods they have long found they have never liked can actually taste good.One thing I suggest you try in getting your family over the hump so to speak is to take a look at some very high cocoa content milk chocolates. Bonnat makes three milks with 65% cocoa content. They deliver the intensity of chocolate flavor we expect in a dark chocolate and the creaminess we expect in a milk - and they tend to be less sweet than dark chocolates of the same percentage because the milk replaces some of the sugar.
Is like or dislike for dark chocolate genetically determined?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Good points, Langdon.My wife and 12-year-old daughter had little, if any, exposure to dark chocolate in childhood. But neither did I.Neither of them will try the dark chocolates again in the near future!I'm thinking about how our tastes change over time, too. In childhood I couldn't stand tomatoes, broccoli, and Brussel sprouts. Now I enjoy them. Still, could be age-related alterations in gene expression. Complicated and interesting issue.-Steve
Is like or dislike for dark chocolate genetically determined?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Hi Steve,Your comments above made me remember an incident with a Japanese exchange student I once met years ago. We swapped foods: she gave my family dried seaweed, we gave her Vegemite (Australian spread made from yeast extract. Yes it is an acquired taste, preferably from birth for best results). The look that came over her face just from smelling the stuff said it all, there was no way she was going to try it. We didn't fare any better with the seaweed.The point of the above is that while I agree that genetics will make you more or less able to detect taste and odors, what I think matters most is what you have learned to enjoy during your lifetime. Vegemite is similar in falvour and strength to other products like Promite and Marmite, but I can't stand either of the latter. Vegimite is just what I was brought up to eat.So here's a question for you in return: did your wife and daughter grow up only eating milk and white chocolate (as many of us did)?It would be interesting to do a test with your family (if such things are ethical!) I have heard it said that children need to try a new food at least six times to learn to enjoy it. Perhaps you could try this with 60% dark chocoalte over a week or two with your family and see what happens?Langdon
Is like or dislike for dark chocolate genetically determined?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
I have friends who can take a good-sized bite out of a raw jalapeno, chew it, and enjoy it. If I tried that, I would turn fire engine red, sweat profusely, and smoke would seep from my ears. I like jalapeno, but can tolerate only small amounts.I was reminded of differences in taste when my family was experimenting with different strengths of dark chocolate bars, starting with 65% cacao, then 70%, 72%, 86%, and finally 100%. I enjoyed all of it except for 100% (which is made for cooking).On the other hand, Mrs. Parker and my daughter had to spit all of it out, and my daughter wiped her tongue with a paper towel hoping it would rid her of the taste. "Repulsion" comes to mind.Dark chocolates tend to have chocolate listed as the first ingredient, as either chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate. Generally, dark chocolates have 60 to 75% of total calories derived from fat. As the cacao and fat percentages rises, you often see less sugar contributing to total calories in a serving. And the bitterness factor rises, thanks to polyphenols. Bitter, acrid, pungent - its all the same to me. Sugar and fat counteract the bitterness.The heat of a jalapeno and the bitterness of dark chocolate are detected by different taste receptors on our tongues.The best-known bitterness receptor detects the chemical called PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil). One fourth of us cant taste it; half of us are moderate tasters; one fourth of us are supertasters. Supertasters can detect PROP in minute concentrations undetectable to others and find it repulsive.But PROP receptors are not the only bitterness detector. So far, about 25 have been identified from human genome sequences. For example, PTC (phenylthiocarbamide) is another bitter chemical taste controlled by genetics.ScienceDaily on Feb. 5, 2001, reported on a study in women that found no difference from PROP tasters and non-tasters in evaluation or enjoyment of white, bittersweet, or bitter chocolate. Researchers noted that fat and sugar counteract bitterness.Nevertheless, I suspect my wifes and daughters strong aversion to dark chocolate is genetic rather than a simple preference or I can take it or leave it attitude. Must be in one of those 24 other bitter-detection genes.What do you think?
