Why Chocolate Educators are More Important Than Ever
Sophia Contreras Rea of Projet Chocolat
More than every so often, a chocolate educator will face the inevitable question: Do you make chocolate, or do you run a chocolate shop? Spoiler: Most educators do neither. But that does not mean that chocolate educators are not in the business of getting chocolate to sell. Unfortunately, chocolate educators can sometimes fall into a place of limbo within the Bean to Bar chocolate world; assuming a role that is perceived as peripheral rather than integral. Chocolate festivals are maker-centric, and educators rarely feature in the accompanying conferences.
What is a Chocolate Educator?
Estelle Tracy of 37 Chocolates
Let’s first break down what exactly a chocolate educator does, apart from the experts who teach chocolate-making. Typically, a chocolate educator is someone who goes beyond being a fine chocolate and cacao enthusiast. Think regular and direct communication with chocolate makers, studying cacao origins, understanding the basics of cacao genetics and farming practices, experimenting with chocolate pairing possibilities, and finally, curating the right chocolate for an unforgettable tasting experience or event. It would be an understatement to say that many chocolate educators not only possess an inherent passion for the chocolate and cacao world but also strong storytelling skills. “I love learning, but more importantly, I believe that my mission is transmitting what I know,” says chocolate sommelier Estelle Tracy of 37 Chocolates, a household name in the craft chocolate industry. Another well-known name in the chocolate sphere, Sophia Contreras Rea of Projet Chocolat takes it further by distinguishing chocolate educators and chocolate sommeliers. Rea explains, “I am a chocolate sommelier. Sommelier in French translates to steward. I am a steward of chocolate. I teach people how to taste, pair, and source chocolate […] the history, art, science, and culture of chocolate. I hope to be a good steward of chocolate.”
How Chocolate Educators Fit In
It has never been officially established whether the craft chocolate industry needs independent educators and sommeliers. Somehow, the role has organically grown in tandem with the development of the international Bean to Bar movement, along with the enthusiasm for it. Educational events in the form of chocolate tastings are slowly increasing in various geographies. Zelia Frangioni, or Chocolatras Online, is the leading chocolate educator in Brazil and has been an advocate for bean to bar chocolate for the past eight years. She equates the craft chocolate industry with a three-legged stool, bound to collapse if one leg were to go missing (the three elements being cacao producers, chocolate makers, and chocolate educators). “We need someone to bridge the gap between makers and consumers. Many consumers often confuse chocolate with candy and will not recognize the difference unless the cacao producers and chocolate makers provide clear explanations. But, neither of them necessarily has the time to do that, which means having someone else step up and explain the value of what they are selling is crucial.”
Why Chocolate Makers Value Educators
There are chocolate makers which agree with the notion. Kelli and Patrick Marjolet of The Proper Chocolate Company in Dublin, Ireland, make some of the best two-ingredient bean to bar chocolate in Ireland and are passionate about chocolate education, but between the responsibilities of making good chocolate and running a chocolate business all at once, say that having the required bandwidth to drumbeat a consistent chocolate education campaign is challenging.
Solkiki makes award winning vegan white chocolates photo courtesy Soliki
But just how much impact can chocolate educators have on a chocolate brand’s business? Elfie and Maxime, the talented chocolate makers behind the internationally multi-award-winning brand Qantu (Montreal, Canada) shed some light on the subject by expressing their difficulty in tracking consumers resulting from a chocolate education event. However, the lack of data does not prevent them from believing that educational efforts inevitably lead to benefits. ‘When people are motivated and love a chocolate, they tend to talk about it to everyone around them. Similarly, someone who has attended a chocolate tasting at Etat de Choc (a chocolate retailer in Montreal) may hear of us there or tell a friend about us.” Bob Spink and Iris Stork of Solkiki, a star amongst vegan craft chocolate brands and with their own long list of well-merited awards, lend us their two cents. “… Print media or shelf space isn’t so useful because it’s a very new type of product in a very established segment. People need first-hand experience from a trusted individual, much like a sommelier does with wine […] The world of bean-to-bar chocolate is a minefield, not all is good. Chocolate educators help the movement, using their experience to sort the fine from the flawed, showcasing great chocolate to interested people.”
