Explore every episode of the podcast Bean to Bar
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criollo & White Cacao Seeds | ft. Greg D'Alesandre | 02 Mar 2024 | 00:23:06 | |
Dylan and Greg dive into the topic of white cacao seeds from the comfort of the Zorzal Reserve in the Dominican Republic. Why do they exist? What genetics produce white cacao? What's with all the Criollo hype? All this is and more! | |||
| How to Create Your Best Selling Chocolate Bar | 14 Sep 2023 | 00:03:26 | |
What chocolate should you focus on? Understandably, many people entering into the world of bean-to-bar chocolate making are most excited by single origin chocolate. This is (and continues to be) the most exciting style of chocolate making for Manoa Chocolate. With that said, it is not single origin chocolate that has helped to scale our business. In this episode Dylan divulges his perspective, from his personal experience with chocolate flavors as well as what he's observed in other bean-to-bar businesses. | |||
| Growing the Future of Cacao | ft. Dan O'Doherty | 14 Sep 2023 | 00:04:10 | |
This episode touches on some of the unique aspects of our cacao farm here in Hawaii and the big question: Why are we going through the effort? Five years ago Manoa Chocolate partnered with Cacao Services on a cacao farm on the Hawaiian Island of O'ahu. This orchard fulfills a dream to vertically integrate the process from the tree to the bar. The expertise from Cacao Services has also ensured that this farm (Kamananui Estate) has a vast genetic diversity, including hybrids with remarkable productivity and flavor. | |||
| Simple Ways to Improve Your Chocolate | 14 Sep 2023 | 00:02:46 | |
One of the most common questions we get asked is: "What can you recommend I do to improve my chocolate?". Because each chocolate maker's scale and process is so different, this question can be difficult to answer with too much specificity. Hence, we've kept our response to this question as simple as possible. | |||
| Should You Take Investment? | ft. Greg D'Alesandre | 09 Jun 2023 | 00:18:10 | |
Should you take investment for your chocolate company? In this episode Greg D'Alesandre of Dandelion Chocolate provides the ins, outs, pros, and cons of accepting investment for you business. | |||
| Is Cadmium in Chocolate Dangerous? | ft. Greg D'Alesandre | 14 Jan 2023 | 00:12:56 | |
There has been a surge in reporting on cadmium in chocolate. What is cadmium? Is it safe to eat if it's in your chocolate? Greg D'Alesandre of Dandelion Chocolate answers these questions and more in this in-depth review of the metallic substance. | |||
| Tasting Chocolate With Colour | ft. Hazel Lee | 08 Dec 2022 | 00:06:32 | |
In this episode we hear from Hazel Lee, the creator of Taste With Colour. Her chocolate tasting guide aims to simplify the way we taste chocolate, making it more fun and approachable for everyone. | |||
| Cacao Farm Comparison | 08 Dec 2022 | 00:03:09 | |
For this episode we're in the Dominican Republic analyzing a cacao farm. This style of cacao farming is not only typical to the Dominican, but in many cacao growing regions. Pruning cacao trees from a young age requires a lot of work, so many farmers opt out of this constant maintenance. But by the time trees are 5-10 years old the cacao pods are already out of arm's reach, making them more difficult to harvest. Dylan compares this cacao farming model to what we've been doing on our own farms in Hawaii. | |||
| Our Process for Analyzing Raw Cacao | 08 Dec 2022 | 00:08:22 | |
Today we’re doing a cacao analysis of one of our Hawaiian origins: Mililani. This chocolate has developed a reputation over the last three years for being consistently bright and fruity. When we receive beans from Mililani Estate, batches are categorized based on the date they were fermented. Each ferment produces different results, so we analyze the batches to decide whether beans are A or B-grade. A-grade goes into our single origin Mililani bar while B-grade goes towards our Hawaii milk chocolate. | |||
| The Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Factory That Makes 600+ Flavors: Zotter Schokoladen | ft. Julia Zotter | 08 Dec 2022 | 00:16:51 | |
