In this episode, Mark Gerrits, founder and chocolatier of the award-winning bean-to-bar Obolo Chocolate based in Santiago, Chile, joins Liz to discuss cacao as an agricultural product and the artistic science of chocolate making. After years of working in conservation in Latin America, Mark took his knowledge of natural sustainability to focus on the terroir of cacao in the context of making chocolate. Mark works exclusively with a cacao cooperative in Pangoa, Peru in the ‘Cradle of Cacao’ – the Peruvian Amazon – where 60% of genetic diversity in cacao can be found. His passion for his craft and for the amazingly high quality of cacao is obvious in his B-corp certified products at Obolo. In this informative, inspirational interview, Mark gives us many insights and tips to learn about chocolate, enlightens us about the chocolate making process, and also shares his long-term mission to change the chocolate culture in Chile and raise awareness of bean-to-bar well beyond borders.
In this episode we talk about:
• The origin of cacao in South America and cradle in Peru
• The beginnings of Obolo Chocolate and how Mark got the project off the ground
• Why he only sources his beans from one organic coop in Peru
• The art of chocolate making and what constitutes chocolate ‘terroir’
• What really is bean-to-bar chocolate?
• Obolo Chocolate’s impact on communities and commitment to sustainability
• How to store and how to pair chocolate from stouts to red wine
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