1 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,840 Speaker 1: I'm walking down eighteen Street by six a past the 2 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 1: Metro pavilion, and I see this line outside and I'm saying, 3 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: what are you guys doing? And they're saying, um, we're 4 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: going to the chocolate show. I was like the chocolate show. 5 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: That's Mark Christian, chocolate historian, critic, and philosopher. I didn't 6 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: get a pH d or anything like that. I gotta 7 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:44,520 Speaker 1: tell you I had earned a c h d. Chocolate Doctor, 8 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: Doctor of Chocolate without a doubt, without a doubt. Dr 9 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 1: Chocolate is such a legend that a rave review from 10 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: him can propel a new bar to fame and fortune. 11 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: But back in the early few thousands, gourmet chocolate wasn't 12 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: on his radar. I get in there and I'm walking around. 13 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: I instantly I caught on that, you know what, this 14 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: is the same crowd as in Amsterdam the Cannabis. The 15 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: room was vibing almost the same, and they were such 16 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: a captive, passionate group. At the time, Mark was managing 17 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: events around the world, including the Cannabis Cup. Now I'm 18 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: a non user, but my business partner is more than 19 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 1: a user. He's waking, bake and you know, and shake 20 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: the flake all day long, and as he poked around, 21 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: his Spidey sense told him that maybe he found the 22 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: next big recreational substance. I had an encounter with a 23 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: gentleman named Alessio Testier. He with his sister owned a 24 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: company called Ama Day. And this guy was speaking in 25 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: such you know, classic high falutint terms of this legacy 26 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: and lore of chocolate. And he's dressed in this Armandi 27 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: suit that's just you know, cut to the max. And 28 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: right away might BS detector went off, you know, do 29 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: you know it's sort of like, don't bullshit the bullshitter. Okay, 30 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: what are you doing? But he said no, no, no, 31 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: you don't understand. He's telling me about how he has 32 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: this exclusive deal with this place called chew Wow, the 33 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 1: women who was primarily a woman led cooperative. They would 34 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: sun and dry the beans on the plaza of the church, 35 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: you know, every season, and son there only seven acres. 36 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: And he went on and on and on and on, 37 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: and I was just saying, come on, chocolate is what's 38 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: Halloween candy? What are you talking about? So Alessio gave 39 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:41,239 Speaker 1: markat Chuil Bar to try. It was massive. You know, 40 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: Chewa is heavy on the bell. It's big. It's the 41 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: blueberry pie of chocolate. It's got massive blueberry appeal. Chua 42 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: was considered the greatest chocolate on earth at that time, 43 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: and Alessio Tessiery had stolen it. He had tiptoed into 44 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: the den of Valona, the French kingpin of gourmet chocolate, 45 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: which once held exclusive control over the supply, and pride 46 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: it right out of their hands. Alessia was the bad 47 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: boy of chocolate, the Alfante rib the young Italian who 48 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 1: refused to play by the French rules, and he wasn't 49 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: bullshitting the bullshitter. There really was only a tiny supply 50 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:23,800 Speaker 1: of Chiuao beans coming from a single isolated valley on 51 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: the mountainous Venezuela coast, and it really was dried by 52 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: a hand by the women of Chuao on the town's 53 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,639 Speaker 1: church plaza. And those three factors, the beans, the place, 54 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: and the care they set it apart. For years, Valarona 55 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: had enjoyed a lock on Chuao and on the world, 56 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: especially chocolate. It was the most famous company and Chuaw 57 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: was its most coveted bar. But it never paid that 58 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: much of a premium to the Chuow Cooperative for those beans, 59 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: because back then nobody paid more for beans just because 60 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: they tasted good. Cocat wasn't wine. It was treated more 61 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: like corn, a commodity, but changed the day Alessia Tessieri 62 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: stole you all away. What Alessio understood was that there 63 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: was a world of people who thought of chocolate like wine, 64 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: and they were willing to pay a lot for a 65 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: great experience, and that meant great cacaws like Chuaw were 66 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 1: worth way more than any of the chocolate companies realized. 67 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 1: And as everyone else in the chocolate business figured that out, 68 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: all eyes fell in Latin America, Cocao's birthplace. If there 69 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,799 Speaker 1: were more choos out there, villages harboring beautiful old varieties 70 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:37,039 Speaker 1: from cocao's pre industrial golden era, that's where they'd be. 71 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: The great cacao gold Rush was on. It was almost 72 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: a search of gold, but actually hit the cacaw is 73 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: the gold, and eventually it was going to lead to 74 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: right from Volka Lehman's Olivian doorstack and make him wonder 75 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:57,480 Speaker 1: why he ever got sucked in in the first place. 76 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: Sometimes I think all all days for Damn bar On. 77 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: Talking from Glidys Delvin i Heeart podcasts, this is obsessions 78 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: wild Chocolate. I'm Roman Jacobson, Chapter three, The Awakening. Let's 79 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: talk about that sabled place called chu Wow Wow che 80 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:38,719 Speaker 1: Wow che wowca cow chocolate wow Wow. It's quite musical. 