All of this certainly supports the perception of Kathryn Laverack (Cocoa Encounters, UK). “Chocolate makers are more supportive of our work than we think,” she affirms. Laverack works with award-winning UK makers such as Duffy’s and Solkiki, as well as UK craft chocolate retailers Cocoa Runners and Chocolateseekers. “That support can come forth either by flexibility on chocolate prices and orders, or sometimes, collaborating in a joint event.” Estelle (Tracy) echoes the sentiment with her own experience, having worked with established makers such as Moka Origins (US) or Qantu. “Even when I started out and opened my first chocolate wholesale accounts, I never had to explain what I was doing, nor did I have to justify the value of my work,” she states.
Challenges Facing the Profession
Most chocolate educators conduct their activities part-time, citing a lack of financial practicality as a core reason. Whether the role of a chocolate educator can evolve into a standalone, full-time paid vocation is still up for debate. Megan Giller, author of Bean to Bar Chocolate and chocolate educator herself offered these nuggets of insight: “[…] chocolate still isn't viewed as a specialty food the way wine, coffee, and cheese are. Their interest has increased, but I don't think it's reached the level where most folks see the need for a specific educator. Plus, there isn't an official, industry-wide certification to be a chocolate educator the way there is with wine or beer. That means consumers aren't quite sure what a "chocolate educator" is, and whether someone has the credentials to do full-time, correctly paid work.”
The Future
But is there a way forward from here? Giller is inclined to say yes. “I think one avenue toward full-time work would be finding educator roles at craft chocolate companies. And right now, most of these companies are too small to hire a full-time educator, instead relying on the founders themselves to do this work. As the industry itself becomes more established, I expect this will change and grow.” Well, that’s hopeful then. Finally, I ask Sunita de Tourreil, one of the earliest pioneers of craft chocolate education & retail with her well-known ‘Chocolate Garage’ which ran for 8 years in San Francisco, to weigh in. “The industry needs to understand the value of all the different folks at the different levels […] it should not be limited to the folks growing the cacao and doing all the labor - as wonderful as that cause is, but it also needs to extend to the people who are running the chocolate businesses too - which includes educators”.
How can chocolate educators establish their credibility and therein, inherent value in the overall chain? Rea believes first and foremost in valuing their own work first. That includes, “knowing that you are bringing something worthwhile to the table and being unafraid to ask for rightful compensation”. De Tourreil adds her insights too. “A tasting before covid is a lot more work than a tasting post covid […]preparing tasting kits for 50 people and sending them out to various wide locations. Sometimes you can have as many as 12 different countries involved […] figuring out all the details for shipping, and tariffs on the recipients. When I get a call for a package that’s stuck with DHL, that call costs me time, as well as money. I have to make sure that package gets through somehow.”
Perhaps it is also worth considering a more unified approach, which includes agreed titles: Educator or Sommelier? Laverack says it depends on her settings. When ascertaining which specific chocolates people may prefer, she relates to being a sommelier. But, when teaching a class in schools, or the latest batch of IICCT (International Institute of Chocolate & Cacao Tasting) students, she relates to being an educator instead. Interestingly, her preferred chosen title is chocolate ‘animateur’, because “My role is to bring chocolate to life.” Geographical context plays a part too. Frangioni elects to go with plain ‘chocolate blogger.’ “I want to come across as accessible, and approachable, and not lose my reach with a title that could come across to Brazilians as snobbish. That would not go down well here.” Giller puts it across best, ‘At Chocolate Noise, we use the term "chocolate sommelier," because consumers immediately understand what this means. However, it will mean a lot more when there's an official certification to become a chocolate sommelier. I can see "chocolate educator" is more appropriate in an academic setting or within a chocolate company. I think each person should evaluate what title makes the most sense for them and their audience and go with it.”
Regardless of titles, the goal of producers, educators and makers are within the same realm: To establish a chocolate world focused on transparency, traceability, and quality. In the case of educators, making sure that consumers understand craft chocolate’s value and making a case for the consumer to invest in a bar (or more) is integral to that vision. Solkiki reiterates the point, “…It’s a mutually-beneficial relationship, symbiosis is fundamental and we need ambassadors to help us spread the word about what we are doing. We are all part of the same movement.” As for the lack of proper space that chocolate educators are struggling with, Estelle Tracy has the solution: “We should create it. See the void and go fill it.”
Ultimately, it all comes back to Frangioni’s three-legged stool parallel. It works best altogether.