The Nib

ORIGIN TRIP #40: MABABU, TANZANIA- 2018

After 60+ hours of travel, the 2018 Chocolate University Class arrived in Tanzania!! The final leg of the trip included a long bus ride to the remote village to meet our farmer partners and over th...

ORIGIN TRIP #39: ZAMORA, AMAZONIA- 2018

After meeting with Vitaliano, our lead farmer partner in Ecuador, I made the short trip to see our newest farmer partner group in Zamora, Amazonia. Bringing chocolate for two origin trips is a chal...

ORIGIN TRIP #38: DEL TAMBO, ECUADOR- 2018

I met with our lead farmer partner, Vitaliano, his son, Moises, and the rest of his family, from whom we purchase all of the Arriba Nacional cacao for our beloved Ecuador chocolate bars. Vitaliano ...

ORIGIN TRIP #37: DAVAO, PHILIPPINES- 2018

On the first origin trip of 2018 Shawn met with lead farmer, Peter Cruz, pictured here alongside farm manager, Johnny. They inspected our next shipment of cocoa beans, taking random samples to perf...

ORIGIN TRIP #36: MADAGASCAR- 2017

After wrapping up the last week of the 2017 Tanzania origin trip, Shawn took a quick detour to Madagascar before heading home! For now, the details are top-secret. But stay tuned for updates on a n...

ORIGIN TRIP #35: MABABU, TANZANIA- 2017

Shawn spent most of the week working alongside our farmer partners harvesting cocoa, fermenting and drying beans, and testing moisture content. And of course, we brought lots of chocolate to share ...

ORIGIN TRIP #34: ZAMORA, AMAZONIA- 2017

Located in southeastern Ecuador, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, Zamora is lush and fertile, if not challenging to navigate–the tiny village is perched on cliffs, “in the clouds.” The topogra...

ORIGIN TRIP #33: DEL TAMBO, ECUADOR- 2017

Cocoa Pods, Conferences, & Chocolate Tastings. Notes from Shawn’s 12th Ecuador Origin Trip

ORIGIN TRIP #32: DAVAO, PHILIPPINES- 2017

Update from Davao, Philippines: Shawn inspected our next shipment of cocoa beans to ensure they meet our contract specifications. This includes spending time on the farms, performing cut tests to c...

ORIGIN TRIP #31: DEL TAMBO, ECUADOR- 2016

Vitaliano, our lead farmer partner (who I’ve been visiting for a decade now!) who is pictured on the front of our Ecuador chocolate bars, takes extreme care on his small farm. The farm, which has b...