### **Timing and Links to Watch & Comment** 🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Tuesday, October 6th, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook * * * ## **Episode 236** A couple of weeks ago, someone in Instagram contacted me about a new ceremonial cacao initiative: Certified Ceremonial Cacao. Certified Ceremonial Cacao® HomeCertified Ceremonial Cacao® is the world’s first legally registered certification to protect the sale of cacao that’s grown and prepared in places of pre-Columbian cacao history.CERTIFIED CEREMONIAL CACAO Regular viewers of PodSaveChocolate will know of some of my recent coverage of ceremonial cacao, specifically debunking Maïa and Naturalistico. UPDATED: Is Maïa Ceremonial Cacao a Scam? | #PSC 179Episode 179 of PodSaveChocolate examines the health claims made about and for Maïa’s “#Ceremonial Cacao.” Are they believable? Should you trust them? Why – or why not? [Updated to add FREE downloadable PDF eBook.]The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Maïa Certification: The Newest Ceremonial Cacao Scam | #PSC 225OVERVIEW: At the request of a friend of TheChocolateLife, Episode 225 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look at a Certified Ceremonial Cacao Guide course offered by the US company, Naturalistico. Is it on the up and up? What is being certified … and what are the benefits of certification?The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Naturalistico > This episode will **_not_** be a debunking. Rather, it’s a conidered examination for what the certifications claims are – and what is **_not_** being claimed. > The TL;DR: This effort appears to be an earnest, honest effort to provide clarity to a segment of the market that is clouded by conflicting claims and, unfortunately, populated by some (to me) less-than-honest actors. In this episode I will discuss: * What is a “certification” trademark and how do they differ from regular trademarks? * **Who** is behind the certification * **What** they are trying to do * **Who** it applies to (who can be certified, and where) * **How much** certification will cost, and * **How and why** it’s important to read closely To prepare for this episode I read the Certified Ceremonial Cacao website carefully (several times over a week) comparing what is on the home page with what is on the FAQ, Certified Products, and Blog pages. I also examined relevant USPTO and IRS documents. Finally, I reached out to the founder with a set of questions I had after that research. > The answers to my questions demonstrated an openness and willingness to engage, as well as exposing the care and thought given to the issues at hand. That does not mean I don’t have more questions – but I don’t sell ceremonial cacao products. So, I will raise some questions that I think need more complete answers that – if you’re interested in this certification – you will want answers to before you apply. * * * ### **Future Episodes** 🗓️ I am traveling from Oct 7 -14, so there will be no episode of PodSaveChocolate on October 9th and 13th. 🗓️ No future episodes were scheduled at the time of publication. * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). #TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. * * *

### **Timing and Links to Watch & Comment** 🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Friday, October 2nd, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook ## **Episode 235 Overview** This episode of #PodSaveChocolate takes a _critical_ look at a MrBeast video with over 85 million views in 12 days. (Note: MrBeast’s YT channel has 513 million subscribers.) The title of the video is **_I Built A City To Save Kids from Illegal Labor_**. Key elements of that statement will be evaluated and placed within the much larger context of what the scale of the problem Jimmy is attempting to solve. The TL;DR: Hot Take: > What MrBeast’s enterprise built is a school with teacher housing, not a city – not even a village – and _nothing_ like what the video thumbnail implies. > > The model for rescuing 1.5 million children from illegal child labor (MrBeast Announces Feastables Strategy to Eradicate Child Labor in the Cocoa Industry in West Africa) is not scalable. > > The real work is price, monitoring (CLMRS), and meals, co-funded and operated by uncredited partners … **and made possible by the Big Chocolate supply chain it attacks.** * * * ## **Before I Begin** A ChocolateLife Premium member I corresponded with (before I committed to doing this episode) asked why I was so skeptical about Mr Beast’s efforts in this area; shouldn’t I cut Jimmy some slack for raising awareness of the issue of illegal child labor in cocoa in W Africa? That’s a fair question. Some thoughts. 1. **Timing.** The video was published on September 19th, the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the Harkin-Engel Protocol. I don’t see this as a coincidence. 