81 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:43,839 Speaker 1: People elevated, levitated, as you know, the Vatican of Chocolate. 82 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: The Chuow Holy War began in when Alessio Tessiery and 83 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: his sister Cecilia launched their chocolate company am A Day 84 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,600 Speaker 1: Ahma Day was this upstart out of Italy, a brother 85 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: and sister team, kind of like you know Phineas and 86 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:03,280 Speaker 1: Billy Hilish right. Like most of all chocolate tiers, I'm 87 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:06,159 Speaker 1: and I didn't make its own chocolate. Instead, it bought 88 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 1: product from one of the handful of giant companies that 89 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:12,239 Speaker 1: made chocola from beans. That practice is still common. Amini 90 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: wanted to be a very high end chocolate tier, and 91 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 1: that meant they needed a supply of top notch chocolate, 92 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: and in the nine nineties, that meant doing something no 93 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: Italian ever wants to do. They needed to suck up 94 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: to France. French chocolate making goes back quite a ways, 95 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 1: and like everything of French couture, they regarded themselves at 96 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: the highest pinnacle in this case, there's no question where 97 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: the particular sucking up needed to take place. They go 98 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: to tan Lemitage, which is south of Leone in France, 99 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: to the house of val Roona. Bell Rona had the 100 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,280 Speaker 1: best supply of Grand Crew level chocolate in the world. 101 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: Val Rona had this la la reputation back then and 102 00:06:55,600 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: even still today. It's highly renowned, highly regarded. Very new 103 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: chocolate maker who wanted to enter the upper echelon had 104 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:06,600 Speaker 1: to make the pilgrimage to detain hermitage and prostrate themselves 105 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:10,120 Speaker 1: before the lords of chocolate. And that's what Alessie Cecilia did, 106 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: after waiting months for an appointment. The story goes, these 107 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 1: young Italians show up and the French snub them, which 108 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: is kind of a national trait, you know, with all 109 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 1: apologies to the French people in the world. Uh, they said, nah, 110 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: you're you're you're too below our standard. We can't deal 111 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: with you. Sent away empty handed, you know, come back 112 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,680 Speaker 1: when you've reached a sufficient level of cultural enlightenment. They 113 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: were feeling, as I said, snubbed. They went back to Italy, 114 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: you know, with their tails between their legs and they 115 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: were like hm, hmmm, we'll remember that. Not only did 116 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 1: they remember it, they devoted their lives to avenging the insult, 117 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: which basically what was kind of a declaration of war 118 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: as some people saw it. And you know what happens 119 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: when France and Italy clash. Let me think about you 120 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 1: got products and Hermes, you've got our money and Louis Vattan. 121 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: This is a rivalry. So Alessio and Cecilia came up 122 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: with a new business plan. Cecilia would learn to make 123 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: chocolate from the beans, and Alessia would figure out where 124 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 1: to get the good stuff. Alessia spent the hustling. He 125 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: traversed Latin America, meeting with farmers, tasting beans, doing everything 126 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: he could to make himself the ultimate insider, and that 127 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:36,680 Speaker 1: work paid off. By the two thousands, Amaday was making 128 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:38,840 Speaker 1: some of the most coveted single rigs and chocolate bars 129 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 1: in the world. But Alessio had just begun and he 130 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: was dead set on securing the most prized beans of all, 131 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: chew wow. He worked at it for years, slowly earning 132 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 1: trust on the ground, building relationships, buying new uniforms for 133 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 1: the baseball team. They do whatever, pretty much it takes 134 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 1: so to speak. Not only were they bearing gifts, but 135 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 1: they all pledged to pay in advance. That's pretty good. Ultimately, 136 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 1: it came down to cold, hard cash. Amada offered to 137 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 1: triple the price of Varona was paying, and to pay 138 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: up front, and it worked. In two thousand four, the 139 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: coup was complete. The Chewaw Cooperative sent registered letters to 140 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: Valona and other chocolate makers. All of its beans will 141 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: be going to Amidae, and only Amada had the right 142 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: to use its name. For years, rumors have persisted that 143 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: this war got really nasty. We've heard all sorts of 144 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:33,680 Speaker 1: things that, you know, somebody got shot from Valona over this, 145 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: and not exactly What did happen was that in two 146 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: thousand two, the director of Venezuela's coco buying network was 147 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: machine gunned in his car. There's no evidence it was 148 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:50,880 Speaker 1: related to the battle for chihuah but Venezuela, along with 149 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: many other parts of Latin America, has come to lead 150 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 1: the world in violent crime and business. Even the chocolate 151 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 1: business can get caught up in it. The real lesson 152 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 1: of Chuao is that same companies were willing to go 153 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:08,719 Speaker 1: to ridiculous lengths in an incredibly dangerous region. Simply to 154 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:11,640 Speaker 1: tie up beans with great flavor because they knew that 155 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 1: flavor could set them apart. But why was that what 156 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:18,800 Speaker 1: made those Chuao beings so special? Well, it certainly has 157 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 1: something to do with the valley, the rivers, the soil, 158 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:26,080 Speaker 1: the trees themselves, But the real secret to Chua's greatness 159 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: it was those women handling the beans on the church plasma. 