The Slow Melt: A podcast about chocolate

Latest Episodes:

Preview of Episode 9: Your Chocolate Is Probably African May 19, 2017

Show notes

Although cacao’s birthplace is across the upper Amazon in South America, 70 percent of cacao comes from West Africa. In this two-part episode, we’ll explore the history and politics of chocolate and meet the farmers who make it all happen. In part one, you’ll meet Rick Scobey of the World Cocoa Foundation and author and journalist Órla Ryan, who will talk about the historical significance and present-day cultivation of cocoa in Africa. In part two, Simran Bindra of Kokoa Kamili explains the growing popularity of specialized varieties. Guests include: Rick Scobey, president of the World Cocoa Foundation, who explains the kinds of cocoa grown in West Africa and the CocoaAction initiative. Órla Ryan, author of Chocolate Nations: Living and Dying in West Africa and journalist at the Financial Times, on the history of cocoa cultivation in West Africa. Simran Bindra, director of Tanzanian cocoa supplier Kokoa Kamili, on what happens when a country known for commodity cacao starts to grow more specialized varieties. Launches May 26, 2017. Learn more at theslowmelt.com.

This show is brought to you by Audible. Get a free audiobook of your choice and free 30-day trial at www.audibletrial.com/chocolate.

If you like what you hear, please consider making a donation to support a second season at theslowmelt.com/donate/

Episode 8: The Deep Origin: Latin America May 12, 2017

Show notes

The cocoa and chocolate we know and love was born in the upper Amazon and domesticated (turned into chocolate) in Mesoamerica. In this episode, we will explore the history of the food of the gods and, as the leading producer of fine and flavor cocoa, the role Latin America plays in chocolate today.

Guests include:

Maricel Presilla, chef, culinary historian, author of The New Taste of Chocolate and coordinator of the International Chocolate Awards, on the history of cacao and cocoa. *Visit our website to see a correction to this interview.

Chloé Doutre-Roussel, consultant and author of The Chocolate Connoisseur, on how the economic crisis in Venezuela impacts cocoa farmers and the industry at large.

Cristian Melo, professor at Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial, on the development of prized indigenous cacao and one of the world’s most prolific hybrids in the country that leads in fine and flavor production.

Learn more at theslowmelt.com.

This show is brought to you by the following sponsors:

Audible. Get a free audiobook of your choice and free 30-day trial at www.audibletrial.com/chocolate.

If you like what you hear, please consider making a donation to support a second season at theslowmelt.com/donate/

Preview of Episode 8: The Deep Origin: Latin America May 05, 2017

Show notes

Guests include: Maricel Presilla, chef, culinary historian, author of The New Taste of Chocolate and coordinator of the International Chocolate Awards, on the history of cacao and cocoa. Chloé Doutre-Roussel, consultant and author of The Chocolate Connoisseur, on how the economic crisis in Venezuela impacts cocoa farmers and the industry at large. Cristian Melo, professor at Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial, on the development of prized indigenous cacao and one of the world’s most prolific hybrids in the country that leads in fine and flavor production.

Launches May 12, 2017. Learn more at theslowmelt.com.

This show is brought to you by the following sponsors: Audible. Get a free audiobook of your choice and free 30-day trial at www.audibletrial.com/chocolate.

If you like what you hear, please consider making a donation to support a second season at theslowmelt.com/donate/

Episode 7: The Craft Of Chocolate Apr 21, 2017

Show notes

The specialty chocolate industry has grown exponentially but is still in the process of defining itself. We will explore this evolving industry and some of the leaders who are helping shape it. Guests include: Clay Gordon, author of Discover Chocolate, and creator and moderator of TheChocolateLife.com. Karen Bryant, executive director of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association. Greg D’Alesandre, chocolate sourcerer at Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco, CA. Sunita de Tourreil, founder of The Chocolate Garage. Carla Martin, founder and executive director of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute. Art Pollard, founder and head chocolate maker at Amano Artisan Chocolate in Orem, UT.

Read a transcript of Simran’s interviews with these six experts at theslowmelt.com.

This show is brought to you by the following sponsors: Audible. Get a free audiobook of your choice and free 30-day trial at www.audibletrial.com/chocolate. FreshBooks. Get a free one-month trial at www.gofreshbooks.com/chocolate.

If you like what you hear, please consider making a donation to support a second season at www.theslowmelt.com/donate/

Preview of Episode 7: The Craft of Chocolate Apr 14, 2017

Show notes

Launches April 21, 2017. Learn more at theslowmelt.com.