2. **Barry Callebaut** is likely the (undisclosed) company that transforms the Tony’s Open Chain beans into chocolate. BC is one of the original signatories to Harkin-Engel. 3. The **International Cocoa Initiative** (“ICI”), a Feastables partner, was created by industry in response to Harkin-Engel to eradicate “the worst forms of child labor” in cocoa by 2005. The ICI originated the CLMRS that Feastables points to. 4. **Fairtrade International** is a part of the “certification industrial complex” that relies on the problem’s continued existence to maintain relevance and justify its own existence. 5. Tony’s Open Chain is anything _but_ open. Feastables is inseparable from Tony’s and relies on their goodwill as the basis for their own. > The actors above have all been complicit in the industry’s failure to fix the child labor problems they committed to (in one way or another) and/or were founded to fix. > > Yet, here they are, anchoring the claims made for why Mr Beast should be trusted to fix the problem. However – * **The model fails** immediately under even moderately close examination (which Jimmy knows his followers will **_not_** do). As promoted, the scheme **_cannot_** scale and it does not address fundamental issues, such as climate-change driven by deforestation, and it does not account for the replacement cost of labor. * **Feastables** stands to gain much, _much_ more than cocoa farmers in W Africa do. * * * ## **Themes I Examined** ### **What _is_ actually being built?** What is being built is **_not_** a city, or even a village. It’s a school campus with teacher housing and shared services, built on a field next to an existing community in Ghana. What | Detail | Who it serves ---|---|--- School | 10 classrooms, fans, electricity, desks, library; "over 300" students (325 in the old building) | Children Houses | 10, furnished, rooftop solar, given "100% free" (legal title unclear) | Teachers relocated to the site Water | Solar-pumped wells, two tower tanks, piped to homes | Village Power | Off-grid solar, solar streetlights | Village Drainage | Two 4 ft culverts replacing a 3 ft pipe at the river crossing | Access between the two halves of the community Food | Farm, irrigation, fish tanks (aquaponics), chicken coop (~120 eggs/day) | Community Community center | Library, medical center | Community Market, toilets, football field, playground | — | Community ### **Other themes:** 1. **Who is footing the bill?** 2. **What are the long-term maintenance and support commitment?** 3. **Who is currently manufacturing Feastables chocolate?** _This is unclear, but needs to be – the entire supply chain should be made public._ As a Tony’s Open Chain partner it is possible that the chocolate is being manufactured by Barry Callebaut at its factory in Wieze, Belgium and shipped to processing partners in the US and EU that deposit and wrap the bars. Previously, Feastables sourced their cocoa in Peru and the manufacturer was Machu Picchu Foods (Lima). 4. **How does this scale (can it scale?) from 300 to 1.5 million children?** 5. **What the video _doesn’t_ say** 6. **Press credulity** ### **Following the money** 1. The biggest winner (of the video) is the Feastables brand. A ~$10M project became a video that got 81M+ views in its first eleven days and ends with “go get a Feastables bar” to support this cause. 2. Next come the institutions that bought reach to MrBeast’s audience. 3. The cocoa farmers the story is about get the least **_new_** money. * **Beneficiary:** MrBeast / Beast Industries / Feastables * **ROI:** High, indirect. A long-form brand film for Mr Beast’s most profitable unit ($250M sales and $20M+ profit in 2024, while the media division lost ~$80M). Plus undisclosed ad revenue and sponsor fees (e.g., NeuroGum). * **Goodwill:** “My most impactful video ever” * **Other benefits:** Casts Feastables as an (the?) ethical alternative to “Big Chocolate”; answers past supply-chain criticism; supports a ~$5B valuation. **How the loop works:** 1. Fans buy Feastables. (Chocolate _is_ the profitable business.) 2. Profits and partner money fund a spectacle video. The ~$10M headline is 2.5–3× what a typical main-channel video costs ($3–4M), a _nd this amount also appears to include the cost of construction._ 3. The video earns ads and a sponsor fee, and closes by telling viewers to buy Feastables. 4. Partners buy credit and reach. The brand buys an ethical story it can’t get from paid ads. 5. The farmers’ gain depends on tonnes bought, not views. That link is one the video doesn’t talk about. **Some questions for Jimmy:** 1. Who contacted whom, first? Did MrBeast contact Tony’s Open Chain or did Tony’s contact MrBeast – and when? And how long before serious discussions began? 2. Who actually transforms the beans into chocolate? Where? 3. Did the video’s ad revenue go to Beast Philanthropy or to Beast Industries? (Could affect tax reporting.) 