updated by @Steve Parker, M.D.: 04/25/15 05:31:21
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Alan,I am working with farmers in East New Britian on importing Cacao to the United States. The samples of cacao they provided were outstanding and we were lucky enough to find a corporate partner interested in purchasing the beans at a premium over normal PNG prices. I would love to chat sometime about travel to and within PNG. I would also like to hear more about your experiences organizing coops.But, to the topic at hand... I have good news. PNG beans trade at over the world market price for beans. It seems that the quality of PNG beans is recognized not only in in the ICCO rating (as meaningless as that may be), but more importantly it is recognized by the market. Generally PNG beans sell for a premium of around $400 USD over the NY price. That is not where near what Vene beans sell for but it is still a premium.Since Dec. 08 the price paid by Agmark and Garamut for dried fermented PNG beans increased by 38%. Honestly, the prices don't seem that awful given the market price and degree of risk. Maybe the data I have is from a very particular and slightly more competitive market. It seems that those who don't dry or ferment are in much greater peril. Farmers selling wet beans get about 1/3 of the price dried beans go for. I would be happy to learn more about the situation in PNG. If you have your own experiences to share or some articles I can read I would really appreciate it!Smoke damage is the #1 issue that plagues PNG beans and creates a certain degree of risk for anyone dealing with them. I know our partner/buyer is extremely worried about this even thought the samples provided were smoke free. They will reject the shipment if there is a hint of smoke.Unfortunately solar dryers have not caught on. The report Samantha links to below indicated that costly maintenance might be the issue. The farmers I work with did examine solar dryers that were available through one of the local nurseries and the CCI and opted instead to use a brick kiln. I don't have all the details on why they went this way. They did say that they felt the kiln is more reliable, and that they can go for weeks without much sun during the rainy season. The kiln they created is very well constructed keeping smoke from the beans. Alan, are your co-ops using solar?
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Hello Eric,Im a pretty new artisan chocolate maker in Chile. (not from the bean, just transforming coberture)Here in Chile its very but very dificult to find good chocolate at reasonable price.the only company which sell "good" chocolate is Belcolade-Puratos and its pricey like 20 USD/ kgIm very interested in all the fair trade and organic chocolate.At the moment this is the only company selling such chocolates...But I read in one of your post that you knew beab to bar makers in Peru, Brazil, ecuador, Bolivia...have U got the contacts ?If not I have the posibility to buy chocolate from EL REY but I dont know about the organics y fair trade practices...I would buy 21USD/kgthanks in advance for any advice and good contact.Olivier
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Dear Mr. Lucas,we are about to start a small chocolate manufacturing business (bean to bar) in Croatia/Europe. We have been working towards this end for the last six months, and have managed to make chocolate which people like, but only in small quantities. Our final goal is the production of cca. 40 kg per day, i.e. around 1 T per month.We would be happy to support you in your efforts to run your farm in the way you have described. Obviously, the best way to do this would be buying cocoa directly from you.So if you are interested in selling cocoa to us, please send us some information about your cocoa and, of course, your prices.We are interested in best quality cocoa only, preferably Criollo or Trinitario with a significant amount of Criollo blood (with very low acidity and astringency). If you can offer such cocoa, we would like to try it out first, so we would need you to send us some samples.In any case, we want to congratulate you on everything you have done for your employees so far and wish you and your employees success and prosperity in the years to come.Greetings from Croatia and best wishes,Walter Zufic and Lilli S. Perisic
