Uncommon Cacao's guest appearances

Uncommon Cacao

Well Tempered

ConfectioneryNews Podcast

Chocolate On The Road

Ecole Chocolat

Erin Andrews

Pashmina Lalchandani

Kristy Leissle

Megan Giller

Julia Zotter

Pam Williams

Cynthia Leung

Matt Caputo

Samuel Maruta

Jan Schubert

Susan Brown

Peter Goldman

Tim McCollum

Dick Taylor

OwlTail

Emily Stone, co-founder and CEO of Uncommon Cacao, joins us in the CN podcast studio to discuss the organization’s recently released Transparency Report and to explain how it is disrupting the cocoa supply chain in the wake of ongoing industry challenges around sustainability issues, farmer poverty and low prices.

How Uncommon Cacao is disrupting the global cocoa market - listen

Emily Stone has become an important figure in the global cacao industry. In 2010 she co-founded Maya Mountain Cacao in southern Belize, while just a few years later, demand brought her to Guatemala, where her team founded Cacao Verapaz. Over the years, Uncommon Cacao has expanded to include cacao from 14 origins around the world (as of publication), bringing fine cacao to chocolate makers of all sizes. I had the honor of interviewing Emily just after New Year's for the Cacao Brands episode of my podcast. She's such a well-spoken and knowledgeable figure that I knew I had to share our interview in its entirety. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.   Note that the topic of cacao branding plays heavily in my questions thanks to the podcast episode for which I was interviewing Emily. Show Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chocolateontheroad/ Show Notes: https://damecacao.com/interview-emily-stone-uncommon-cacao/

Emily Stone has become an important figure in the global cacao industry. In 2010 she co-founded Maya Mountain Cacao in southern Belize, while just a few years later, demand brought her to Guatemala, where her team founded Cacao Verapaz. Over the years, Uncommon Cacao has expanded to include cacao from 14 origins around the world (as of publication), bringing fine cacao to chocolate makers of all sizes. I had the honor of interviewing Emily just after New Year's for the <a href="https://damecacao.com/chocolate-on-the-road-cacao-brands/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cacao Brands episode</a> of my podcast. She's such a well-spoken and knowledgeable figure that I knew I had to share our interview in its entirety. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I enjoyed having it. Note that the topic of cacao branding plays heavily in my questions thanks to <a href="https://damecacao.com/chocolate-on-the-road-cacao-brands/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the podcast episode</a> for which I was interviewing Emily. Show Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chocolateontheroad/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/chocolateontheroad/</a> Show Notes: <a href="https://damecacao.com/?p=14573" rel="external noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://damecacao.com/interview-emily-stone-uncommon-cacao/</a>

INTERVIEW: Emily Stone, Co-founder Of Uncommon Cacao

Episode description: Emily Stone is the new (and needed) kind of intermediary in the cocoa supply chain, a self-proclaimed ‘middlewoman’. She's positioned herself as a leader and innovator in the space by linking the craft / fine chocolate industry with an ever-growing portfolio of smallholder farmer partners in 6 Latin American and Caribbean countries, including indigenous communities in Belize and Guatemala. She's navigated organic certification models, antiquated commodity structures, and built a team of empowered changemakers - many of which women, all of this in favor of direct relationships, sustainable agroforestry landscapes, and centralized fermentation for high-quality fine flavor cacao. Eight years after co-founding Maya Mountain Cacao in 2010 (of which Uncommon Cocoa Group is the umbrella), Uncommon Cacao now connects more than 4,000+ direct relationships at origin with 150 chocolate companies across the world who import their certified organic dried cocoa beans to make single origin chocolates and confections. Studying sociology and Arabic at Georgetown University, she speaks Spanish and Q'eqchi Maya, and maintains economic justice, impact and transparency as canons of her work and life. She's appeared in Forbes, Huffington Post, and is a 2017 Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA) 'Recognition of Excellence' winner for Outstanding Contribution at Origin in Sustainability of Fine Chocolate.  Podcast RSS Photo credit: Erik Hammar Themes discussed in this episode: - Where passion, serendipity, and Google searching collided to bring together Alex Whitmore of Taza and Emily- Creating smallholder farmer forward systems- Recognition of the hard work that farmers undertake daily and the longevity of the existence of their craft (cacao farming is not new)- Things to consider as a chocolate maker requesting samples or considering a new origin for your line-up- What to expect within an intermediary relationship, and what may or may not be consistent in your sourcing practices- Impacts of quality and sustainability improvements on farmers and radical transparency- Commodity market's price fall and how that image is affecting specialty cacao (which is not getting less costly, especially as origin countries continue to develop); the importance of de-commoditization- How your investment - regardless of purchasing power - in premium cacao translates- Meeting consumers where they are; Innovation in fine chocolate; clusters, bark, drinking chocolate, new product developmentLinks related to this episode:Uncommon Cacao's 2016 Transparency ReportGualberto and Adriano of Oko Caribe, Dominican Republic and their commitment to reliable harvestsDaniel O'Doherty Founder and lead consultant at Cacao ServicesMutari drinking chocolate in Santa Cruz, California Versions of craft milk chocolates (and many award winning); French Broad's Malted Milk 44%, Chequessett Chocolate's Mass Bay Milk Bar 45%, Sirene Chocolate's Dark Milk bars What chocolates Emily would take to the Cosmos: - Cahabon Guatemala 70% by Dandelion Chocolate - Lachua &amp; Asochivite, Guatemala chocolate by Raaka in their January 2018 First Nibs subscription box- 72% Toledo, Belize (Maya Mountain Cacao) by Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate More from Emily &amp; the Uncommon Team: Uncommon Cacao's websiteInstagramTwitterFacebookWhere to find Lauren, host of Well Tempered and chocolate maker at WKND Chocolate: Instagram: @wkndchocolate and Twitter: @wkndchocolateChocolate recipes, interviews, and Conversations in Cocoa at laurenonthewknd.substack.com Are you a woman in chocolate? Please add yourself and your colleagues and/or employees to the global database of #womeninchocolate via https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WRRCN6jeel-Doxnr-mnbhr4idrBbzIKwszjNBycj0P0/edit?usp=sharing Permalink