We’ve long referenced Zotter as an example for the craft chocolate industry on many levels - whether that be scale, company ethics, or experience. Our recent visit there gives you a sneak peak into a magical world that should be a pilgrimage for anyone interested in chocolate. This conversation with Julia Zotter dives into the company's mission, history, process and future endeavors. | |||
| Mini Chocolate Grinder Review: Premier vs Cocoatown | 08 Dec 2022 | 00:06:45 | |
In today’s episode we’re reviewing two of the most popular mini chocolate grinders (aka refiners aka melangers) amongst bean-to-bar makers and hobbyists. We’ve been using the Premeir Wonder Grinder and the Cocoatown Melanger ECGC-12SLTA on and off for many years now and have come up with a list of pros and cons for each. | |||
| Craft Chocolate Machines You Need | 08 Dec 2022 | 00:04:29 | |
In this episode we're highlighting our experience with Michal from Herufek Chocolate in the Czech Republic. Michal is a chocolate maker who is also making his own equipment. In this episode we look at his 30kg melanger, 60kg melanger, winnower, and vibratory sieve: machines we wish existed when we were starting our chocolate factory. | |||
| Chocolate Texture: An Essential Component to Flavor | 30 Aug 2022 | 00:09:10 | |
Dylan explains why texture is so important to a chocolate's flavor and how various refining techniques can effect texture. | |||
| The Importance of Chocolate Festivals | ft. Patrick Walter | 18 Aug 2022 | 00:16:12 | |
We sat down with Patrick Walter from Choco Del Sol to learn about the Eurobean Chocolate Festival that he hosts each year in Saxony, Germany. • Follow us for more chocolate content @manoachocolate • Learn more about us and try our chocolate here. | |||
| Witches' Broom: The Disease That Decimated Brazil's Cacao Industry | ft. Tuta Aquino | 18 Aug 2022 | 00:12:51 | |
This interview with Tuta Aquino took place one year ago on his farm in Bahia, Brazil. Tuta and his wife Juliana's families have been farming cacao in Bahia for generations. Tuta provides some history of cacao in Brazil and the disease that wiped out roughly 90% of Brazil's cacao growing industry. • Follow us for more chocolate content @manoachocolate • Learn more about us and try our chocolate here. | |||
| Cacao Economics in the Dominican Republic | ft. Greg D'Alesandre | 19 Jul 2022 | 00:15:35 | |
Dylan and Greg discuss how the Dominican Republic has succeeded in becoming a successful producer of cacao, highlighting their Hispaniola vs Sanchez model of grading beans. • Follow us for more chocolate content @manoachocolate • Learn more about us and try our chocolate here. | |||
| Cacao Fruit Tasting | ft. Chuck Kerchner & Greg D'Alesandre | 28 May 2022 | 00:11:19 | |
For this episode we're tasting the fruit from four different cacao pods. Here at the Zorzal Cacao Farm in the lush mountains of the Dominican Republic, they grow twelve varietals of cacao, each containing their own unique flavor. Normally, when we discuss flavor based on varietal, we are referring to the dried cacao seeds. In this case we're referring to the juicy pulp surrounding the fresh seed, which also differs in taste depending on its genetics. | |||
| Chocolate Machines, When to Scale, What We Can Learn from Industrial Chocolate + More | ft. Lorenzo Datei of Packint | 28 May 2022 | 00:43:19 | |
Today we're joined by Lorenzo Datei of Packint Chocolate Machines. Lorenzo has a unique perspective of the chocolate world, as he does business with chocolate makers from around the world of all scales and styles. | |||
| How to Keep a Clean Chocolate Factory | ft. Greg D'Alesandre | 28 May 2022 | 00:14:53 | |
Dylan and Greg discuss the most time consuming step in the chocolate making process: cleaning. | |||
| How We Prepare for a New Chocolate Machine | 27 May 2022 | 00:02:57 | |
In this episode we touch on a few essential approaches when prepping a room for a new machine. | |||
| How to Build a Chocolate Cellar | 22 Jan 2022 | 00:07:06 | |