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Samantha,Well firstly a very hearty thanks for your detailed reply. Just great to get as I've been on the 'how does the cocoa industry work?' track for the last 6-9 months and, while making progress, there are still a lot of unknowns. Surprise surprise.I'll work through your points and valuable comments and see how it shakes out. Hope we can continue this.Re exporting from PNG, yes this has all the hallmarks of somewhat of a 'closed shop' with some long established (read 'comfortable') relations in place. We (in the project) are working our way along this one carefully. We are helping growers to form co-operatives as the basis for progressing 'extension services' - which are pretty well now non-existent in our area at least - using a farmer-to-farmer basis. This has worked well in Madang with the cocoa growers there and we have high hopes for it in our patch. Another reason for helping growers to form co-ops is that they then become the base organistation which can apply (!) for an export licence from the Cocoa Board of PNG. So without counting our chickens this approach seems the way to go. We are working with the CoBPNG as a partner and feel we are at a stage where we talk the same language. So we will see very soon if this line of thinking 'works'. I can certainly let you know about what happens there.Re Markham Farms - just a bit of passing up-date, they did belong to the Swire group but have just been sold to a Malaysian firm. In the process they lost perhaps the best cocoa plantation manager around so it will be intersting to see how they go from here on. And they also sell beans to Michel Cluizel who then produce the "Maralumi" bar you mention. So that gives us some heart that small growers near by who produce the same quality of bean can come close to doing also. In saying this though I'm conscious of the great credibility gulf b/w Markham Farm and local small growers in the mind of buyers. But again here lies our challenge - to link up on an initial low volume 'trial' basis with buyers who buy quality beans and build the credibility from there. The trick of course will be actually getting to the 'trial' order.Re Quality: This is a very intriguing one for me as well. I gather in the final analysis the notion of what is and is not 'quality' is determined by the bean buyer. I've also heard here in Ecuador that a lot of store is put in the taste of the bean with some people (few) able to tell where a bean is from by the taste. I'm going to meet with some cocoa buyers in Germany soon and I'll be asking your same question: how do you determine the quality of a bean? So I can report on that too in 2 weeks.Re PNG cocoa and 'fine flavour' rating: Thanks for that reference. Very heartening to see PNG listed as 75% - the same as Ecuador. I'm intrigued to get the full story on the quality of the cocoa beans in PNG when I'm there soon. But for a few 'experts' there seems a dearth of knowledge on the quality front. Here in Ecuador they use the guillotine method in the field on harvesting to check for bean colour and disease and grading their crop, but that tool is unknown in PNG to my knowledge. But I'll check it out. When you mention 'EU' I gather you are referring to the aid agency whereas I think I was talkin about the European Union as a geographic market. But interesting though your point about the involvement of donor agencies in the cocoa industry in PNG and the less than astounding results. I'll be very interested to read those articles (and thanks). But the influx of 'helpful' agencies with varieties that might/do dilute the quality of the cocoa bean in favour of volume is silly in my view. If you have a quality product with limited supply with a level of demand from a market prepared to pay a premium they why would you ignore it and try to compete in the 'me too' market? My strong sense is this has been and still is PNG cocoa's dilemna - little unified agreement on the positioning of the industry internationally.Re image of PNG: Thanks for the further good news that 'scientists, chocolate connoisseurs, and ICCO are also well aware of PNG as a cocoa grower'. The info I've received recently here (2nd hand and always a danger) is that the buyers in Europe 'don't know' except Michel Cluizel of course! But I'm going to gather some info on that first hand soon too.Re the aid agency level of 'success' - I won't say anything about this other than the project I'm involved in is takin a private sector approach to building income in the District by taking a customer-driven approach to these industries. So that means seeing the cocoa/coffee/etc growers as customers on an equal plane to the Michel Cluizels of this world.In finishing Samantha I might just mention one of the biggest barriers we face is helping growers get access to finance - even microfinance. Banks in PNG and yes even micro-finance bodies see the growers as too much of a risk and impose overly stringent borrowing terms leaving the grower with literally no where to go despite a crop in the ground with an market value of $+++. So they are snookered and any buiding of their crops (e.g. even modest fermentries) is out of the question for the single grower - hence the co-op idea again. But this may (?) help explain why the Ausaid dryers exercise virtually failed. There is of course the not insignificant matter of whether the new dryers were the growers idea or 'imposed' (always a bad course).Pardon for making this reply so long Samantha but your thoughts and comments were so interesting they begged some wordy reply.