Episode description: Emily Stone is the new (and needed) kind of intermediary in the cocoa supply chain, a self-proclaimed ‘middlewoman’. She's positioned herself as a leader and innovator in the space by linking the craft / fine chocolate industry with an ever-growing portfolio of smallholder farmer partners in 6 Latin American and Caribbean countries, including indigenous communities in Belize and Guatemala. She's navigated organic certification models, antiquated commodity structures, and built a team of empowered changemakers - many of which women, all of this in favor of direct relationships, sustainable agroforestry landscapes, and centralized fermentation for high-quality fine flavor cacao. Eight years after co-founding Maya Mountain Cacao in 2010 (of which Uncommon Cocoa Group is the umbrella), Uncommon Cacao now connects more than 4,000+ direct relationships at origin with 150 chocolate companies across the world who import their certified organic dried cocoa beans to make single origin chocolates and confections. Studying sociology and Arabic at Georgetown University, she speaks Spanish and Q'eqchi Maya, and maintains economic justice, impact and transparency as canons of her work and life. She's appeared in Forbes, Huffington Post, and is a 2017 Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA) 'Recognition of Excellence' winner for Outstanding Contribution at Origin in Sustainability of Fine Chocolate.  <a href="https://wkndchocolate.com/podcast?format=rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast RSS</a> Photo credit: <a href="https://twitter.com/Hammar_Erik" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Erik Hammar</a> Themes discussed in this episode:  - Where passion, serendipity, and Google searching collided to bring together <a href="http://wkndchocolate.com/podcast/emilystoneuncommoncacao" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alex Whitmore of Taza</a> and Emily - Creating smallholder farmer forward systems - Recognition of the hard work that farmers undertake daily and the longevity of the existence of their craft (cacao farming is not new) - Things to consider as a chocolate maker requesting samples or considering a new origin for your line-up - What to expect within an intermediary relationship, and what may or may not be consistent in your sourcing practices - Impacts of quality and sustainability improvements on farmers and radical transparency - Commodity market's price fall and how that image is affecting specialty cacao (which is not getting less costly, especially as origin countries continue to develop); the importance of de-commoditization - How your investment - regardless of purchasing power - in premium cacao translates - Meeting consumers where they are; Innovation in fine chocolate; clusters, bark, drinking chocolate, new product development Links related to this episode: <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56269485e4b006909413e415/t/599601cde4fcb5277c89def0/1503003119614/UC-TR-2016.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Uncommon Cacao's 2016 Transparency Report</a><a href="http://www.uncommoncacao.com/origins/#/oko/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gualberto and Adriano of Oko Caribe, Dominican Republic</a> and their commitment to reliable harvests <a href="http://cacaoservices.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Daniel O'Doherty Founder and lead consultant at Cacao Services</a> <a href="http://www.mutarichocolate.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mutari drinking chocolate in Santa Cruz, California</a> Versions of craft milk chocolates (and many award winning); <a href="https://www.frenchbroadchocolates.com/collections/artisan-chocolate-bars/products/malted-milk-44" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">French Broad's Malted Milk 44%</a>, <a href="https://www.chequessettchocolate.com/products/mass-bay-milk-bar" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chequessett Chocolate's Mass Bay Milk Bar 45%</a>, <a href="https://sirenechocolate.com/product/dark-milk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sirene Chocolate's Dark Milk bars</a> What chocolates Emily would take to the Cosmos:  - <a href="https://www.dandelionchocolate.com/store/products/cahabon-guatemala-70/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cahabon Guatemala 70% by Dandelion Chocolate</a> - <a href="https://www.raakachocolate.com/collections/first-nibs-monthly-chocolate-subscription" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lachua &amp; Asochivite, Guatemala chocolate by Raaka in their January 2018 First Nibs subscription box</a> - <a href="https://dicktaylorchocolate.com/products/72-belize-toldeo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">72% Toledo, Belize (Maya Mountain Cacao) by Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate </a> More from Emily &amp; the Uncommon Team: <a href="http://www.uncommoncacao.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Uncommon Cacao's website</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/uncommoncacao/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/uncommoncacao?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/uncommoncacao/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> Where to find Lauren, host of Well Tempered and chocolate maker at WKND Chocolate: Instagram: <a href="http://instagram.com/wkndchocolate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@wkndchocolate</a> and Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/wkndchocolate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@wkndchocolate</a> Chocolate recipes, interviews, and Conversations in Cocoa at <a href="https://laurenonthewknd.substack.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">laurenonthewknd.substack.com</a> Are you a woman in chocolate? Please add yourself and your colleagues and/or employees to the global database of #womeninchocolate via <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WRRCN6jeel-Doxnr-mnbhr4idrBbzIKwszjNBycj0P0/edit?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WRRCN6jeel-Doxnr-mnbhr4idrBbzIKwszjNBycj0P0/edit?usp=sharing</a> <a href="https://wkndchocolate.com/podcast/emilystoneuncommoncacao" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Permalink</a>

Episode 19: Emily Stone CEO of Uncommon Cacao