4. Was the $10M booked as charity, marketing, or content production? 5. What did NeuroGum pay for the ad placement? ### **More Painful Financial Facts** To be disclosed during the episode – and updated here, after. * * * ### **Related Episodes** Harkin-Engel at 25 | #PSC 232OVERVIEW: Episode 232 of #PodSaveChocolate explores twenty-five years of progress (lack thereof?) in eradicating illegal labor – including slavery – from cocoa. What’s standing in the way? [updated]The Chocolate LifeClay GordonExamining Tony’s Open Chain: Is This a Good Use of AI? | #PodSaveChocolate Ep 126Episode 126 of #PodSaveChocolate features an exploration of using Gemini to summarize Tony’s Open Chain Report for the 2023-2024 reporting year. Is this a good use of AI? What can we learn from Gemini’s analysis? What are the limits? Is anything missing? Can Gemini be trusted? [updated]The Chocolate LifeClay GordonExploring Tony’s “Open” Chain | #PodSaveChocolate Ep 124Episode 124 of #PodSaveChocolate is an exploration of Tony’s Open Chain, searching for answers to, among other questions, “How ‘Open’ is Open?”The Chocolate LifeClay GordonThe 2025 Chocolate Scorecard & Tony’s “Fair” Report | #PodSaveChocolate Ep 114Episode 114 of #PodSaveChocolate features a discussion of two recurring topics: The Chocolate Scorecard (released just in time for Easter), and the most recent “Fair” Report from Tony’s Chocolonely. [ Updated ]The Chocolate LifeClay GordonTheChocolateLifeLIVE | Proposed: IS Tony’s Chocolonely a Force for Good in the World?Episode 121 of #TheChocolateLifeLIVE is LIVE from 10:00 AM PDT / 1:00 PM EDT on Fri, July 7th.The Chocolate LifeTheChocolateWireTheChocolateLife::LIVE – Does Ben+Jerry+Tony = Greenwashing?OR: The Good, The Bad, & The Greenwashing! Episode 56 streams live on Friday, Sep 2nd from 12:00 EDT and is a continuation of the discussions about what chocolate is…The Chocolate LifeTheChocolateWireTaking a(nother Small) Bite Out of Tony’sTilting at Windmills? Part 2 in a multi-part series examining the fallout from Tony’s Sweet Solutions campaign.The Chocolate LifeClay GordonFour Bars Too Far?Their new campaign has many people asking ... WTF were they thinking?The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon * * * ### **Future Episodes** 🗓️ Tuesday, October 6 ****Hot Take:**** The new “Certified Ceremonial Cacao” certification. * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #MrBeast #Feastables #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). #TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. * * *

### **Timing and Links to Watch & Comment** 🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Friday, September 25th, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook * * * ## **Episode 234** If you’ve been following PodSaveChocolate and TheChocolateLife::LIVE, you know I think about flavor a lot. Most recently my thoughts are part of a larger research effort to understand how chocolate is classified compared with beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cheese. (In this grouping, chocolate and cheese are the most alike.) > I have become increasingly convinced that one thing holding chocolate appreciation and connoisseurship back is that there is no widely accepted framework for thinking about chocolate flavor that is based on first principles. Many of the popular approaches to visualizing taste have been influenced by the wine wheel introduced by Ann Noble in 1984. Beer, spirits, and cheese (not shown here) and coffee and chocolate (shown in this post) have built visualizations from the wine foundation. I will be exploring the OG wine flavor classification “mistakes” and how they have been replicated across other domains, as I taste four chocolate bars: 1. Wildwood Chocolate’s Fennel Pollen Caramel 2. Manoa Chocolate’s Manakō Mango (from the _Flavors of Hawai'i_ series) 3. Dandelion Chocolate’s 70% Zorzal Comunitario 4. And ... the _just_ released Askinosie 65% Dark + Sichuan Chili Oil collaBARation with Fly By Jing. > The first three bars are available at a local bakery; the Askinosie was sent to me. I will not have tasted any of these bars in advance of the episode. * * * ### **Representative Wheels – Flavor Viz Falling Short** [L]: Wine flavor wheel. [R]: Specialty Coffee Association flavor wheel. Cocoa of Excellence current wheel and how how it is used in judging. Hidden Persuaders__in Cocoa and Chocolate__ was launched in February 2018. [L]: For professionals. [R]: For consumers. [L]: Chocolatras chocolate flavor wheel; [R] beanstalkr flavor wheel. * * * ### **Alternatives to Wheels** How the IICCT visualizes flavors. [L]: Positive flavor attributes. [C] The bridge from chemistry to experience and association. [R]: Another take entirely. * * * ### **Recent Related Episodes** Visualizing Flavor | #PSC 220OVERVIEW: Episode 220 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look at flavor visualizations, how they may influence