Episode 6: Save By Savoring Apr 06, 2017

Show notes

Disease, climate change and low wages are just a few of the reasons we are losing some of the most diverse, delicious varieties of cocoa. In this episode, we will explore some of the efforts to save the crop we love. (Hint: This includes eating even more chocolate.) Guests include: Sam Maruta, chocolate maker and co-founder of Marou, Faiseurs de Chocolat, in Vietnam, on efforts to identify and preserve native varieties of cacao with farmer Pham Thanh Cong and the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund. Pathmanathan Umaharan, director of The University of the West Indies Cocoa Research Centre and International Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad (ICG,T), on the importance of preserving cocoa in stored collections. Charles Kerchner, co-founder of Reserva Zorzal, on growing cocoa as a way to preserve the Dominican Republic’s 1,019-acre bird sanctuary. Learn more at theslowmelt.com. This show is brought to you by the following sponsors: Audible. Get a free audiobook of your choice and free 30-day trial at www.audibletrial.com/chocolate. FreshBooks. Get a free one-month trial at www.gofreshbooks.com/chocolate.

Preview of Episode 6: Save By Savoring Mar 31, 2017

Show notes

Disease, climate change and low wages are just a few of the reasons we are losing some of the most diverse, delicious varieties of cocoa. In this episode, we will explore some of the efforts to save the crop we love. (Hint: This includes eating even more chocolate.) Guests include: Sam Maruta, chocolate maker and co-founder of Marou, Faiseurs de Chocolat, in Vietnam, on efforts to identify and preserve native varieties of cacao with farmer Pham Thanh Cong and the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund. Pathmanathan Umaharan, director of The University of the West Indies Cocoa Research Centre and International Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad (ICG,T), on the importance of preserving cocoa in stored collections. Charles Kerchner, co-founder of Reserva Zorzal, on growing cocoa as a way to preserve the Dominican Republic’s 1,019-acre bird sanctuary. Launches April 7, 2017. Learn more at theslowmelt.com. This show is brought to you by the following sponsors: Audible. Get a free audiobook of your choice and free 30-day trial at www.audibletrial.com/chocolate. FreshBooks. Get a free one-month trial at www.gofreshbooks.com/chocolate.

Episode 5: Eat With Your Ears (And More) Mar 24, 2017

Show notes

Most of our experience of chocolate comes from smell and taste but also touch, sight and sound. In this episode, we’ll explore the sense people think of most when it comes to eating chocolate—and the one they think of the least. This show was previewed on Los Angeles NPR affiliate KCRW. Guests include: Lisa Schroeder, sensory technologist and professional chocolate taster at Mars, on what it means to be the taster for iconic confections such as M&M’s, Snickers and Twix. Russell Jones, the co-founder of Condiment Junkie, a creative agency based in London, on the surprising ways our senses influence flavor. Felipe Carvalho, Brazilian sound designer and experimental psychologist, on how sound impacts our experience of the texture of chocolate.

Learn more at theslowmelt.com.

This show is brought to you by the following sponsors: Warby Parker. Get a free 5-day home try-on at www.warbyparkertrial.com/chocolate. FreshBooks. Get a free one-month trial at www.gofreshbooks.com/chocolate.

Preview of Episode 5: Eat With Your Ears (And More) Mar 17, 2017

Show notes

Guests include: Lisa Schroeder, sensory technologist and professional chocolate taster at Mars, on what it means to be the taster for iconic confections such as M&M’s, Snickers and Twix. Russell Jones, the co-founder of Condiment Junkie, a creative agency based in London, on the surprising ways our senses influence flavor. Felipe Carvalho, Brazilian sound designer and experimental psychologist, on how sound impacts our experience of the texture of chocolate.

Launches March 24, 2017. Learn more at theslowmelt.com. This show is brought to you by the following sponsors: Warby Parker. Get a free 5-day home try-on at www.warbyparkertrial.com/chocolate. FreshBooks. Get a free one-month trial at www.gofreshbooks.com/chocolate.

Episode 4: The High Price of Cheap Chocolate Mar 10, 2017

Show notes

Over 40 percent of cocoa comes from Ivory Coast and one-fourth of the population—about 6 million people—earn their living through the crop. In the past year, the price of cocoa has dropped by 30 percent, hitting record lows just after Valentine’s Day. In this episode, we’ll learn how this affects farmers on the ground and what consumers can do to have an impact.

Guests include: Laurent Pipitone, director of the economics and statistics division at the International Cocoa Organization, on the impacts of historically low cocoa prices on subsistence cocoa farmers in West Africa. Antonie Fountain, managing director of the VOICE (Voice of Organisations in Cocoa in Europe) Network, on how the money consumers pay for chocolate is allocated. Sako Warren, global executive secretary of the World Cocoa Farmers Organization, on what farmer empowerment in cocoa really means.

Learn more at theslowmelt.com. This show is brought to you by the following sponsors: Warby Parker. Get a free 5-day home try-on at www.warbyparkertrial.com/chocolate. FreshBooks. Get a free one-month trial at www.gofreshbooks.com/chocolate. Audible. Get a free audiobook of your choice and free 30-day trial at www.audibletrial.com/chocolate.

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