160 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:33,480 Speaker 1: Maybe you've already figured it out. It all came down 161 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,560 Speaker 1: to fermentation. How big a factor is the fermentation? Like 162 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 1: huge fermentation, man is definitely of the quality of the 163 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:46,400 Speaker 1: final chocolate. Fermentation is critical. Okay, I know that word 164 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 1: has already popped up a few times, but believe it 165 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:51,440 Speaker 1: or not, a lot of our story hinges on it, 166 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 1: and you're going to hear it again. Fermentation, fermentation, fermentation, 167 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:59,120 Speaker 1: and again, what the hell is fermentation? This is the 168 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:03,040 Speaker 1: first step the careful process of making the world's most 169 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:07,800 Speaker 1: popular flavor. Just like grapes don't taste like wine, rock 170 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,559 Speaker 1: at cow beans don't taste much like chocolate. You need 171 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: microbes to consume the raw material and transform it into 172 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: those wonderfully aromatic compounds. To cow seeds come out of 173 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 1: their pods covered in sweet sticky sugary pulp. When the 174 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 1: beans are removed from the pods, the sugary pulp surrounding 175 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: the bean begins to ferment. To keep up those beans 176 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:29,440 Speaker 1: in a pile or put them in a wooden box, 177 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: wild geese in the environment will turn that sugar into alcohol, 178 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 1: and then bacteria will turn the alcohol into vinegar. The 179 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 1: acid breaks open the cells and the beans, spills the 180 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:43,800 Speaker 1: contents together and initiates a lot of crazy chemistry. In 181 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:47,200 Speaker 1: the process, heat is generated, and the overall effect of 182 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 1: this mild natural treatment is the development of a desirable 183 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: brown color of fine, full flavor. Within days, nutty, spicy, winey, fruity, 184 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,160 Speaker 1: and laural notes appear from there. You just have to 185 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:05,560 Speaker 1: get the beans nice and dried, give them a little 186 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:10,680 Speaker 1: roast than a slow grind, and you've got chocolate because 187 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 1: of the ter war, because of how it's fermented, the 188 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:15,839 Speaker 1: things in the air, the yeasts and the bacteria that 189 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:19,520 Speaker 1: are contributing to fermentation, and the soil and all these 190 00:12:19,559 --> 00:12:22,080 Speaker 1: things you know you hear about in wine. You're going 191 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:26,480 Speaker 1: to taste the same thing with chocolate. But fermentation is 192 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 1: a delicate art. You mess up the fermentation process, you 193 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: don't do the turns on time. You can get absolutely 194 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: disgusting coco out of great raw material. And what does 195 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:40,560 Speaker 1: that taste like. It's more like mushroom rotten socks, or 196 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:44,760 Speaker 1: ham chocolate or cheese chocolate. You get some really nasty flavors, 197 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:49,000 Speaker 1: wet sock chocolate, compost chocolate. Most coco farmers just want 198 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: to get their being sold as quickly as possible, so 199 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:53,960 Speaker 1: they don't take the time to do a proper fermentation. 200 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: Those beans will always be bitter and boring. But it's 201 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 1: the right decision for the farmers. Remember this is a 202 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:08,040 Speaker 1: dirt poor commodity. Time is money. Why go to extra 203 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:10,080 Speaker 1: steps to improve flavor if you aren't going to be 204 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: paid anything extra. But Chua was different. When the chocolate 205 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,840 Speaker 1: from Chiuao developed, his great reputation in the fermentation was 206 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,679 Speaker 1: practically a lost art. The women of Chuah were one 207 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:23,120 Speaker 1: of the few groups doing it properly, and it showed. 208 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:27,200 Speaker 1: But by the two thousands, demand for great cacao was surging. 209 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 1: A new wave of upstarts like Amada was cutting out 210 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:34,080 Speaker 1: the middlemen, scouring the Americas for the next Chua, making 211 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:36,600 Speaker 1: their own chocolate from the beans and raising the art 212 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:41,040 Speaker 1: of chocolate to new heights, and although that first wave 213 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,480 Speaker 1: was European, it stayed small until it reached the other 214 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 1: side of the Atlantic. There it found an eager market 215 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,520 Speaker 1: obsessed with quality and authenticity, and it became a full 216 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:54,600 Speaker 1: blown tsunami. But have them tastes like grocery store chocolate 217 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,200 Speaker 1: at first. Then I'd have them taste three bars that 218 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:00,720 Speaker 1: tasted like people would be like, yep, we're in we 219 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 1: love it. We had fifty bars, we went to a hundred, 220 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: and then a couple of years later we probably had 221 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:09,200 Speaker 1: two hundred, and then you come full circle to today. 