the way flavors are perceived, and more. Are some presentation formats better than others? Should some entire approaches be deprecated? [updated]The Chocolate LifeClay GordonUpdated: Chocolate Education, Evaluation & Competition Judging | #PSC 218OVERVIEW: Episode 218 of #PodSaveChocolate takes an in-depth look at the IICCT and ICAs through the lens of educating people about chocolate, evaluating chocolate, and judging competitions, in comparison with beer and other beverages and foods. [ Updated to include commentary/notes. ]The Chocolate LifeClay GordonBefore the Judging Can Begin | #PSC 217OVERVIEW: Episode 217 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look at typology, classification, and taxonomy – and how the lack of a formal, consistent, and defensible vocabulary is a gaping hole in how chocolate is taught and judged. Then ... what can be done to address the challenges?The Chocolate LifeClay GordonEvaluating Chocolate: the What, the Why, and the How | #PSC 215OVERVIEW: Episode 215 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look back, and forward, at how chocolate is evaluated – and asks the question, “Have we been doing it wrong all these years?”The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ### **Future Episodes** 🗓️ Tuesday, September 29th ****First Look @**** the recently announced****Certified Ceremonial Cacao**** certification. * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). #TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. * * *

### **Timing and Links to Watch & Comment** 🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Friday, September 25th, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook * * * ## **Episode 234** If you’ve been following PodSaveChocolate and TheChocolateLife::LIVE, you know I think about flavor a lot. Most recently my thoughts are part of a larger research effort to understand how chocolate is classified compared with beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cheese. (In this grouping, chocolate and cheese are the most alike.) > I have become increasingly convinced that one thing holding chocolate appreciation and connoisseurship back is that there is no widely accepted framework for thinking about chocolate flavor that is based on first principles. Many of the popular approaches to visualizing taste have been influenced by the wine wheel introduced by Ann Noble in 1984. Beer, spirits, and cheese (not shown here) and coffee and chocolate (shown in this post) have built visualizations from the wine foundation. I will be exploring the OG wine flavor classification “mistakes” and how they have been replicated across other domains, as I taste four chocolate bars: 1. Wildwood Chocolate’s Fennel Pollen Caramel 2. Manoa Chocolate’s Manakō Mango (from the _Flavors of Hawai'i_ series) 3. Dandelion Chocolate’s 70% Zorzal Comunitario 4. And ... the _just_ released Askinosie 65% Dark + Sichuan Chili Oil collaBARation with Fly By Jing. > The first three bars are available at a local bakery; the Askinosie was sent to me. I will not have tasted any of these bars in advance of the episode. * * * ### **Representative Wheels – Flavor Viz Falling Short** [L]: Wine flavor wheel. [R]: Specialty Coffee Association flavor wheel. Cocoa of Excellence current wheel and how how it is used in judging. Hidden Persuaders__in Cocoa and Chocolate__ was launched in February 2018. [L]: For professionals. [R]: For consumers. [L]: Chocolatras chocolate flavor wheel; [R] beanstalkr flavor wheel. * * * ### **Alternatives to Wheels** How the IICCT visualizes flavors. [L]: Positive flavor attributes. [C] The bridge from chemistry to experience and association. [R]: Another take entirely. * * * ### **Recent Related Episodes** Visualizing Flavor | #PSC 220OVERVIEW: Episode 220 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look at flavor visualizations, how they may influence the way flavors are perceived, and more. Are some presentation formats better than others? Should some entire approaches be deprecated? [updated]The Chocolate LifeClay GordonUpdated: Chocolate Education, Evaluation & Competition Judging | #PSC 218OVERVIEW: Episode 218 of #PodSaveChocolate takes an in-depth look at the IICCT and ICAs through the lens of educating people about chocolate, evaluating chocolate, and judging competitions, in comparison with beer and other beverages and foods. [ Updated to include commentary/notes. ]The Chocolate LifeClay GordonBefore the Judging Can Begin | #PSC 217OVERVIEW: Episode 217 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look at typology, classification, and taxonomy – and how the lack of a formal, consistent, and defensible vocabulary is a gaping hole in how chocolate is taught and judged. Then ... what can be done to address the challenges?The Chocolate LifeClay GordonEvaluating Chocolate: the What, the Why, and the How | #PSC 215OVERVIEW: Episode 215 