Fine Chocolate Industry Association

FCIA Weekly: September 3, 2021

Dear FCIA Members and Friends,

September marks the beginning of the fall season in North America. We were eagerly looking forward to participating in the NW Chocolate Festival in Seattle and Salon du Chocolat in New York later this year, but as you’ve probably heard, they have been postponed due to COVID safety concerns. Although discouraging, we look forward to resuming in-person conferences and festivals in 2022. FCIA will keep you updated as we learn more about these and other scheduled events.

Last month, I informed the FCIA board that I plan to retire as Executive Director in January 2022. However, I will continue in my new role as FCIA Senior Advisor for the Madagascar program and cocoa value chain committee. The three and a half years as FCIA Executive Director have surpassed all of my expectations. It has been an honor to serve our dynamic Board of Directors and work with an exceptionally talented staff. I will write more about this in our upcoming October newsletter. In the meantime, here is a description of the Executive Director position for those interested in applying by September 15, 2021.

As you may have seen on social media and Make Mine Fine, the TSIRO Program in Madagascar is making good progress. Beyond Good, Guittard Chocolate Company, and Åkessons’s Organic are participating in this initiative, which will benefit over 2,000 cocoa and spice farmers. If your company purchases cocoa or chocolate from Madagascar, please contact Bill Guyton to include you on TSIRO updates and be recognized in the Madagascar section of the Make Mine Fine website.

What you may have missed last week…

FCIA designated August as “Dark Chocolate Month.” Last Thursday, August 26, we held our monthly Chocolate Break & Giveaway on Make Mine Fine Instagram Live. FCIA’s Ephi Maglaris moderated a discussion focused on dark chocolate with featured FCIA members Mindo Chocolate Makers and Ór Dubh Chocolates. Chocolate Break is growing steadily in popularity with consumers and chocolate companies. It is a great way to feature your company and products!

Please complete the MMF Chocolate Lover’s Calendar Form if your company wants to participate in future months. If you have questions, please contact Ephi Maglaris.

What you can look forward to in September…

FCIA Educational Webinar Series
- On Thursday, September 9 at 2 PM (ET), FCIA will jointly host a “The Fermentation-Flavor Connection in Chocolate” webinar with The Fermentation Association (TFA). With so many variables influencing the cacao fermentation process, it is a balance of science and art. In this webinar, three cocoa fermentation experts will discuss how they achieve that balance from the perspective of smaller vs. larger processors and a consultant who works with farms around the world. Find out how Nat Bletter, Ph.D. (founder of Madre Chocolate), Massimiliano Wax (VP of Rizek Cacao), and Dan O'Doherty (Founder and Principal Consultant of Cacao Services) leverage the science to highlight flavor profiles to develop beans prized by chocolate makers.
  
  Bill Guyton of FCIA and Neal Vitale, the Executive Director of TFA, will moderate the discussion to explore the role fermentation plays in expressing the flavor profile of cacao beans. Attendees can submit questions for the panelists during the webinar. Make sure to register today.
- Stay tuned for details on upcoming webinars on September 16 and 23rd. If you have a webinar topic idea we should consider, please submit it through this form.
September Chocolate Break
For the September Chocolate Break - Cocoa Farming & Next Generation, FCIA will feature three FCIA members:
- Jenny Samaniego of Conexion Chocolate will share about her young farmers’ chocolate.
- Tim McCollum, the Founder and CEO of Beyond Good, will share his work with cocoa farmers in Madagascar.
- Phil Covitz of andSons Chocolatiers.

Don’t miss this Make Mine Fine Live Instagram on September 30 at noon (ET) to hear from these three leaders in our industry.

FCIA Members and Partners Bulletin Board

Would you like to post a free announcement or advertisement on our weekly update? If so, please share it with us before each Thursday. We want to hear about any recent awards, sales, webinars, or other developments with your business.

Part-time, Consulting, and Grant Opportunities:

Conexión Chocolate is looking for a part-time sales development representative. A unique opportunity for a passionate person to build relationships with chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, wholesalers, retailers, brokers to increase chocolate sales and grow with the company. If you are interested, please contact Conexión Chocolate.
FCIA member Cocoatown shared the following information with members regarding eBay Up & Running Grants for small businesses.
- eBay is giving back to the small businesses that power America by committing $500,000 in grants and education resources to help small businesses stay up and running online and secure their future. Visit ebay.helloalice.com to learn more and apply before the deadline on September 3, 2021, at 6 PM ET. You can apply for the grant online.