Learn how we've navigated chocolate storage over the last 10 years. There's more to it than you might think... • Follow us for more chocolate content @manoachocolate | |||
| Tasting Chocolate For a Living - Dandelion's Scientific Approach to Flavor Analysis | 22 Nov 2021 | 00:32:47 | |
A Bean-to-Bar Podcast exclusive! During a visit to San Francisco Dylan sat down with Karen Cogan, Flavor Manager at Dandelion Chocolate to learn about their scientific approach to flavor analysis. • Follow us for more chocolate content @manoachocolate | |||
| The Best Places to Start a Chocolate Factory | 27 Jul 2021 | 00:10:27 | |
There are two main factors to consider when deciding on a location for your factory; urban or rural? Whether you’re in a busy city or in the middle of farm land each location comes with pros and cons. At the end of the day it’s the type of business you want to run that will dictate where to go. Do you want to focus on retailing or wholesaling? Dylan covers what has worked for Manoa Chocolate over the years, as well as highlighting other chocolate companies’ approach to choosing a location. • Follow us for more chocolate content @manoachocolate | |||
| The Business of Chocolate: 3 Year Projections | 19 Jul 2021 | 00:40:16 | |
We recommend consuming this episode in video form, as it will be easier to follow along through visuals. We have our 3 Year Projections Document that you can download through the description in the video description on our youtube channel. This way you can have the numbers in front of you as Dylan covers each line item on the document. With that said if you prefer the audio form you will still benefit from listening. | |||
| Our Chocolate Factory's Formula for Success | 15 Jun 2021 | 00:11:01 | |
The beginnings of Manoa Chocolate were rough. 14 hour days, running out of money, endless equipment issues, crazy inefficiencies, and more. We learned as we went, and year after year we managed to survive, grow, and eventually thrive. Now, over a decade in, we're able to look back at those first years and know what we should have done differently. In this episode Dylan lays out a formula for success that we believe should be followed for a craft chocolate endeavor. We hope you learn from our mistakes and grow a chocolate company with less stress and more fun! You can watch the video version of this podcast here! | |||
| Cacao Wine? | 02 Jun 2021 | 00:06:57 | |
It's been a long time coming and we're very excited to finally have in our possession our first ever batch of Mānoa Cacao Wine. In this episode Dylan explains the story and process behind this new product made from the juice of cacao fruit. • Follow us for more chocolate content @manoachocolate | |||
| Tempering Chocolate: Equipment, Techniques, Struggles, Experiments, Lessons Learned + More | ft. Greg D'Alesandre | 19 May 2021 | 00:24:44 | |
In this episode we go deep into the nuanced world of tempering. Dylan and co-host Greg D'Alesandre (@gdalesandre) share their experiences and knowledge into what is likely the most challenging step in the entire bean-to-bar process. Watch the video version of this podcast on Craft Chocolate TV. | |||
| Nature Conservation through Cacao, The Future of Our Industry, Healthy Chocolate Business Models, Our Direct Trade Relationships, + More with Chuck Kerchner & Greg D'Alesandre | 29 Apr 2021 | 01:11:46 | |
Today we have special guest Chuck Kerchner of Zorzal Cacao. His cacao farm is unique from the rest as it funds nature conservation through the sale of fine cacao. | |||
| The World of Chocolate Bar Molds: companies we've worked with, pricing, design advice, + more | 22 Apr 2021 | 00:08:37 | |
Take a deep dive into the world of chocolate bar molds. Dylan covers companies we've worked with, pricing, design advice, and mistakes we've had to learn the hard way! Watch the video version of this podcast here. | |||
| The Sugar in Your Chocolate | ft. Greg D'Alesandre | 16 Mar 2021 | 00:29:06 | |
In today's episode we are joined once again by co-owner of Dandelion Chocolate, Greg D'Alesandre (@gdalesadre on instagram) to discuss the sugar we use, and don't use in our chocolate. Watch the video version of this podcast on Craft Chocolate TV. | |||