222 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:12,920 Speaker 1: We have probably five fifty bars on the shelf. I 223 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:17,199 Speaker 1: haven't counted in a long time modeling. Every gold rush 224 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 1: brings winners and losers, and the craft chocolate revolution was 225 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 1: no difference. A lot of dinosaurs fell by the wayside, 226 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: too slow to react to the shift and taste, and 227 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 1: a few nimble players rushed in to fill the gap. 228 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,280 Speaker 1: Most surprising of all was a small Delhi in Salt 229 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 1: Lake City that came out of nowhere to become the 230 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:44,200 Speaker 1: ultimate champion of wild chocolate. A Cinderella story. After the break, 231 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 1: I want to taste of some of this God level chocolate. 232 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 1: We Got You Covered. Kalia Scop has joined forces with 233 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,000 Speaker 1: Louise Abram and Stetler Chocolate to make a special box 234 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: to go along with its very podcast Taste One has 235 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 1: driven many to near madness at www. Dot Stetler dash 236 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:27,960 Speaker 1: Chocolate dot com. In the early two thousands, a lot 237 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,240 Speaker 1: of Americans were having the kind of epiphany that Mark 238 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 1: Christian had at the Amide booth at the Chocolate Show, 239 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:39,600 Speaker 1: including Matt Caputo. I discovered that good chocolate shouldn't just 240 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 1: taste like burned material deluded with loads of extra fat 241 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:48,640 Speaker 1: and vanilla. Matt's the owner of Caputo's Market in Delhi 242 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 1: in Salt Lake City, and today he's the top importer 243 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 1: especialty chocolate in North America. We now seld over three 244 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: thousand wholesale accounts everyone from Whole Foods to you know, 245 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:00,360 Speaker 1: your mom and pop cheese shop on the corener in 246 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 1: all fifty states. But back into a thousand, we basically 247 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 1: had a really similar set to what you'd see in 248 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: the grocery store, just cheap stuff that I found out 249 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 1: later didn't taste like cacao. One of my friends that 250 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 1: I respected really well just kind of said you know, man, 251 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 1: your chocolate set is really embarrassing. Matt was crushed. Capudas 252 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 1: wasn't just a market, It was an extension of his 253 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: own personal tastes, a reflection of his abilities as a curator. 254 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 1: He knew he had to get up to speed, so 255 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 1: he embarked on a pilgrimage to the one place where 256 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 1: he might find enlightenment. The fancy Food Show in New 257 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:39,640 Speaker 1: York City. I'm walking the aisles of the Italian Pavilion, 258 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: and man, those Italians wear suits so well, they're just 259 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: beautiful suits. All these dudes and suits and ladies in suits, 260 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:49,040 Speaker 1: and so here I am, this punk kid in my 261 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:52,360 Speaker 1: you know t shirt from Salt Lake City and just 262 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:55,720 Speaker 1: standing at the counters patiently waiting for someone to talk 263 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 1: to me. Finally, a woman at one of the booths 264 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: to pity on him and sat him out at a 265 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: table and perform the ritual that has initiated many a 266 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:07,880 Speaker 1: convert into the mystery cult of fine chocolate. She said, 267 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:11,400 Speaker 1: I'm gonna let you taste these three chocolates. They only 268 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:15,800 Speaker 1: have two ingredients, cocaw beans and sugar. She says, They're 269 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,480 Speaker 1: all made on the same equipment with the same recipe. 270 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 1: The only difference is where the cocow beans come from. 271 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: She says. This first one that you're going to taste 272 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:30,000 Speaker 1: is from Ecuador, and you're going to notice that it 273 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:33,399 Speaker 1: is very earthy and very nutty, and there's not a 274 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:35,720 Speaker 1: lot of acidity. And so okay. I taste it, and 275 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:38,400 Speaker 1: I'm just thinking to myself, like, wow, that's really uncanny 276 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 1: that that does taste like that. Now these beans, she said, again, 277 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:47,040 Speaker 1: same ingredients, same percentage, produced on the same equipment, but 278 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,280 Speaker 1: this time they come from the Samburano Valley of Madagascar. 279 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:54,160 Speaker 1: This one will taste like fruit, like tart, raspberries and 280 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: and citrus. And I'm preparing myself for very slight differences. 281 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:01,200 Speaker 1: I pop it in my mouth. It didn't taste like chocolate. 282 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:05,080 Speaker 1: It tastes like fresh tropical fruit. I could feel myself 283 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:08,159 Speaker 1: like falling down the rabbit hole, and I knew this 284 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,960 Speaker 1: didn't taste like candy. This tasted like the food of 285 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:18,520 Speaker 1: the gods. When he headed home, Matt immediately got Capuda's 286 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 1: up to speed. I spent the next year, let's say, 287 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:25,600 Speaker 1: fleshing out our chocolate set, you know, say, picking the 288 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:28,200 Speaker 1: twenty best producers that I had read about and again. 