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look back, and forward, at how chocolate is evaluated – and asks the question, “Have we been doing it wrong all these years?”The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ### **Future Episodes** 🗓️ Tuesday, September 29th ****First Look @**** the recently announced****Certified Ceremonial Cacao**** certification. * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). #TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. * * *

🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Friday, September 18th, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook * * * ## **Episode 232** In September 2001, under threat of a congressional bill, the CEOs of major US chocolate companies signed **the Harkin-Engel Protocol** , promising industry-wide standards to eliminate the worst forms of child labor in cocoa by July 1, 2005. > One nuance missed by many: The Harkin-Engel Protocol _was**never** codified into federal law or regulation;_ it’s a voluntary joint statement signed by industry representatives, Senator Harkin, and Representative Engel on September 19th, 2001, and it lives in the private/NGO archival space, not in federal code. The full name of the Protocol is: “PROTOCOL FOR THE GROWING AND PROCESSING OF COCOA BEANS AND THEIR DERIVATIVE PRODUCTS IN A MANNER THAT COMPLIES WITH ILO CONVENTION 182 CONCERNING THE PROHIBITION AND IMMEDIATE ACTION FOR THE ELIMINATION OF THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR,” and it is memorialized on Chocolate Manufacturers Association (“CMA”) letterhead. > The National Confectionery Association (NCA) and the Chocolate Manufacturers Association (CMA) merged in 2007. **Signatories and witnesses to the protocol include:** The Chocolate Manufacturers Association; the World Cocoa Foundation; Senator Tom Harkin; Senator Herbert Kohl; Congressman Eliot Engel; Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba (Embassy of the Ivory Coast); Mr. Frans Roselaers, Director, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour [IPEC], International Labor Organization (ILO); Ron Oswald, General Secretary, International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUI); Kevin Bales, Executive Director, Free The Slaves; Linda Golodner, President, National Consumers League; Darlene Adkins, National Coordinator, The Child Labor Coalition; Guittard; Mars; World’s Finest Chocolate; Archer Daniels Midland (ADM); Nestlé (USA); Blommer; Hershey; and Barry Callebaut AG. The “as close to an official version as appears to exist” is hosted by the International Cocoa Initiative (“ICI”), the organization that grew directly out of the Protocol’s oversight mechanism, at the link below. Harkin Engel ProtocolIn September 2001, chocolate and cocoa industry representatives signed an agreement, developed in partnership with Senator Tom Harkin and Representative Eliot Engel, to eliminate the worst forms of child labour in the growing and processing of cocoa beans and their derivative products wherever cocoa is grown.ICI Cocoa Initiative In 2010, a Framework of Action to Support Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol was agreed to. > The “as close to an official version as appears to exist” contains a duplicate page for some reason. Harkin–Engel Protocol - WikipediaWikimedia Foundation, Inc.Contributors to Wikimedia projects ### **Some History** The 2005 deadline was missed. So was the next one, in 2008. So was the one after that, in 2010. _In 2010 the industry didn’t just extend the deadline, they quietly moved the goalposts: from eliminating child labor entirely to reducing the worst forms of it by 70% by 2020._ Which deadline they _also_ missed. 🗞️ What independent sources report * The National Opinion Research Center (“NORC”) at the University of Chicago ran the largest-ever survey of the sector for the U.S. Department of Labor. Their October 2020 brief states plainly: from 2008/09 to 2018/19, cocoa production in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana rose 62%, and during that period, child labor rose 14%, and hazardous child labor rose 13%. NORC: Child Labor in Cocoa Production in Côte d'Ivoire & Ghana * An investigation published in the Washington Post in 2019 added a traceability angle: at the time, Mars could trace only 24% of its cocoa to farms, Hershey less than half, Nestlé 49%. Its framing of the two-decade record: "Hershey, Nestle and Mars broke their pledges to end child labor in chocolate production." 