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Clay,Thank you very much for your help on that one. I've got two stats that might throw some light on the subject - one from Ecuador where I live at the moment and PNG where I work (don't ask about the flight time!!). I have it that Ecuador produced 130,000 tonnes this last year and I gather most of that is fine flavour and exported. PNG just topped the 51,000 tonne mark this year too and, while I'm guided by the IOCC rating, seems that most of that is fine flavour and also exported. So we have approx 150,000 tonnes there all up. I understand Dominican Republic is also in the fine flavour category but volume is small.So does this help us get closer to the volume and so the % that is fine flavour? Value your thoughts. And while not in the slightest an authority, like you, my money would be on the post-harvest/customer persepctive!Can I squeeze in another 'ask': I'm told by people here in Ecuador that either no one of the buying fratenity in the EU (at least) knows about PNG cocoa or they know of it but just can't access it (Duffy's dilemna comes to mind). Does any one share these views? Also while on the same topic, I've been staggered to not see PNG listed as a producer of cocoa let alone fine cocoa in almost all of the stats on world cocoa production. To top it off, I recently read an IOCC doc from the Executive Committee' of Sept 2006 on "A Study on the market for Organic Cocoa". It provides a table (Table 2) of world organic cocoa producers and under 'Asia and Oceania' as producing in total 762 tonnes of organic cocoa in 2006 - but it doesn't even list PNG who produces 51,000 tonnes (while not certified - our next challenge)!!! I 'm beginning to think it is a matter of 'nobody knowing' about PNG cocoa. To finish, I like the requirement of 3 years non-use of pesticides etc for organic certification. PNG cocoa growers haven't used it for several millennia!Very glad for your thoughts on the above questions.cheers.
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Alan:There are a number of statistics about fine flavor cocoa production but if you do the math yourself you'll see that - at the commodity level as not all sales to small producers are reported - fine flavor cocoa runs to less than 10% of production (which would be around 300,000 tonnes of beans). Other stats I've seen put it closer to 3% which is probably closer when you consider blending which often happens in the country of original when buyers purchase from multiple growers and mix them together to dry on their patios.Also - and here's a real fun one, does unfermented 100% Nacional out of Ecuador count as fine flavor cocao? From a genetics perspective yes, from a post-harvest processing quality perspective? In my opinion no.Bean genetics is only one part of the fine flavor equation, which is why I tend to agree with the 3% number.:: Clay:: Clay
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Duffy, followig on from Langdon's comments and now yours it seems the cocao crop out of PNG is being sold to the firms in Singapore and Malaysia (over 57%) and then our suspicion is that it is on-sold to other local markets in S.E Asia. There is also a portion sold to Indonesian buyers who blend it with the commodity cocoa out of Indonesia. We have no hard evidence of this but a country who is producing 300,000 tonnes p.a buying more in from PNG who produes 51,000 tonnes does beg the question of 'why?' if not for blending - especially given the IOCC rating of fine flavour to PNG cocoa.So we are intent on trying to maximise the return to growers via the 'low volume/high return' route as you nicely put it and if this takes time (which it will) then so be it. That the bean-to-bar segment is very very small doesn't worry us unduly at the moment as production and quality issues are still needing to be worked through. What we think is at stake is the global positioning of the PNG cocoa industry - and that to the right segment (high end buyers) and a move away from the selling on a 'whoever wants it' basis. We are learning in any case so there is no huge hurry. We are also hoping that a few initial contracts with bean-to-bar buyers will represent some very important precedents to the growers who have been fleeced for too long now by exporters who have no interest in developing the industry and maintain a solid self-interest by keeping the growers in the dark on international prices and marketing approaches. So we intend to change all of that so that growers do become far more influencial in the value chain than they have been till now.Langdon, the project of building the cocoa industry is part of an NZAID project to improves incomes (by 10% at least by end of 2010) of rural folk in a district outside of Lae PNG. We are also building up the fish farming industry too with coffee to follow later this year. But it is the cocoa industry where we started because it has the greatest promise to raise incomes by a good measure.Can you perhaps confirm a stat I've heard - that the fine flavoured cocoa crop represents about 9% of the total world cocoa production. Sound about right? Be very happy to hear more and tell more about the project if you have any lead questions.
