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“It’s so easy now that pretty much anyone could start making chocolate, and then get sucked in, and then start trying to turn it into a business,” the author writes. “It’s so easy now that it’s practically impossible for me not to get sucked in.”
-Sunita de Tourreil
People have been able to carve out their own niche in a massive industry that has been stagnant for far too long thanks to social media, which has, at its core, been responsible for tearing down the barriers that stood in the way of communication on a global scale. Platforms that individuals can use while they are on the move are mainly replacing traditional advertising channels such as television, radio, and print. This is making it possible for small enterprises, such as chocolate shops, to (possibly) prosper.
But what kind of results have customers and business owners been seeing on their end?
In this episode, we chat to three people who work in the chocolate business about the most significant changes that social media has brought about in the artisan chocolate sector, as viewed through their eyes. After ten years of changing the business, we can now reflect on how the significance of Twitter in 2009 has evolved into the criticality of Instagram in 2019.
Click this link to read the article that served as the impetus for this episode.
Topics We Cover
- There are several distinct meanings of “social media.”
- The actual effect that social media has had on the sales of artisanal chocolate
- How the use of visual platforms may make the experience of eating chocolate better
- Social media’s addicting design
- Defining what success means to you and setting goals accordingly
- Instead of actual quality, pretty photos serve as a poor alternative.
Show Timeline
0:00-0:23~ Show intro
0:23-1:20~ Episode intro
1:20-2:25~ How chocolate industry people used to connect
2:25-3:30~ Defining social media
3:30-11:00~ Hazel Lee on social media & convincing people to pay more for chocolate
11:00-12:10~ Taste With Colour®: The Chocolate Tasting Flavour Map
12:10-24:00~ Sunita de Tourreil on social media for business v. pleasure, and the potential pitfalls of focusing too much on appearances
24:00-29:05~ Estelle Tracy on being successful on Social Media and changes in how consumers interact with brands online
29:05-32:20~ The fear of losing the “craft” of craft chocolate
32:20-33:50~ Final Thoughts
More About Our Guests
Chocolate expert and developer of the Taste With Colour®: The Chocolate Tasting Flavour Map, Hazel Lee is a consultant specializing in chocolate. Examine her Instagram, Website, and Flavour Map for more information.
Sunita de Tourreil has been teaching people about chocolate for a very long time. She is also the CEO and creator of the Chocolate Garage, and she has served as a judge for a number of national and international chocolate contests. Listen to her podcast, follow her on Instagram, and see her documentary series on cacao.
Estelle Tracy is the author of many books on American food for French expats and also blogs about chocolate at 37 Chocolates. Visit 37 Chocolate’s Website, Facebook, and Instagram for more information.
Resources Mentioned
- Chocolates made by Dick Taylor & Co.
- Chocolates made by WM.
- Instagrammers who specialize in chocolate: My Year in Chocolate (Trish), Victoria Cooksey, and
- In this episode of the show, Patric Chocolate is featured.