1) Washington Post, 2019 2) Washington Post, October 2020: Child labor on the rise in cocoa industry despite years of company promises to stop it 🏭 ****The companies’ own words, now**** The **National Confectioners Association** (NCA) supports the Harkin-Engel Protocol, which aims to eliminate child labor in cocoa production. They advocate for responsible sourcing and transparency in the chocolate supply chain to ensure ethical practices. NCA also promotes initiatives that align with these goals. **Hershey**(current sustainability page): “We aim to eliminate child labor in our supply chain by working with governments, suppliers and farming communities to prevent and remediate issues.” Backed by a ‘12-year, $500 million investment,’ with 105,099 farmers supported as of its 2024 RBR report. Hershey: Cocoa **Mars**(Cocoa for Generations page): “Our goal by 2025: Through our suppliers, to implement robust child labor and forced labor monitoring and remediation systems for 100% of at-risk families in our cocoa supply chains.” Mars also estimated it would need to reach “more than 150,000 cocoa farming households with an estimated 500,000 children.” Mars: Responsible Cocoa Today **Nestlé USA** (FAQ page): “By 2025, we are committed to be able to trace all cocoa back to a specific group of farms and ensure 100% of the cocoa we use is sourced within our sustainability cocoa program.” The FAQs also state that roughly 128,000 children have been “protected against the risk of child labor since 2012.” Nestlé USA: How is Nestlé tackling child labor risk? * All of the “by 2025” pledges are past due. * It’s September 2026 and I could not find a single company statement confirming whether Mars, Hershey, or Nestlé actually hit their 2025 traceability or CLMRS coverage targets. * * * ### **Guests in the live stream** Charity Ryerson**–** Founder/Executive Director, Corporate Accountability Lab Corporate Accountability LabCorporate Accountability LabCorporate Accountability LabHome Corporate Accountability Lab on LinkedIn. IRAadvocatesIRAadvocates Terry Collingsworth, the Executive Director of IRA, was originally scheduled to appear but a conflict makes that impossible. Charity Ryerson of Corporate Accountability Lab will appear in Terry’s stead. **Miki Mistrati** – Producer/Filmmaker Harkin-Engel at 25Share your videos with friends, family, and the worldYouTube A ****playlist**** of three videos produced by Miki Mistrati (__The Dark Side of Chocolate, Shady Chocolate, and The Chocolate War__), and our interview. More videos by and about Miki on YouTube. > The DP for _The Dark Side of Chocolate_ was U. Roberto (Robin) Romano, who is also known for the documentary **_The Harvest_** (la Cosecha), which was released in 2010. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Robin before his passing in 2013. **Bright Adjei Debrah** – Founder, ICRAWE (Ghana) Imperial Child Right And Women EmpowermentImperial Child Right And Women Empowerment. 179 likes. I.C.R.A.W.E is a registered not for profit organization in Ghana, 1. To promote and protect the dignity of women and children in Cocoa growing…Facebook Podcast guest Bright Adjei Debrah is a founder of ICRAWE. * * * ### **Featured Image** The photo is believed to be from the late 1800’s, at a cocoa plantation whose location was not recorded. It’s unknown if the image is of workers after the abolition of slavery in the colonies, or if the people picture are indeed (still) slaves. [L] Original; [R] After editing. Although some changes are very subtle, by the use of a calculated 3D map I was able to change the lighting in the scene to add an illusion of depth that is not in the original. * * * ### **Future Episodes** 🗓️ ****Tentatively 9/22**** Change.org / FDA Citizen petition 🗓️ ****Friday, September 25th 11:30 am – 1:00 pm**** Monthly member AMA call (link in the September member newsletter). * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). #TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. * * *

🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Tuesday, September 8th, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook 🗓️ The ****September Member AMA**** call is scheduled for Friday the 25th, beginning at 11:30 am PDT/MST following PodSaveChocolate. The link to participate can be found in the September member newsletter. Share this post! * * * ## **Episode 231 Overview** In this episode: **_Chocolate News that’s Fit to Eat™_** for September 2026. 💡 People participating live can ****Ask Me Anything**** __in the chat at any point during the episode.__(*As long as it’s about chocolate or cocoa.) ### **The Ongoing Saga of the Cost of Cocoa** **MARKETS** --- Barchart.com Futures Prices / Futures Overview Trading Economics Chart TradingCharts.com 1977 Baseline ICCO Pricing Stats Check out the September Member newsletter for more about the Learning Curve visualization. TCL Weekly Chocolate News Brief: August 30 – September 6The TCL Weekly Chocolate News Brief is a membership benefit for all Premium (paid) members of TheChocolateLife.The Chocolate LifeTheChocolateWire **_Highlight_ : Ivory Coast holds cocoa farmgate price at $2.12/kg for the 2026/27 season.