The Northwest Chocolate Festival 2026

This talk will explore how regenerative agroforestry can protect cacao genetics while restoring degraded land and strengthening rural communities in Guatemala. Drawing from the experience of Kampura and Finca Nahuatancillo, I will share how a former cattle pasture has been transformed into a biodiverse, productive system that supports high-quality cacao alongside other tree crops. The presentation will connect ecological practices—such as canopy management, soil regeneration, and biodiversity—to outcomes that matter for chocolate makers, including flavor development, resilience, and long-term supply stability.

Beyond the farm itself, this talk will examine how agricultural systems shape human outcomes. I will discuss how Kampura approaches labor, community engagement, and long-term investment in local infrastructure, and why these factors are inseparable from the quality of the cacao produced. Attendees will gain a grounded understanding of how agroforestry can function as both a production model and a framework for stewardship—offering practical insight into sourcing, sustainability, and the future of cacao.

I will take you on a journey to produce chocolate starting with the trees in the jungle, progressing through all the steps to final production resulting in a chocolate bar. You will sample fresh cacao that we split open in the lecture.

The plant behind our favorite chocolate is bursting with extraordinary flavors, textures, and sensations beyond its beloved bean. In this session, we will meet the makers from origin unlocking cacao's full potential and experience a range of products that explore the world of possibilities waiting to be discoveredin the rest of this fabulous fruit.

What happens when a Master Tea Blender and a Chocolate Maker become friends? Come taste the results and learn more from the Tea Maker and  Chocolate Maker of Pike Place Market

This presentation explores Peru as a living origin of cacao through three interconnected lenses: genetic diversity, sensory experience, and chocolate-making practice.

Bringing together expertise from cacao anthropology, genetic research, and bean-to-bar production, we will guide the audience through the unique richness of Peruvian cacao. Drawing on ongoing work from organizations such as Alliance Bioversity International, which has identified at least 16 distinct genetic varieties in Peru, we will unpack how science is reshaping our understanding of cacao origins and diversity in Latin America.

At the same time, we will translate this scientific knowledge into sensory language. Through curated tastings led by an anthropologist and professional taster, participants will learn how genetic diversity expresses itself in flavor—aroma, texture, and complexity—across different Peruvian regions.

Finally, from a maker’s perspective, we will explore what it means to work with this diversity. How do chocolate makers approach distinct genetic profiles? What challenges and opportunities arise when crafting chocolate from multiple origins within one country? Drawing from real production experience, we will share insights into sourcing, formulation, and storytelling.

Rather than treating genetics, tasting, and production as separate domains, this talk connects them into a single narrative: cacao as a living system shaped by people, place, and practice.

Audience will:

Understand Peru’s role as a key center of cacao diversity and origin
Learn how genetic variation influences flavor profiles in chocolate
Develop a more nuanced sensory vocabulary through guided tasting
Gain insight into how chocolate makers translate origin into craft
Leave with a deeper appreciation of cacao as both a scientific and cultural heritage

This session is designed as an immersive journey—bridging science, flavor, and craft—to offer a holistic understanding of what makes Peruvian cacao truly unique.

You blew your chocolate budget — again. Your bar stash is overflowing, your chocolate certifications keep stacking, and you can't stop talking about craft chocolate to anyone who'll listen. But the idea of turning that knowledge into a side hustle or business feels like a pipe dream. Could you really get paid for your chocolate knowledge?

In this session, you'll discover who is actively booking chocolate experiences right now, why the age of AI is the best time to be a human curator, and the one framework that gives you the confidence to start: find your client before you build your offer. You'll walk away knowing exactly what a bookable tasting looks like, what to charge, and your first realistic path to a paying client.

Islands Chocolate is one of the speciality drinking chocolate companies asking baristas to step up their game of their chocolate drinks. Based on my experience at Islands, and our recent collaboration with Semilla Escuela Cacao, Cacao Bisiesto, and Coffee by TATE (the roastery of the most famous modern and contemporary art institution and museum in the UK who focuses on empowering women across the coffee and now cocoa supply chains), I would like to showcase how drinking chocolate with the right sourcing, messaging, and flavour could be the driver for the future of chocolate. Ideally, the audience should takeaway that we need to use the langauge, knowledge, and curiosity that characterises people in the coffee scene, and work alongside coffee proffesionals to elevate the world of crraft chocolate from the cafe. At the same time, hopefully this presentation will spotlight what is happening in the UK chocolate movement.