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Langdon,I agree with your point about bean-to-bar manufacturers taking a tiny proportion but I am trying to find links direct with growers - or as close as I can get - and struggling to find any way of doing this. The big dealers are looking for orders by the metric ton (or 20).Maybe a combination approach would work. As I've said before, I search "Fair trade" web-sites and only find where to buy retail products. Frustrating! If a grower, group of growers or co-operative sold direct then it might be like farmers in the UK selling part of their produce at a farmers' market - low in terms of volume but high in terms of profitability.Regards,Duffy
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Hi AlanSounds like you have a good project going there. We would be interested to hear more about it if you care to share. Hope that it works out for you and the growers you are working with. Education for these people has to help and if you can find them direct markets then that is a really good achievement.What you say about shortening the supply chain is fair enough and the more the better. However only a relatively tiny percentage of the cocoa harvest goes to bean to bar manufacturers (and probably ever will). Therefore to improve the return to more growers, an approach that works within the existing system seems, to me, to have the best overall potential.Langdon
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Langdon,I found your pricing approach very interesting re bringing greater value (= returns) back to the growers. I am involved in a project to build the cocoa industry in district of PNG and from my research so far - and I think you example bears this out - there are too many participants in the value chain between the grower and the retailers. I should add also that these participants are extracting value out of the chain for dubious 'services' with the net result that the full value/return back to growers is eroded.Our view is that we need to regain this 'extracted' value by dealing direct with the retailers - and even better when these retailers are also manufacturing on a bean-to-bar basis (such as Michel Cluizel) thereby shortneing the supply chain further. So we are actively pursuing this approach and hope that it makes sense to these end buyers as well by effectively shortening the supply/value chain.So while I see the merit in the thinking of returning some of the margin at the retailing end to growers, we believe that real power lies with the growers and we are workig to build their knowledge and skills re their understanding of the 'game' and how to play it.
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Duffy, I agree that we will find the farmers, as you say, we are looking for them.As for trusting the middleman though, I am skeptical. I think that this kind of system should discourage "hearsay" and encourage verifiable fact at every step. If one or more people visit a farm, or co-op and see good practices (and documents them with photos or videos for instance), then I will have more confidence.Langdon
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Duffy,Sam and I have spent a fair bit of time researching this issue over the years. The rules vary from country to country. The US (due to its excellent freedom of speech laws) give the greatest protection to the person making the statement.The bottom line (from our research) is if what you are saying is:1. Demonstrably true2. Publishing the information is in the "public interest" (i.e. exposing deceptive practices that may harm customers)3. Is a personal opinion that you actively believeThen it will be virtually impossible for someone to successfully sue you for defamation in the US, UK, or Australia (these are the jurisdictions that we have researched). The Wikipedia entry on defamation is a good resource if you are interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation Typically defamation is used as a form of bully. Most people have no idea of their rights and when faced with an enraged corporation threatening to sue, will just back down. So the bully knows that it is unlikely to ever have to go to court.In the case of the system that we are discussing it would be well worth while to find or hire some legal advice to clarify this issue as part of the system design.Contributors should be educate about what can and can't be said, and how comments should be phrased to avoid defamation. After all, we don't want to defame anyone. We want rational criticism, debate and transparency.Potentially controversial posts (where someone is rated low) can even be flagged for moderation before posting to help pick up obviously defamatory comments leaking in. On the flip side, anyone who receives a bad comment should be given the chance (and encourage) to defend themselves.With enough input the system will become a lot like ebay's feedback pages. Both the crank reviewers and the deceptive suppliers will become obvious thus allowing consumers at every level to make better choices.
