chocolateuplift

[chocolateuplift]

What to do after a chocolate festival and in between lots of chocolate meetings? Enjoy dark chocolate and hazelnut gelato, naturalmente! @bottegaitalianaseattle #seattlenovember2018 (at Bottega Italiana Seattle) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqQPHRmBPOL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1aei4l239hb1r

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Wow! What a blast to speak to an amazing audience at @nwchocolate on *Delicious Ethics: What's in Your Chocolate, Who Grew Your Cacao!* We read labels of craft chocolate and commercial chocolate bars, (the latter are worse than you think), we broke it down, we lifted up, we learned, laughed, and ate fabulous chocolate! ••• Big thanks to awesome @bixbychocolate @chocolatenaive @dicktaylorchocolate @goodkingcacao @markhamandfitzchoc @omnomchocolate @raakachocolate and @sirenechocolate for chocolate and cacao to add exquisite flavor, positive examples of ethical chocolate, and overall oomph to our high-energy morning! ••• I posted my presentation materials to my blog at www.chocolateuplift.com in case you'd like to take a look. Onward and upward! #chocolatefreedomproject #sweetspeaker #seattlenovember2018 (at The Northwest Chocolate Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqP76D2hokI/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=j0hzzwizfm2k

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Thank you to the chocolate friend who walked by and put a chocolate raspberry croissant in my hand during @nwchocolate! #seattlenovember2018 (at The Northwest Chocolate Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqOZPOOB3wu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1tf1d7otbalf6

[chocolateuplift]

Women on the verge of a chocolate breakthrough: What a thrill to co-organize an informal but powerful chocolate bloggers meeting during @nwchocolate, with awesome women @dessertgeek_, @myic2016, @tastegoodchocolate, and @victoria.cooksey! Thank you, Ladies! ••• My current post-chocolate-tour business does sustainable chocolate brokering and distribution, and I also give talks and consult (someone asked me what I'm doing now in chocolate, and that rather covers it; it's expressed somewhat jauntily in my bio if you want to take a look). I'm not so much a blogger although I have my moments (www.chocolateuplift.com if you're curious ; ) and everyone has multiple projects; the point is that I'm impressed and inspired by the work that my co-chocolate-obsessed and super kind colleagues here are doing to promote scrumptious sustainable chocolate, each in her own considered and distinctive way. I encourage you to check out their blogs if you're looking for some interesting insights into craft chocolate and pastry! ••• I brought some exciting new @belucacao and @violetskychocolate bars for our meeting, and as we sampled together I realized that our group shares some ways of experiencing chocolate that no one is talking about, and that could make for a valuable panel discussion for chocolate makers and the public at next year's festival. Perhaps we will concoct a panel proposal so that we might bring these explorations or other ideas from this energizing group to a wider audience. As specialty chocolate innovation continues to develop, so does the experience around the chocolate! ••• Meanwhile, I hope you don't mind that some of my group selfies have been a bit blurry this trip; in this case (swipe) it's due to laughing when a door to the festival entrance opened and a gust of wind nearly blew us over! I also think my Samsung 6 has been programmed to self-destruct so that I'll get a new model already. I don't care for the infinity edge of the newer phones though, a dilemma that a DSLR camera could solve, right! In any case, here's to collaboration through chocolate! #onwardandupward (at The Northwest Chocolate Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqNQtHThoNc/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jj4087m95dp6

[chocolateuplift]

What the world needs now: Love, Peace, Harmony, Strength, Joy -- dear Kim of @goodkingcacao chose powerful names for her innovative and award-winning gourmet snacking cacao flavors! ••• This year at @nwchocolate Kim also shared the lively and delicious new trail mixes that she makes with her snacking cacao -- such as the Love Blend in the first photo which is composed of Indonesian cacao caramelized with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom, plus Oregon blueberries, Montana cherries, and California almonds -- and I could hardly stop munching them! Swipe for more scenes! ••• Her cacao comes from women's collectives in Honduras and Indonesia, who process the products at origin and who earn over 50% more income than the fair trade premium. ••• If you know Kim, you know that her enormous heart and generosity, combined with her Ivy MBA mind, make the names of her products and her thoughtful business model and sourcing sincere and smart. That's uplift through cacao! #womanpower #keepthefaith (at The Northwest Chocolate Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqLf7IbBh1r/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qq3s2l962xk9

[chocolateuplift]

New from marvelous @marouchocolate: imagine your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread, only it's exquisite chocolate *cashew* spread, made from sustainable Vietnam cacao, and packaged in a sleek provisions-for-camping-or-urban-adventures look, and did I mention it's exquisite! Swipe for scenes of the brand's new Provisions line and more, including me with dear Marou co-founder Vincent who reminds us to go forth and create adventures! #aventurezvous #upliftthroughchocolate @nwchocolate (at The Northwest Chocolate Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqK0GY7Bkg_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=aywufy9tgnto

[chocolateuplift]

From Sunset to Star Rise ... Poetry moment at the @nwchocolate festival! #seattlenovember2018 (at The Northwest Chocolate Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqJjf5phjBA/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lgmbbvespzku

[chocolateuplift]

Maine made, woman powered: I'm thrilled that dear Kate of @bixbychocolate came to exhibit at the @nwchocolate festival! A confectioner who has added luscious 2-ingredient craft chocolate to her repertoire, becoming the first bean-to-bar chocolate maker in the gorgeous state of Maine, she created her intricate nautical logo and face of the bars from an heirloom ex libris book plate she found in her family's attic. And, she's saving the puffins! Swipe for scenes! #womeninchocolate #nwchocolatefestival #seattlenovember2018 (at The Northwest Chocolate Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqJcNiMB2T8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=n3j5t7w0vp89

