Cocoatown Brazil

05/29/2026

𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿

The cacao and chocolate industry has a deeper story to tell, and women have always been part of it.

Join 𝗖𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 for an 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 with cacao educators and Women of Cacao founders Ava J. Holmes and Fiorella Richter.

𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰: Women of Cacao: Cultural History, Leadership & the Future of Chocolate
𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆: Ava J. Holmes & Fiorella Richter
𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Saturday, May 30, 2026
𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 10 am – 12 Noon Atlanta Time
𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Virtual

Explore women’s historical and modern leadership across cacao farming, chocolate making, science, education, ceremony, and the global cacao value chain.

Register now: https://form.jotform.com/260924250699162

Read more: https://cocoatown.com/blogs/blog/women-in-chocolate-past-present-future

CocoaTown

05/27/2026

𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Every step matters. Progress may feel slow, but each effort brings you closer to your goal. Stay focused, stay patient, and trust the work you are doing today.

Tag someone who needs this reminder today.

CocoaTown

05/22/2026

The story of chocolate is also the story of women.

Across generations, women have helped shape cacao through cultivation, preparation, ritual, culture, leadership, education, science, chocolate making, and community building. Yet many of these contributions have been overlooked or underrepresented in the wider history of cacao and chocolate.

Join 𝗖𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 for 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗼: 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲, presented by cacao educators and Women of Cacao founders Ava J. Holmes and Fiorella Richter.

This 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 will explore women’s roles in cacao history, Peru’s unique cultural connection between cacao and women, where women are leading today, and how Women of Cacao is building a global, bilingual network for collaboration, education, and leadership.

You will also learn how to participate in the Women of Cacao Summit 2026 as a speaker, local host, or attendee.

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀
𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰: Women of Cacao: Cultural History, Leadership & the Future of Chocolate
𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆: Ava J. Holmes & Fiorella Richter
𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Saturday, May 30, 2026
𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 10 am – 12 Noon Atlanta Time
𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Virtual

This webinar is more than a history lesson. It is an invitation to see the cacao and chocolate industry through a wider lens and help shape what comes next.

Read more:https://cocoatown.com/blogs/blog/women-in-chocolate-past-present-future

Register now: https://form.jotform.com/260924250699162

CocoaTown

05/19/2026

Time for another wrapper role call! Show us what you got.

Your wrapper tells a story, a unique tale of your creativity, imagination, and personal style. It's more than just a cover; it's an art form that captures attention, sparks intrigue, and leaves a lasting impression.

What story does your wrapper tell? What inspired your design?

Share a picture and answer these questions in the comments.

Don't forget to add your @ so we can all stop by your page to give a like, share or follow. It's one way we can all support each other.

Pictured is a wrapper from , cacao et chocolat. Don't you just love the playful nature of the design.

CocoaTown

05/15/2026

Thank you Bakers World Indonesia for this great video of the CocoaT Bean Cutter!

CocoaTown

05/12/2026

𝗖𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗼 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿, 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿

NPR recently featured Cacao of Excellence and highlighted an important question for the cacao and chocolate industry: how can flavor and quality be understood, discussed, and recognized more consistently?

Cacao is still often traded as a commodity, even though its flavor potential, origin, processing, and quality can vary greatly. Shared language, training, evaluation tools, and harmonized methodologies help producers better communicate the value of their cacao and create stronger opportunities across the supply chain.

CocoaTown is proud to have been with Cacao of Excellence since the beginning. From the start, we have believed that cocoa farmers should have the tools, knowledge, and support to move beyond selling cacao only as a commodity. When farmers can better evaluate, process, and communicate the quality of their beans, they are in a stronger position to reach specialty markets, negotiate better value, and build more sustainable opportunities for their communities.

When the whole sector speaks a shared language around cacao quality, cocoa farmers benefit.

CocoaTown

The chocolate biz is raising the bar with a lab to assess cacao beans from around the world. (Talk about a sweet gig!) Consumers and farmers stand to benefit from the "Standard of Excellence" program.

05/11/2026

𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿.

For many of us, Mother’s Day is one of the busiest times of the year. After the rush, it is easy to move straight into the next holiday, the next batch, and the next order.

But this is also the right time to pause.

Check your machines. Clean, inspect, adjust, and complete the maintenance that keeps production running smoothly. A small repair now can help prevent a larger problem when demand picks up again.

Also remember to check on your team and yourself. Long hours, tight deadlines, and seasonal pressure can wear down people just like they wear down equipment.

What kind of maintenance do you need right now to keep going strong?

More rest? Better systems? Equipment support? Team recovery time? A fresh plan for the next chocolate holiday?

Taking care of your machines matters. Taking care of the people behind the chocolate matters too.

Share your answer in the comments. Your response may help someone else to keep going.

CocoaTown

05/08/2026

𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗥𝗮𝘄 𝗜𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

For cocoa farmers and makers a like, value-added production can create opportunities beyond selling raw beans.

With the right tools and training, farmers, cooperatives, and small businesses can explore products such as:

Roasted cocoa nibs
Couverture
Nut butters
Seed butter
Tahini
Specialty spreads

Each product creates a new way to use ingredients, test markets, and better understand what customers want.

Value-added production is not only about making more products. It is about giving farmers and food entrepreneurs more options, more knowledge, and more control over their growth.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲-𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁?

Tell us in the comments or tag us in your post about value-added products you create. We would love to hear what farmers, makers, and food entrepreneurs are creating or planning to create.

Photo by Princesia on Unsplash

CocoaTown

05/05/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲?

Every craft chocolate, specialty food, or value-added product starts somewhere.

Sometimes it begins with a clear idea.

Sometimes it comes from experimenting with a new ingredient, testing a flavor combination, adjusting a process, or discovering something unexpected along the way.

And sometimes, the best ideas begin as happy accidents.

We would love to know:

Does your creative process start with a plan, an inspiration, or a surprise?

Join the conversation below and share what sparks your creativity.

CocoaTown

05/04/2026

𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝘆

Mother’s Day is almost here, and we want to see what you have created for the occasion.

Are you offering a new flavor?
Did you launching a special collaboration?
Create special packaging?
Bringing back a seasonal favorite?

Share in the comments so we can all support each other with a like, share and comment.

Image by ally j from Pixabay

CocoaTown