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Langdon,I have no idea how the law works regarding freedom of speech, fair comment and slander. If I was very rude about, say, "premium" M&Ms and they insited the comment be deleted one could instead leave a note saying that they'd brought the lawyers in - leaving readers to draw their own conclusions on how that company react/over-react.Another point I wanted to make is that we will find the farmers because we are looking for them. We are trying to find good quality beans and to improve the fermentations etc. If the middleman who finds the beans tells us the farmer is looking after his staff and that he pays a premium to this end then we can expect to also pay a premium to buy form the middleman and can tell the people who buy from us about the farmer and what he's doing and where the extra is going to go.We start building little supply chains with some transparency. Word gets round that Farmer A is getting more because he's taking a little more care and the middleman will have more farmers seeing that this is sustainable way to grow cocoa.Regards,Duffy
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Duffy,My guess is that the biggest threat this system will face is the people out there who won't accept critical comment about their business or product. And rather than rebutting the comments logically and sensibly, will just threaten legal action against the person who made the comment and the operator of the site.After all, why is there inequality in this industry? Because people with power are happy to take advantage of people without power (usually growers). When someone comes along who threatens the status quo, then threats of legal action are common.The reason I am posting this comment is not to be discouraging, but to get a potential major issue on the table. Having bought it up, I will say that I think the problem can be dealt with. It requires that the ground rules for using the system are solid, with good legal advice backing up the rules.Langdon
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Clay,I don't think that it should cost a lot of money to operate a system like this. Software must be written and a website kept operational, but given that the information is being provided for free, the ongoing costs should be quite minimal.Langdon
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
I agree with Duffy on this issue Eric.What you have just done (post some information about your business and its practices in a central location) is an embryonic form of Duffy's idea. It's a form of transparency. The more we have the better. As Duffy said:"Just from this thread I now know more about one farmer and two producers and this information will be used if/when I next make purchasing decisions."Keep it coming I say
If enough small players are involved, then the our customers can put pressure on the big players to lift their game since there is an alternative available.Langdon
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Eric,That is a huge problem, and there will only be so many people able or wanting to work on cocoa farms. Tempting as that sounds in an English winter. However, your question almost answers itself: YOU take care to pay a bit extra, and to try and make sure the farmers get a little bit more. You tell us, we buy from you. Your business could also feature in the virtual "farmers market" with a degree of openness and a statement of intent.Just from this thread I now know more about one farmer and two producers and this information will be used if/when I next make purchasing decisions.If you are meeting farmers occasionally and other purchasers are also meeting other farmers occasionally then maybe we can post this knowledge. A bit clunky, full of gaps and unstructured - but still very useful.Look at it from the viewpoint of the consumer (whether buying beans or chocolates or machinery) - how can they tell who they are dealing with? Visit each companies web-site? Not practical and not subject to much centralised comment or critical review. I will (soon, fingers crossed!) be looking to buy beans, in small quantities. How do I know? Would I rather buy Fair Trade beans from someone who wouldn't know a tasty bean from a piece of wood or someone who was more obsessed with quality and incidentally trying to do the right thing.it needs a light touch and someone will take advantage and con us but it might help push the move to quality and responsibility.Regards,Duffy
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Here's to Fair Trade for chocolate makers, too.
FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER
Posted in: Opinion
Well, I know that you are all trying to find a way to globalize the true "Fair Trade" efforts and I applaud your efforts, however, that is something that will never come to pass due to the large players involved. Keep trying though and hopefully we can at least improve it. I buy cocoa beans from 19 countries now and 37 farmers or coops. Most of these are not fair trade sources so unfortunately I am unable to sell "fair trade" cocoa beans. Many people are only interested in that stamp regardless of what it means and like you have all said, in most cases it means nothing.What I do is make sure that each source I buy from gets better than fair trade prices for their beans. I may not be certified but I every source I buy from, farmer or coop, gets better than fair trade price. It may be a small start but it is something I can do and many of the chocolatiers I work with are all trying to do the same thing. Hopefully, our efforts will not go unnoticed even though we are not "fair trade certified"I am watching hopefully. Maybe some uniform system can be devised that is fair for all involved. One quote I have from a great friend of mine who buys only fair trade beans and pays a premium for them about fair trade is this "Everyone wants fair trade, stores, farmers and consumers. Where's the "fair trade" for the chocolate maker?"
updated by @Eric Durtschi: 06/20/15 11:41:36