[chocolateuplift]

Hello there! Want to win a trip to Iceland? Enter on dear @omnomchocolate's page; see their contest post or the link in their bio! ••• Meanwhile, how do you like my new Omnom tattoo? It will last only 4 days, so I had to show it to you fast! I'm also thrilled to be modeling the brand's dark Madagascar bar, which is the first chocolate they ever made, and still my favorite of theirs! ••• Swipe for Oskar and Kjartan of Omnom and me, with our stray @dicktaylorchocolate friend Adam : ) More on DTC soon; but Omnom will await you at their chocolate factory in Iceland! #nwchocolatefestival #seattlenovember2018 (at The Northwest Chocolate Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqIlXmmh67W/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1eql32e4sjszm

[chocolateuplift]

Speaking of hot: sometimes people ask me for a chocolate + hot pepper bar with true scorch power, and @frenchbroadchocolate's scorpion pepper chocolate bar is it, burning with love at the @nwchocolate festival! ••• Scorpion peppers are some of the spiciest in the world, yet also offer a fruitiness that pairs beautifully with this fruit-forward chocolate crafted by amazing wife-husband pair Jael and Dan and their team (swipe for Jael and me, with Dan accidentally in the shot too : ) ••• As discussed in the talk I gave at the festival on *Delicious Ethics: What's in Your Chocolate* - pics to come - reading labels boosts education, lets you make ethical choices, and provides enjoyment, so voilà the ingredients of this bar: ▪cacao, ▪sugar,  ▪house-dried trinidad scorpion peppers. Simplicity is hot! #aztecrevivalism #nwchocolatefestival #womeninchocolate (at The Northwest Chocolate Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqILZN5BKJW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=wnkfur1r9zw1

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Chocolate in the sun: dear @chocolatenaive's reimagined Golden Berry chocolate bar is simply exquisite. It is an adventurous affair indeed -- swipe for the zingy story on the back of the package -- combining creamy sultry 61% dark milk chocolate with succulent sour goldenberries, for a scrumptious taste of South American sunshine dancing in swirls of mystery! #naivefever #nwchocolatefestival #seattlenovember2018 (at The Northwest Chocolate Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqHHaGlh2G0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1cqrozuc5syga

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After the @nwchocolate UnConference for the trade, the awards ceremony recognized dear @sirenechocolate for his newest bar, Ch'abil, a deeply delicious dark milk chocolate with cardamom! The name of the bar means "nice" or "good" in the Q'eqchi Mayan language in Guatemala where the cacao and cardamom come from; swipe for nice good smiles! #nwchocolatefestival #seattlenovember2018 (at Seattle, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqGI0dKBSOw/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1kq0mjvtrrr88

[chocolateuplift]

First stop in sweet sunny (!) Seattle: the @nwchocolate UnConference, where I was honored to be a speed round mentor to several new and maturing chocolate makers! ••• So energizing to see and taste their new concepts, such as these lovely bars from @soklet_official of India, made in-country from local cacao and packaged in a design inspired by South Indian saris, and to answer questions on topics such as business plans, brand identity, and marketing strategies. ••• A recurring theme I shared was to consider the 5 Ps for business success and authenticity: Purpose, People, Product, Process, and Profit, in that order. Another tip I shared frequently: if you think your packaging font size is big enough, it probably still isn't! Great start, new makers! Onward and upward! #nwchocolatefestival #seattlenovember2018 (at Seattle, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqFs-btBBtA/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ewrslouhy4mw

[chocolateuplift]

Hello from sweet sunny (!) Seattle, for the @nwchocolate festival! #sweetspeaker #chocolatetravel (at Seattle, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqDCFJphcpT/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=14eu94sajl3zr

[chocolateuplift]

Hello there! I made an in-flight snack from @violetskychocolate's scrumptious savory chocolate bar made with just Polochic Guatemala cacao, sugar, and fennel pollen (tastes like fennel seeds, which I've loved since I was a child!), and @southwestair's salty pretzels, and had a beautiful morning in the air! (Being in the air was the topic of my college application essay back when, by the way.) ••• Did you guess my destination from the clues / riddle in my previous post? Another clue (ok the name of the city) is in this photo! #upliftthroughchocolate (at 30,000 Feet) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqAjdjsBCbq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fj3romzw4cpk

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Guess where to! Clues: I'm going to see (SEA) a lot of chocolate, it's not the southeast, there's a conference that's not a conference, and it'll be festive! #upupandaway #upliftthroughchocolate (at Chicago Midway International Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp-Y9klBSVy/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=e5lha0f15t2c

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Happy #Diwali! Here's to the celebration of "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance!" ••• And here's to the vibrant @askinosie x @heathceramics collaBARation, which contains exciting and unexpected avocado and rosemary! ••• You'll get a sense of the taste from the ingredients: Mababu Tanzania cacao, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter from the same cacao, avocado, organic sucanat sugar, organic rosemary, organic black pepper, sea salt. In other words: savory, rich, smooth, bright, delicious! This is one of those bars you just want to keep eating. ••• Notice too what is NOT in this bar: there's no child slave labor, no lecithin which is processed with solvents and bleach, no hidden processed ingredients under "natural flavors," no nasties. Righteous! #upliftthroughchocolate https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp7Dkshh4qd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qs0hmoqpbvq1