Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Email | RSS
To listen to the previous episode click here.
Even with all of her billions, the Queen of England cannot afford chocolate that is better than what you can get.
-Clay Gordon
The emergence of the internet has coincided with the expansion of the craft chocolate industry, just as it did with the growth of the millennial generation. On the one side, there were aspiring chocolate makers who were gradually learning about the worldwide world of cacao farming and sourcing, chocolate tasting and production, and the process of developing a small company. While they were going about their business, a large number of others were working to assist them in achieving their goals.
Someone needed to introduce them to their cocoa and instruct them on the fundamentals of chocolate manufacturing. Someone needed to provide them with the resources necessary to launch their own companies. And yet another person had to link them in order to assist them in resolving the day-to-day issues that they were both struggling with.
In this episode, we will talk to three of the influential people who were instrumental in laying a significant portion of the groundwork for the present handmade chocolate movement. They have made it their business, in the most literal sense of the term, to establish new tiny chocolate enterprises, one bean or bonbon at a time. But how and why did they come to the conclusion that they should establish a new industry by using this cutting-edge technology?
Contents
Topics We Cover
- forecasting the rise of the craft chocolate movement using tiny batches
- why Clay Gordon decided to launch The Chocolate Life in the first place
- The steps that John Nanci took to transform himself into The Alchemist
- how Pam Williams’s prior work experience in the chocolate industry and the IT industry led to the establishment of Ecole Chocolat
- quick pleasure and solutions being available on the internet have the potential to have a detrimental influence on the world of exquisite chocolate.
Show Timeline
0:00-4:10~ episode & guests’ introduction
4:10-10:50~ Clay Gordon discusses the beginnings of both Chocophile and The Chocolate Life, as well as how the accessibility of the internet has altered the competitive landscape of the artisan chocolate industry.
11:00-18:20~ John Nanci talks about his early encounters with the internet, how he met one of his closest friends via Chocolate Alchemy, how science fiction literature may come to life, and how small-scale chocolate manufacturing can be built into a boat.
18:30-25:00~ Pam Williams discusses how she learned about the process of creating chocolate in the 1980s, how she opened an online branch of Ecole Chocolat, and how she builds relationships with her students.
25:10-35:50~ Both cautionary and laudatory remarks on the handmade chocolate sector from Clay Gordon
36:00-39:00~ Lessons learnt, as well as a tremendous amount of gratitude to Clay, John, and Pam, as well as to YOU for listening!
More About Our Guests
Clay Gordon is the author of the book Discover Chocolate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Tasting, and Enjoying Fine Chocolate. He is also the founder and administrator of the online chocolate community known as The Chocolate Life. Visit Clay’s website, as well as his Facebook and Instagram pages, at The Chocolate Life.
John Nanci is the original alchemist and cacao sourcer of Chocolate Alchemy. He is also the Youtuber behind the channel How to Make Chocolate at Home. Visit Chocolate Alchemy’s website, as well as their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Pam Williams is the author of the book Raising the Bar: The Future of Fine Chocolate. She is also the principal teacher at Ecole Chocolat and the founder of the company. Visit Ecole Chocolat’s Website, as well as their Facebook and Instagram pages.