289 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:30,040 Speaker 1: I did a lot of studying along the way, a 290 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:34,200 Speaker 1: lot of talking to experts in the industry, and doing 291 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 1: a lot of blind tasting, like truly blind tasting. My 292 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:40,240 Speaker 1: wife would actually help me. We would do it in 293 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:43,240 Speaker 1: a pitch black room and taste like sixteen different chocolates 294 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:45,440 Speaker 1: at a time. The standouts went on the shelf of 295 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:50,320 Speaker 1: codas brands like on a day DOMI at the time, Um, 296 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:52,159 Speaker 1: those were the Italian ones, some of the French or 297 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:58,440 Speaker 1: like Michelle quisel Bo, not Valona. Probably Sharpenburger was the 298 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: only American one at that time. I probably fleshed out 299 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:05,399 Speaker 1: with about fifty bars, probably from about twenty producers, and 300 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:09,919 Speaker 1: shelf kept getting bigger, and it probably took up instead 301 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 1: of two ft let's say, the new bars were a 302 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: lot prizier than the old ones, like ten bucks instead 303 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:21,480 Speaker 1: of two. But to Matt's amazement, it didn't matter. All 304 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:24,280 Speaker 1: he had to do was give customers one taste of 305 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 1: this brave new world, and they were loading up their 306 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:30,879 Speaker 1: kurt with chocolate. Verst Viva La Revolution. Caputos was just 307 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:33,360 Speaker 1: one of many stores across the States where that kind 308 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:36,800 Speaker 1: of transformation was happening. In the mid two thousands, chocolate 309 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 1: could be an experience, and people were eager to have it, 310 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:42,800 Speaker 1: to taste their way through Venezuela and Ecuador and the 311 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:46,359 Speaker 1: Sambrano Valley, and websites like Mark Christians sprung up to 312 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:48,879 Speaker 1: guide them. And then in the midst of all this 313 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:54,480 Speaker 1: coco craziness, a new bar appeared. It was wild and refined. 314 00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 1: It didn't taste like any of the others, not even close. 315 00:19:58,000 --> 00:19:59,920 Speaker 1: While every other chocolate in the world was made with 316 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,359 Speaker 1: cocao that had been domesticated and adapted to farms, this 317 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:08,360 Speaker 1: was primordial and you're getting this taste of way back 318 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:11,639 Speaker 1: when it's a time machine, and so unless you're the 319 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: age of like Methuselah or oldest Diamonds, even though had 320 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:18,920 Speaker 1: anything like that before, nobody had. The bar had a 321 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 1: funny name. Instead of the ground Cruise of Valona and Bona, 322 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:27,639 Speaker 1: this was Cruise Salvage Wild. It's time. It could not 323 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,000 Speaker 1: have been better. It was about to become the buzziest 324 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: bar in the bush and dry Voker Layman even deeper 325 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:41,679 Speaker 1: into the jungle in surger More the world. Gold raises 326 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:45,439 Speaker 1: immediately the eyebrow of a person if you say, oh, 327 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 1: I have gold on my land, then everybody feels like 328 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:53,399 Speaker 1: you're rich. But I know more people who got poor 329 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,800 Speaker 1: than rich looking for gold. They didn't see the real 330 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:02,359 Speaker 1: gold at for the break a whole hill of beans. 331 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:29,880 Speaker 1: I never had a business plan then, like so many 332 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:32,160 Speaker 1: tons and this, and then and then, and the full 333 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 1: blown business plan I never had. By two thousand five, 334 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 1: felsh Lean, the Swiss company that was making chocolate with 335 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,119 Speaker 1: Vulcar beans, was so confident in the unique appeal of 336 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:44,639 Speaker 1: crusavage that it was ready to roll it out at 337 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:48,160 Speaker 1: full commercial scale. That meant no more cutes the experiments. 338 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: With four kilos, they needed as much as Vulgar could 339 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:55,040 Speaker 1: possibly get. I said, yeah, okay, let's try with a 340 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:59,639 Speaker 1: container first, and the shipping container holds fifteen tons of cacao. 341 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:02,760 Speaker 1: That was the minimum Felshally needed to make the bars. 342 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,760 Speaker 1: But for solo player like Vulcar, that's a huge hill 343 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 1: of beans. Ran Quila Dad could produce only a few tons. 344 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:11,200 Speaker 1: The rest he was going to have to buy from 345 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:14,800 Speaker 1: other harvesters in the region. Once again, he'd be navigating 346 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:17,439 Speaker 1: land that was precious to some of the most dangerous 347 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: people in the world, ranchers, illegal loggers, and narcas, and 348 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 1: he was going to need a ton of cash. He 349 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:27,120 Speaker 1: was going to have to build facilities in the rainforest 350 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:30,159 Speaker 1: where the beans could be fermented to his specifications, and 351 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:31,920 Speaker 1: he was going to have to spend all that money 352 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:34,479 Speaker 1: many months before he'd finally get paid for the beans. 353 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 1: The biggest problem getting finance to get like dollars together. 354 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 1: So he asked specially into front him some dough and 355 00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:46,200 Speaker 1: they were not interested. They've been around for a hundred 356 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:49,240 Speaker 1: years because they didn't let romance cloud their business vision. 357 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,760 Speaker 1: They basically said, you get the beans, will pay you 358 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:56,080 Speaker 1: a decent price, but the getting part that's on you. 359 00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:59,919 Speaker 1: Eventually he scored alone from a Swiss company that special 360 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,520 Speaker 1: liss and fair trade foods. They're getting me money, but 361 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:08,680 Speaker 1: just on on my blue eyes. Yeah, and they said, okay, 362 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 1: we hope you'll come back with kak. You'll know that, yeah, yeah, yeah. 363 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:24,880 Speaker 1: How to do that? Well? For starters, he bought himself 364 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: a dirt bike and rode hundreds of miles across the range, 365 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 1: visiting the towns in the region that had to cow 366 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:32,800 Speaker 1: and setting up buying posts. It was a rough ride, 367 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:35,880 Speaker 1: but it was better than the horse. He hired people 368 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 1: to buy for him in each town and told them 369 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 1: to use tarts to keep the beans dry. But the 370 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:42,800 Speaker 1: only types they had were moth eaten ones made from 371 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:45,359 Speaker 1: cow and jaguar skins, so he flew a bunch of 372 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:47,600 Speaker 1: new ones in from Santa Cruz and handed them out. 373 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:50,919 Speaker 1: He kept in touch with everyone by short wave radio. 