Dear colleagues,
This month, we are excited to share news with you of our publications, upcoming events, and recent activities.
In partnership with ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, our team members authored two articles: Chocolate in the Time of Covid-19 and What is Mexican Chocolate?. At a time when global attentions are pulled in many directions, we remain committed to publishing original research on fine cacao and chocolate. Click the links to read more.
We warmly invite you to join us for the FCCI Origin Series sessions 4 and 5, each upcoming this month. First, FCCI Origin Series: Philippines with Auro Chocolate and Silva Cacao will take place on Sunday, August 9th, at 11 AM EDT. Then, FCCI Origin Series: United States with Lydgate Farms and Manoa Chocolate will take place on Sunday, August 30th, at 5 PM EDT. These are ticketed events with an educational and fundraising mission to support cacao producers in not only capturing value from their cacao, but also from the experience that their cacao generates for consumers. We are proud that proceeds from the FCCI Origin Series sessions 1-3 have provided funds for building projects, food and cleaning supplies, and staff wages for Zorzal Cacao, Kokoa Kamili partners, and Agrofloresta Mesoamericana.
The FCCI Cacao Academy collaborative digital cacao farmer peer-training build-out continues. This month we would like to express special gratitude to our all-star volunteer team hailing from Harvard University, University of Mannheim, Medical University of Vienna, Erasmus University, and Atlantis College of Business and Management. Stay tuned for more on this project and the important work that this group of volunteers is completing in support of its success.
Throughout August, follow along with our FCCI Cacao Academy conversation series as we complete instructional technology design and curriculum development for our partners in Nicaragua. Livestreams take place via Facebook each Wednesday through September at 10 AM EDT / 4 PM CET. Completed sessions feature special guests in conversation with three FCCI team members: Executive Director Dr. Carla D. Martin, Senior Advisor Alyssa Jade McDonald-Baertl, and Series Producer Lauren Heineck. Videos of all conversations are archived on YouTube with Spanish subtitles.
FCCI Cacao Academy conversation series session guide:
- Introduction
- Dr. Kathryn Sampeck, FCCI and Illinois State University
- Santiago Rivas, IESC/CEDAF, and Dr. Charles Kerchner, Zorzal Cacao
- Edgar Aguilar, ILO, and Emanuele Biraghi, UNICEF
- Antonie Fountain, VOICE Network, and Friedel Huetz-Adams, SUEDWIND-Institute
- Dr. Verina Ingram, Wageningen University & Research
In case you missed it, in July we participated in two virtual conversations: a panel discussion on the impact of Covid-19 at the Salon del Cacao y Chocolate Peru, and a conversation on artisan chocolate in the world and in Mexico (in Spanish) with our colleagues and friends at La Rifa Chocolateria.
Weekly, we hope that you will connect with us on social media. We post frequently on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and look forward to sharing more with you there.
Together / juntos,
The FCCI team (Carla, Jose, Katie, Lauren, Lyss, Sofi, and Summer)
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Chocolate in the time of Covid-19, our article in ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, features the voices of our valued colleagues from PISA - Produits des Iles (Haiti), Bar Ticuchi (Mexico), Centro de Inovação do Cacau (Brazil), Costa Esmeraldas Cacao Co. (Ecuador), and Cacao Hunters (Colombia).
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- Chocolate Retail Sales Associate, Kollar Chocolates, California, USA
- Cocoa Lead Expert, World Wildlife Fund, Belgium
- Food Product Development Manager, Theo Chocolate, Washington, USA
- Impact Coordinator, Cosecha Partners, Nicaragua
- Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, International Labour Organization, Cote d'Ivoire
- Store Manager, Eclat Chocolate, Pennsylvania, USA
- Various positions, Auro Chocolate, Philippines
- Various positions, Hu Chocolate, United Kingdom and USA
- Various positions, French Broad Chocolate, North Carolina, USA
- Various positions, L.A. Burdick Chocolates, New Hampshire, USA
- Various positions, Moonstruck Chocolate Co., Oregon, USA
- Various positions, Puratos, Belgium
- Various positions, Rococo Chocolates, United Kingdom
- Various positions, Taza Chocolate, Massachusetts, USA
- Various positions, World Cocoa Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
- Vice President of Membership Meetings, National Confectioners Association, Washington, DC, USA
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What is Mexican chocolate?, Jose Lopez Ganem's article in ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, asks: "Who should or could claim the value of chocolate products labeled “Mexican” (or “Aztec” or “Mayan”)? How can cacao producers and Mexicans themselves capture some of the value behind such labels?"
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Thanks for reading our newsletter! Have a suggestion for future content? As always, we invite you to be in touch; email contact@chocolateinstitute.org and someone from our team will respond to you as soon as possible.
PS - Our new look was created by the immensely talented designer Megan DeKok. You, too, can work with her!
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