The Northwest Chocolate Festival 2026

Lauren Adler has spent years introducing people to the world of craft chocolate, and she knows exactly where to start. In this Chocolate 101 session, the founder and Chief Chocophile of The Chocolate Explorers Club walks you through everything you wish you'd known before walking the festival floor — why cacao origin matters, what happens between the farm and the bar, how to taste with intention, and why that $12 bar might be worth every penny. Come curious. Leave with context.

This talk focuses on the work of women living in rural areas and their deep connection to cacao and chocolate. Through this session, we aim to highlight their knowledge, practices, and the essential role they play in transforming cacao.

The experience includes a guided tasting of chocolates made by these women. These are artisan products, created using methods passed down through generations, with minimal refining processes that preserve the true essence of cacao and reflect their cultural and territorial context.

Chocolate is an amazing food and there are so many wonderful details that are not generally known. Let’s explore the science of chocolate and chocolate-making and try to turn you into a true chocolate expert. We'll explore the transformational steps used to turn cocoa beans into silky smooth chocolate. We'll dig a little deeper into the physics and chemistry involved in making chocolate. Find answers to the age-old chocolate questions, such as... What is tempering? What is conching? Why does a chocolate bar turn white when you leave it in a hot car? This will be a fun Q&A, so let’s explore chocolate together.

I plan to talk about the most recent developments in the world of science as they relate to chocolate and cacao.  The audience members will have an opportunity to learn about the latest developments across the various scientific disciplines and also to develop some insights into determining the limits and reality to what they might read in the headlines.  I have found the general audience at NW very curious and highly educated when it comes to chocolate so I expect a dynamic session.

What role have women really played in the story of chocolate—and where are they shaping its future?

In this dynamic three-part workshop, cacao educators and Women of Cacao co-founders Ava J. Holmes and Fiorella Richter invite guests into an interactive conversation around gender, leadership, and opportunity across the cacao and chocolate value chain.

(This could also be presented as a panel if preferred - fyi!)

We begin with a culturally historical overview of women in chocolate—tracing women's roles in early cultivation, preparation, and ritual use, through early colonialism, to the often under-recognized positions in today’s industry. Backed by industry insights, this section explores where women are leading, where gaps remain, and why it matters.

From there, we introduce Women of Cacao—a global, bilingual network uniting professionals across sectors: from genetics and farming to chocolate making, science, and ceremony. Learn how this growing community is amplifying under-represented voices, and creating new pathways for collaboration, education, and leadership.

Finally, we open the doors to the Women of Cacao Summit 2027, a hybrid virtual and in-person global gathering. Discover how you can participate and be part of a movement connecting thousands across the cacao world in a shared, values-driven experience.

Verticalized chocolate operations in Hawaii can be seen as acts of decolonizing resistance, rooted in John Lewis' idea of Good Trouble. This talk will discuss Lonohana's efforts to use commerce to drive meaningful local and regenerative change, from agriculture to finished products, and everything in between. The audience should learn about recent history of cacao and chocolate in Hawaii, and how localizing this food raises lots of interesting and sometimes subtle institutional challenges. Slides will be presented to give context and background information, and the audience will hopefully leave with a clearer understanding of the social justice and environmental meaning behind choosing truly local chocolate products.

I will communicate how to integrate cacao into your wellness routine as a tool to connect with yourself and others. I will highlight its nourishing health benefits as well as nourishing energetic benefits. 

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.