374 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 1: When the beans were ready, he drove his bike to 375 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,880 Speaker 1: each town, loaded them onto a riverboat, and sent them 376 00:23:56,880 --> 00:23:59,840 Speaker 1: on a two thousand mile journey to Lapaz. Then he 377 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 1: lout la Pause and rented an old racquetball court to 378 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:05,360 Speaker 1: use as a warehouse. He didn't sleep for a week 379 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 1: while he waited for the beans to arrive. Finally they 380 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:12,640 Speaker 1: showed up. He immediately opened the sacks and not good. 381 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:15,480 Speaker 1: About ten percent had turned moldy on the river trip, 382 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:18,560 Speaker 1: so he hired eight people to help him, and they 383 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:20,159 Speaker 1: spent the next two weeks on the floor of the 384 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:24,680 Speaker 1: racquetball court sorting eighteen tons of tiny beans by hand. 385 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:28,120 Speaker 1: When he had fifteen good tons, he packed them into 386 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:30,720 Speaker 1: a container and trucked it over a fifteen thousand foot 387 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:33,440 Speaker 1: mountain pass and along some of the world's most death 388 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:37,040 Speaker 1: defying roads to the sea, where a feeder vessel took 389 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 1: it to Panama and loaded it onto a giant container ship, 390 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:44,119 Speaker 1: which carried it through the canal, across the Atlantic and 391 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:47,720 Speaker 1: into port in Rotterdam, where yet another feeder vessel carried 392 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 1: it up the Rhine to Switzerland, where at long last 393 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:57,040 Speaker 1: felshly and transformed it into Cruisavage. It was an enormous feat, 394 00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,680 Speaker 1: and soon the pros were getting their hands on their 395 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:03,720 Speaker 1: first ours. One of them was Matt Capuda. I'm not 396 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:07,040 Speaker 1: exactly sure when I first heard of Cruisivage. You know, 397 00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:08,959 Speaker 1: you hear of a bunch of things. You don't at 398 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:11,359 Speaker 1: first know what is going to turn out to be 399 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:14,719 Speaker 1: something legitimately super cool, or what's going to turn out 400 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 1: to be something that's you know, marketing, smoke and mirrors. 401 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: So Matt was skeptical. He tried Felshin's chocolate before and 402 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,120 Speaker 1: never been that impressed, But that was about to change. 403 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:30,160 Speaker 1: When I popped it into my mouth, I immediately recognized 404 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:34,879 Speaker 1: that it was vastly more interesting than anything else that 405 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:41,959 Speaker 1: they made that I had previously traded. You know, sometimes 406 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 1: I talked about chocolate like music, and this was like, 407 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 1: you know, a classic symphony orchestra, justist beautiful. Matt wasn't alone. 408 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:55,879 Speaker 1: The world's alcoholics went gaga for cruisivage, and felsh Lee 409 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,080 Speaker 1: knew it needed more beans, this time thirty tons instead 410 00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:03,960 Speaker 1: of fifteen Tonquilda the quality. That was the part that 411 00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:08,159 Speaker 1: was most interested in, and Lene pushed me into the volume, 412 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 1: and I was never interested in the volume. Volker was worried. 413 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:16,440 Speaker 1: He pulled off a miracle the first time, but he 414 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:18,720 Speaker 1: didn't know if he could do it again. But he 415 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,040 Speaker 1: knew if he couldn't supply the beans to felsh Lean, 416 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:25,119 Speaker 1: somebody else would. So he made it happen, paying dozens 417 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:28,280 Speaker 1: of middlemen to be his buyers, building fermentation houses in 418 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:31,240 Speaker 1: the bush, charter excessence so you could check on quality, 419 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 1: renting storage rooms and ceedy towns, and paying guards to 420 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,200 Speaker 1: watch them. Growing every year, o back into the business 421 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: and borrowing more. Besides, he'd become Bolivia's cacao kingpin. Any 422 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:48,119 Speaker 1: of Olivia's cocaine kingpins would have recognized the fundamentals of 423 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:52,480 Speaker 1: his business, and they had recognized the next development, too, competition. 424 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:56,359 Speaker 1: As word got out about wild believing cocao, new players 425 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:59,959 Speaker 1: jumped into the game. There were many copies, bad copies, 426 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:04,080 Speaker 1: good copies of what I did, so it became actually 427 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:08,680 Speaker 1: big big. Most of the newbies were nonprofits interested in 428 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:12,240 Speaker 1: sustainable developments. They had lots of foundation money to spend 429 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,800 Speaker 1: and little interest in turning a profit. The laws supply 430 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:18,680 Speaker 1: and demand took its course. The price for wild boliving 431 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,679 Speaker 1: cacao exploded from forty cents a pound to more than 432 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:26,800 Speaker 1: two dollars. Things got totally out of hand. Prices went up, 433 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 1: sky rocking, and NGOs flooming in making projects. In a way, 434 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:37,560 Speaker 1: this was mission accomplished. Volker's dream of creating a new 435 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:41,400 Speaker 1: forest economy, one that preserved the environment while simultaneously bringing 436 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:44,800 Speaker 1: money to the area had come true. The people were 437 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:48,200 Speaker 1: getting real money for their cacao, their lives improved, and 438 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:52,360 Speaker 1: they're interested in the chocolateales returned. It was textbook sustainable development, 439 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:57,120 Speaker 1: except for everything it did for the rainforest. It wasn't 440 00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: sustainable for Vulcar. Neither felt really nor any other commercial 441 00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:03,720 Speaker 1: buyer could afford to pay enough for the beans to 442 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:07,240 Speaker 1: cover his costs, and by two thousand ten he found 443 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:10,440 Speaker 1: himself priced out of the market he'd created. It was 444 00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:16,040 Speaker 1: like ten years of turmoil, and I said, this is 445 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:20,720 Speaker 1: not what I signed I signed for. He needed a 446 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 1: new supply cocao that hadn't yet exploded in price, and 447 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:27,960 Speaker 1: that was one advantage he still had over the competition. 