Webinar:

CocoaTown will be hosting a "How to Work with a Distributor" webinar on Saturday, September 11, 10 AM – 12 PM (GMT). Finding and working with the right bean-to-bar chocolate distributor can make a big difference in your bottom line. It can help boost your business in a big way. Distributors can get your products on the shelves of retailers and lead you to many other exciting opportunities and leads.

Join Valerie Beck, the Founder of Chocolate Uplift, called the Chocolate Auntie, as she takes us through the ins and outs of finding the right distributor and building a relationship that works for you and your business. She will guide us through the processes step by step. Registration details are coming soon on CocoaTown website.

FCIA Communications

Are you taking full advantage of the communications benefits offered to FCIA members? Here are ways you can maximize membership benefits:

Be featured in trade publications or FCIA quarter newsletters
- FCIA has an ongoing partnership with MC Publishing to feature an FCIA member each month in their industry publication, which reaches thousands of subscribers. If your company is interested in participating, please contact Bill Guyton. This benefit is reserved for Level 2-5 members.
- FCIA is partnering with Bar Talks, a UK-based monthly publication that reaches over 5,000 chocolate subscribers and 10,000 coffee subscribers. FCIA Level 1-5 members are eligible to be part of our FCIA: Raising the Bar column. For more details, please contact Bill Guyton.
- FCIA publishes a quarterly newsletter featuring one or two members in each issue. If your company is interested in participating, please contact Bill Guyton.
Follow FCIA on Social Media
FCIA staff have been working to increase our visibility on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Please follow us on social media and give us your feedback.
Join Make Mine Fine Website
We encourage members who offer online sales to consumers to take advantage of Make Mine Fine. We continue to add to the site; please see the new page on cocoa in Papua New Guinea, thanks to the sponsorship of Business for Development.
To participate in the Make Mine Fine online marketplace, all you need to do is complete the following forms:
- FCIA marketplace form
- FCIA experience and demonstration form
Post your logo on the FCIA Website: Please take a moment to see if your company’s name and logo are listed on the homepage. If not, here are six easy steps you can take:
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1. Log in to the FCIA website.
2. Under Member Menu > Member Info, choose Upload/Change Company Logo.
3. Your logo should be added to the homepage. Note that member logos are arranged randomly.
4. Upload your logo -- ideally 200 pixels wide by 170 pixels tall, in JPG, PNG, or GIF format.
5. Next, choose Change Contact/Profile Info.
6. Add your Website URL in the appropriate field. You can update other information as well. Scroll to the bottom to save.

Your logo should be added to the homepage. Note that member logos are arranged randomly.

Upcoming FCIA Affiliated Conferences

Here are more upcoming events from our members and partners:

The Chamber of Commerce Brazil-Canada (CCBC) invites FCIA members to attend the Brazilian Week CCBC Online Festival from September 7 to September 10, 2021. The event aims to promote relevant information and opportunities from different sectors for those looking to do business between Brazil and Canada. The Brazilian Cocoa and Chocolate sector will be featured on September 10. You can find more information about the festival and register on their website.
2021 African Cocoa & Chocolate Expo (ACCE) is West Africa’s premier event showcasing the region’s cocoa and chocolate success and innovation. ACCE 2021 will be held virtually, with panels, webinars, and keynote speakers live-streamed over four days: September 23-26. For more information, visit their website. This year the Expo will focus on "Africa Beyond Beans: Raising a New Generation of Cocoapreneurs for Wealth Creation."
1st Latin American Scientific Conference on Cocoa, hosted by MOCCA in coordination with CRC, Bioversity/CIAT, and CATIE. The Conference will be an opportunity for cocoa stakeholders to network, share research, and find ways to strategically collaborate for the sector’s advancement. The overall goal is to raise funds to support local organizations in Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru to fund the long-term research and innovation cocoa farmers need to strengthen livelihoods and advance a sustainable supply chain. You can find the registration information on this flyer.
Northwest Chocolate Festival, Postponed in Seattle
This year’s The Northwest Chocolate Festival has been postponed. We’ll share more details when we have more information.
Salon du Chocolat, Postponed in New York
Salon du Chocolat has been postponed until March 2022. For more information, contact Chyai Mulberg, Salon du Chocolat Show Vice President and General Manager, at cmulberg@SalonDuChocolatNY.com or +1-203-945-9837.

Articles

In conclusion, please read some interesting news from the world of chocolate: