The Northwest Chocolate Festival 2026

This talk focuses on the educational work we carry out at Semilla Escuela de Cacao y Chocolate to train chocolatiers in cacao-producing countries.

We explore how education becomes a key tool to create added value at origin, by training a new generation of chocolatiers who not only master technique, but also deeply understand the origin, quality, and potential of the cacao they work with.

The experience includes a guided tasting of chocolates made by artisan chocolatiers who graduated from the school. Through these products, participants will discover how knowledge, practice, and access to tools can transform cacao into products with identity, quality, and market vision.

This session also gives visibility to those who are learning and dreaming of building their own chocolate projects, highlighting the importance of education in creating real opportunities within cacao-growing communities.

In addition, it emphasizes the importance of strengthening direct relationships between chocolatiers and producers, fostering more transparent, conscious, and sustainable connections within the cacao and chocolate value chain.

100% chocolate offers a rare opportunity to experience cacao without distraction. In this session, we’ll taste a range of single origin chocolates and examine how growing region, post-harvest practices, and roast profiles influence flavor. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of how chocolate can express notes of fruit, florals, earth, and nuts—all from just one ingredient.

Picking a great chocolate bar starts with knowing how to read the label. Lauren Adler, specialty chocolate expert and founder of The Chocolate Explorers Club, shares the three things she looks for on every bar. Walk away with a simple, practical framework you can put to work on the festival floor the same day.

“Ceremonial cacao” has become a rapidly growing category in global wellness and conscious consumption spaces. Yet despite its popularity, there is still no clear collective understanding of what ceremonial cacao truly means, who defines it, and how its value is created.
Is ceremonial cacao defined by genetics? Processing methods? Intention? Ritual use? Preparation as a drink? Cultural lineage? Ethical sourcing? Or the relationship to the communities and territories where cacao originates?
This talk explores the emerging conversation around ceremonial cacao from the perspective of origin countries, ancestral cacao traditions, and contemporary cacao production. It examines how cacao’s historical role as a beverage—and not originally as a chocolate bar—shapes the understanding of ceremonial use today.
Drawing from experiences in Peru and conversations across origin communities, this session proposes a deeper framework for ceremonial cacao: one that honors territory, transparency, producer participation, post-harvest integrity, and the cultural context surrounding cacao.
Led by a Peruvian speaker from a cacao-producing country, this session also brings an origin perspective into conversations that are often shaped primarily outside producing regions. It invites reflection on how origin countries can participate not only as suppliers of cacao, but also as voices shaping the meanings, standards, and future of ceremonial cacao itself.
Rather than reducing ceremonial cacao to branding or trend, this talk asks how the category can evolve responsibly while creating more value, recognition, and agency within producing countries themselves.

Learn how to sell your craft chocolate business beyond just having a great product. Join Ricardo Trillos for a practical session on creating powerful sales pitches that connect with customers and clearly communicate your value. Discover techniques to maximize your story, grow your brand impact, and turn conversations into consistent leads and sales. We’ll finish with a quick networking exercise to put it all into action.

How to pair chocolate with different drinks and other foods - beginner talk with basic tips on how to approach chocolate pairings with examples.

They say that cacao can only grow on Equatorial farms. Nate Saal, an avid gardener and chocolate-tech entrepreneur, wanted to see if he could grow cacao in northern California and get it to fruit. Learn about the challenges and successes of growing cacao trees in cold weather climates. From germinating cacao seeds to hand pollinating cacao flowers, learn what it takes to grow your own single-origin chocolate.