448 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:30,840 Speaker 1: All these newcomers only knew how to buy beans from 449 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,800 Speaker 1: the most obvious players. But Vulcar had twenty years of 450 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:36,920 Speaker 1: connections all over the Bolivian Amazon, and he worked his 451 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 1: connections for any leads on new sources of wild cocao, 452 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 1: and finally he got a good one. On the Monterey River. 453 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:48,600 Speaker 1: In Uraka, a tribal territory, were vast supplies of wild cocao. 454 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:51,120 Speaker 1: He got in touch with the chief, who said that 455 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:53,800 Speaker 1: Urakare had been selling to local dealers for very low 456 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:57,040 Speaker 1: prices and they might be very interested in a new arrangement. 457 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,880 Speaker 1: So Volker made plans for an expedition to make his pitch, 458 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 1: And that, of course, was when I got in touch 459 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:07,120 Speaker 1: with him. And if he ever thought, well, this is 460 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:09,800 Speaker 1: a pretty weird spot to bring a journalist, he never 461 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:15,600 Speaker 1: told me. And your grandpa hold this, Yeah, that's the 462 00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: way I watch your fingers that don't get in between. 463 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:28,280 Speaker 1: Good luck. The river village is called Elcombate, named for 464 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:30,880 Speaker 1: a battle in one of Olivia's endless border squabbles with 465 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 1: its neighbors, and it still has the feel of a 466 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 1: place that doesn't really belong to anywhere. And the village 467 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:40,320 Speaker 1: itself it's a disaster zone. A thin sheet of river 468 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: is flowing through the settlement. The boats are tied up 469 00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: to the huts, chickens perched on posts, trying to come 470 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:49,200 Speaker 1: up with plan B. I wasn't recording audio back on 471 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:51,480 Speaker 1: that two thousand ten trip, but the memories are still 472 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 1: etched in Volker's mind. It was and from a production 473 00:29:56,600 --> 00:30:00,320 Speaker 1: point of view, in a miserable situation and mean from 474 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:03,560 Speaker 1: the mango trees are bags of very sad looking cacao. 475 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:08,320 Speaker 1: The coco was badly treated and due to the weather condition, 476 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 1: I saw that the coca was wasn't so good. So 477 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:15,320 Speaker 1: that was a little disappointing right there. But I thought, oh, 478 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,720 Speaker 1: let's let's talk to the people find out what are 479 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:21,720 Speaker 1: their needs. We gather on a platform in the center 480 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:25,200 Speaker 1: of the village and Vulgar makes his pitch. The argument 481 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:29,760 Speaker 1: was mainly that I will come all the years and 482 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: I will buy the cow at their spot so they 483 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:37,000 Speaker 1: don't have to travel, and that we well, we were 484 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaker 1: working together and improving the quality because I needed a 485 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:46,240 Speaker 1: better quality than what they have, and so I said, okay, 486 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:49,280 Speaker 1: if you do all this, then I can give you 487 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:52,800 Speaker 1: a very good price. To sweeten the d l focused 488 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:56,400 Speaker 1: brought entertainment from his pack. He produces some paper and 489 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:59,720 Speaker 1: crayons and holds a CaCO drawing contest for the kids. 490 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,320 Speaker 1: I said, okay, we give a price to the best 491 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:09,600 Speaker 1: painting with the theme of cocao. What would you paint 492 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:15,320 Speaker 1: about kaw? And I still have them somewhere. Soon dozens 493 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:19,120 Speaker 1: of pages of golden pods and crazy cocoutry people are 494 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:23,400 Speaker 1: covering the school benches and we're all laughing hysterically, and 495 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:25,600 Speaker 1: that turns out to be the exact pitch Vulcar needed 496 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:28,960 Speaker 1: to make. All along. The women have combat am been 497 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:32,240 Speaker 1: watching us, and they're smiling at this goofy Germans drawing 498 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:35,480 Speaker 1: cocao monsters with their kids, And soon they Involker are 499 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:40,360 Speaker 1: chatting away like old friends, and then losing the tensions 500 00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:43,920 Speaker 1: to the moms because finally the moms they all the 501 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:48,720 Speaker 1: ladies they were in favor. By the next morning, we 502 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,680 Speaker 1: leave Combati with a deal. Vulcan will build them a 503 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:54,840 Speaker 1: fermentation center so they can dry their cocaw properly and 504 00:31:55,080 --> 00:31:56,520 Speaker 1: he'll send a boat to buy the cow on the 505 00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:01,960 Speaker 1: spot at a premium price. We planned on spending the 506 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:04,400 Speaker 1: night in a riverside hut that belonged to our guide's brother, 507 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:07,120 Speaker 1: But when we arrive, we're greeted by scene out of 508 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 1: a horror movie. Somebody has spent the day opening thousands 509 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:12,720 Speaker 1: of pods there and drying the beans in the hut. 510 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:16,840 Speaker 1: Ants are swarming every service, gorging on the sugary juice. 511 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 1: By now, I have a healthy fear of Amazonian ants. 512 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:24,840 Speaker 1: They move in waves across the jungle floor, attacking anything 513 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:31,440 Speaker 1: in their path. Bugs, frogs, lizards, journalists rowan. He came 514 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: with the flip flops, or sometimes he has, and I said, oh, 515 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,000 Speaker 1: this is no good, and he did the ant dance. 516 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:46,720 Speaker 1: True story years ago, a drunken man in Bolivia passed 517 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:48,920 Speaker 1: out against a tree that contained a big ant nest. 518 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:52,200 Speaker 1: He never woke up. These ants are I have no 519 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:56,680 Speaker 1: pity the dawn, respect in the repellent or stuff like that. 520 00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:04,800 Speaker 1: Damn the mh h. Just stay the night with these 521 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:07,960 Speaker 1: ants would be suicide. We have to find another hut, 522 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:11,120 Speaker 1: but we only have an hour before dark. Our guide 523 00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:13,920 Speaker 1: says he knows the place nearby downside channel of the river, 524 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:16,880 Speaker 1: so we head for it. It's on stilts sticking out 525 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:19,440 Speaker 1: of the flooded channel, and there's an old couple standing 526 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 1: in the open door staring at us in the shop, 527 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:24,320 Speaker 1: and so are the piglets and chickens they've rescued from 528 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:27,000 Speaker 1: the flood. The funny part was that we had to 529 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:31,240 Speaker 1: share our bedroom with some pickies. Yes, we're all in 530 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:33,760 Speaker 1: the one room hut together. We string our hammocks above 531 00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:37,280 Speaker 1: the piglets and climb in. There smoked predecessors hanging from 532 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:40,920 Speaker 1: the raptors above us, and the mother pig was in 533 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:45,080 Speaker 1: a different shed screaming all night, and they wanted the 534 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:47,640 Speaker 1: babies like where are you? Where are you? And the 535 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:51,360 Speaker 1: little piggies were answering, we're here, We're here. Bats beat 536 00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:53,680 Speaker 1: the air in front of my face all night long 537 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:56,840 Speaker 1: as they come and go through the open hut. I 538 00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:01,680 Speaker 1: lie wide awake, suspended between pig squeal and diig sausage. 539 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:06,760 Speaker 1: Vulcar stares contentedly beside me. There was a very very 540 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:12,719 Speaker 1: special night. It never happened again. There was a very 541 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:16,960 Speaker 1: very special moment in time. Yeah, I still have night venus. 542 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:24,400 Speaker 1: By the time we drag ourselves back to try and 543 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:26,879 Speaker 1: kill it dad. A few days later, Fulkers put himself 544 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:29,239 Speaker 1: a couple of years ahead of the competition. If all 545 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:31,640 Speaker 1: goes as planned, he'll have enough cocao to make felsh 546 00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:34,799 Speaker 1: Lean very happy to pay back his loans and maybe 547 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:36,359 Speaker 1: even to save a bit of money for the first 548 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:41,160 Speaker 1: time in his life. And the story I write about 549 00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:43,120 Speaker 1: him and our journey is going to help juice the 550 00:34:43,160 --> 00:34:45,800 Speaker 1: world of cacao hunting as a whole new generation of 551 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:48,800 Speaker 1: extreme chocolate makers begins racing to get their hands on 552 00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:51,719 Speaker 1: incredible beans. But that's going to plunge them into the 553 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:54,359 Speaker 1: deep end of their own forest, and at times they're 554 00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:57,960 Speaker 1: going to find themselves way over their heads. I don't 555 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:00,680 Speaker 1: like guns, and I've never wanted us. Haven't gotten to me. 556 00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:03,040 Speaker 1: The idea of having a gun owned by the company 557 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:06,600 Speaker 1: out in the company vehicle is terrifying. But I mean, 558 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:08,319 Speaker 1: you saw the stacks of cash in our office. We're 559 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:11,760 Speaker 1: going out there with thousands of dollars on a daily basis. 560 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:20,120 Speaker 1: Next week we dive into the dark side of big 561 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:33,160 Speaker 1: bad chocolate. Wild Chocolate is a Kaleidoscope production with I 562 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:36,640 Speaker 1: Heart Podcasts, hosted and reported by me Roan Jacobson and 563 00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:40,279 Speaker 1: produced by Shane McKeon at Nice Marmaint Media. Edited by 564 00:35:40,360 --> 00:35:43,800 Speaker 1: Kate Osborne gesh had to Kudor. Sound design and mixing 565 00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 1: by Soundboard. Original music composition by Spencer Stevenson, a k 566 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:51,560 Speaker 1: a Botany production help from Bahi Ni Shory from My 567 00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 1: Heart Are. Executive producers are Katrina Norval and Nikki or 568 00:35:55,760 --> 00:36:00,320 Speaker 1: Special thanks to Laura Mayor Costaslinos Ozwalash and Aaron Offman, 569 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:04,759 Speaker 1: Will Pearson, codel Burn, Bob Pittman, Daria Daniel and the 570 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:06,719 Speaker 1: team at Stetler who are helping us make a very 571 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:09,759 Speaker 1: special chocolate of our own. That's right, We're working with 572 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:12,440 Speaker 1: Louise and others to protect the rainforest and make delicious 573 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:17,439 Speaker 1: Amazonian chocolate. Visit www dot Stetler dash Chocolate dot com 574 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:22,920 Speaker 1: to taste it for yourself. That's www Dot Stetler dash 575 00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:26,080 Speaker 1: Chocolate dot com. And if you want to hear more 576 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:28,600 Speaker 1: of this type of content. Nothing is more important to 577 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:32,400 Speaker 1: the creators here at Kaleidoscope than subscribers, ratings, and reviews. 578 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:34,879 Speaker 1: Please spread the love wherever you listen