** Abidjan's agriculture minister confirmed the price stays at 1,200 CFA francs per kilogram, **_well off last year’s record 2,800 CFA francs_** , as global cocoa prices keep softening from their 2024 peak. Ghana is expected to match it. ### **More Headlines** * Women and Youth Must Shape Cocoa’s Future, CAA Farmer Forum Hears**. (CocoaRadar)** The ‘Invisible No More’ discussion followed a presentation on the second edition of the International Farmers Network Forum. It was moderated by Selene Scotton, Group Cocoa Sustainability Manager at Puratos. Panelists were Fay Fay Choo, Asia director for cocoa sustainable sourcing at Mars; Cheok Mei-Ing, director of partnerships development for supply chains at Save the Children Federation; and Louise Mabulo, founder of The Cacao Project in the Philippines. **Questions to consider:** Who are the panelists and what are their positions? Why is there no mention of any “women and youth” cocoa farmers on the panel? ### **Another Story** Is CCN-51 a #GMO? Wrong Question, Right Problem. | #PSC 230OVERVIEW: Episode 230 was inspired by comments on an Instagram post conflating CCN-51 as a GMO with agroforestry practices. 1) Is CCN-51 a #GMO and 2) How does being a GMO (or not) connect to agricultural, farmer incomes, and related topics? [ examples updated ]The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon What I am _****NOT****_ saying about GMOs. * * * 25th Anniversary Lifetime Membership offer ****I began my career**** as a professional chocolate critic, journalist, consultant, and educator in mid-May 2001. ****That means**** I am celebrating my 25th anniversary as a professional chocolate critic, journalist, consultant, and educator in 2026. To help me celebrate, I hope you will consider becoming a _****Lifetime****_ Member! ****This updated special offer is available through December 31, 2026.**** Learn More About Lifetime Membership! ### **Op Ed** **El Niño Didn’t Wreck the 2026/27 Cocoa Harvest: Five Decades of Underinvestment Did.** **TL;DR:** Ghana’s cocoa board is warning of a harvest drop approaching 40 percent, and the trade press has settled on El Niño as the explanation. > The weather is real. The surprise is not. Researchers have been able to forecast El Niño’s effect on cacao yields up to two years out since at least 2021. The bigger story is what producing countries and “Big Chocolate” did with that lead time. > **Spoiler Alert: Not nearly enough.** Ghana’s Cocoa Marketing Company says the 2026/27 crop could fall 18 to 38 percent, and its own managing director points to old trees, disease, and a pollination failure they call unprecedented in two decades, layered on top of El Niño-linked rainfall. Futures have roughly doubled since March. > The market is treating this as a shock. It should not be. A 2021 study in _Scientific Reports_ , using a decade of Indonesian farm data, found that ENSO phases predict up to 75 percent of the variation in cacao yields, with a lead time of up to 25 months. If a research team could see this coming half a decade ago using machine learning, _so could every sourcing department holding multi-year contracts with these same farmers or marketing boards._ > ENSO stands for El Niño–Southern Oscillation. It’s the umbrella term climatologists use for the whole recurring pattern of sea-surface temperature and atmospheric pressure swings across the tropical Pacific, of which El Niño (the warm phase) and La Niña (the cool phase) are the two ends. The 2021 study was measuring cacao yield variation against the full oscillation, not only its warm-phase episodes. To be fair, the barrier is not only corporate. Smallholders face real constraints: uncertain land tenure, aging leases, and a multi-year income gap during replanting that few can absorb alone. Those are legitimate structural problems. **Which is the point.** Producing-country governments and the companies buying their beans have had two years of forecast and five decades of harvest cycles to fund replanting, extension services, and income support that would have blunted this. _Instead, Ivory Coast just froze its farmgate price, and the industry’s response to shortage has been reformulation, not reinvestment._ “The market” is being sold, again, as the fix: prices rise, supply eventually follows. That story only works if you ignore who absorbs the gap between now and “eventually.” Spoiler Alert: It is **_not_** “Big Chocolate’s” shareholders. * * * ### **Future Episodes** 🗓️ __Friday, September 18th__ ****C0mmem0rating the 25th anniversary of the signing (on Sept 19, 2001) of the Harkin-Engel Protocol**** with confirmed special guests Terry Collingsworth and Miki Mistrati. * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #News #AMA #AskMeAnything #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #craftchocolate #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards, below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon#TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. * * * ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. Premium memberships from $5/month are also available.

🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Friday, September 4th, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook * * * ## **Episode 230** A commenter in an Instagram thread posted: > … mine has been to promote and provide a way to grow agroforestry systems instead of the clear cutting for the GMO type cacao like CCN51. Regenerative agroforestry can provide food and money to farmers while delivering high quality cacao to chocolate makers. I responded, asking: > Why do you think CCN-51 is GMO? It was conventionally bred, not “created” in a lab. To which there was an initial response: > GMO doesn't only mean from a lab it means that it was heavily genetically modified. The organism itself is a great product the tree does what it was bred to do. Castro was looking to breed a variety that would work in a full sun environment. Back then the agricultural movement in Ecuador was trying to come up to speed with other more industrial styles of farming that includes banana, plantain and rice. During that era people thought it was a good idea to turn away from traditional farming practices and start growing in amore conventional style with using pesticides and fertilizers. Well now what has happened is that it has created desertification and has treated the soil poorly. The CCN 51 variety is a result of that way of thinking and they succeeded in creating a variety of cacao that wants to be in full sun. That variety has hard time being used in agroforestry systems, trust me I have tried. Varieties like nacional or criollo do thrive in shaded environments which let's farmers have more of a variety of cultivation like plantains bananas and hard woods. Not entirely relying on the cacao market this creates a more stable income for the farmer and has been working here in Ecuador. Followed by a clarification, about an hour later: > … maybe using the word GMO isn't the correct usage but the results are that many people cut down their traditional agroforestry systems which were more in balance with the ecology and created other niches for other plants to fill. In turn growing cacao that is happy in semi shaded environments creates a better water cycle system as well as habitats for animals. At the same time creates an incentive to grow a forest rather than a monocrop. In this episode I am going to unpack what’s actually being presented in the comments: * GMO has a real, specific, legal meaning, and CCN-51 does not meet it. * That fact does _not_ settle the actual argument happening in the comments; the commenter is arguing about the wrong word. The real questions are: 1. What motivated Homero Castro to develop CCN-51 _for_ — full-sun tolerance, yield, disease resistance?; 2. How was it developed?; and 3. What growing it does to a farm’s ecology and a farmer’s income. ### **What "GMO" actually means** * **Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety** (the international biosafety treaty most national law traces back to) says: a “living modified organism” requires “modern biotechnology” – _in vitro_ nucleic acid techniques, or cell fusion across taxonomic families to overcome natural reproductive barriers. _The definition explicitly excludes anything achieved through “traditional breeding and selection.”_ * **USDA National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard** : bioengineered food contains genetic material “modified through certain lab techniques” that “cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature.” * Two different regulatory bodies, two different treaties a continent apart, drawing the line in the exact same place. ### **Where CCN-51 fits** * Homero Castro, in Naranjal, Ecuador (in Guayas), was chasing the creation of a cacao variety that would be more resistant to witches’ broom after an outbreak around 1960. * CCN-50s parentage: (IMC-67 × ICS-95) × Oriente 1 – a triple cross, pollinated and propagated using conventional plant breeding techniques. * No lab. Nothing transgenic. No techniques that weren’t available to farmers with a paintbrush and patience a hundred years prior. ### **Wait, that's not a GMO either?** * **Brassicas** : cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi are all one species, _Brassica oleracea_ , reshaped into six different vegetables by selecting for different plant organs over centuries. * **Apples** : Honeycrisp and Cosmic Crisp are ordinary controlled crosses out of university breeding programs, then propagated by grafting because they don't breed true from seed. This is the same clonal logic as cacao, which also does not breed true from seeds. * **Coffee:** Catimor and Sarchimor are crosses of Caturra with Híbrido de Timor, a naturally occurring Arabica-Robusta hybrid found on Timor island. Bred at Portugal’s CIFC starting in the late 1960s for resistance to leaf rust and coffee berry disease, they carry almost the identical reputation CCN-51 has: agronomically necessary, widely trashed for flavor quality. Same tradeoff, same breeding method, same argument, different crop. _If you've ever been annoyed by a Catimor-heavy blend, you already have feelings about this exact issue, you just didn’t have the cacao vocabulary for it yet._ * **Green Revolution wheat and rice** : Norin 10 dwarfing genes bred into wheat by conventional crossing; IR8 “miracle rice” out of IRRI in 1966, Peta crossed with a Taiwanese dwarf variety, Dee-geo-woo-gen. _Tripled yields across Asia. Not a gene splice in sight._ * **Grapefruit.** Ruby Red arose as a spontaneous mutation on a Texas farm in 1929. When the color faded through conventional propagation, breeders hit it with thermal neutron irradiation to bring it back; Star Ruby in 1971, Rio Red in 1985, together about three-quarters of Texas grapefruit production today. That is a more aggressive lab intervention than anything CCN-51 went through, and it is still not regulated as a GMO anywhere, including in the EU. _The divide isn’t “did a human intervene,” it’s “was the intervention gene transfer across a species barrier?”_ ### **The internal critique** * CCN-51 was bred by people trying to drag Ecuadorian cacao into a more industrial, full-sun, chemical-input style of farming, on purpose, as a matter of agricultural policy in that era. * It succeeded. CCN-51 wants full sun. It performs comparartively poorly in agroforestry systems. * Nacional and Criollo are more shade tolerant. Shade tolerance is what lets a farmer interplant plantain, banana, and hardwood alongside cacao instead of relying on one crop. * Interplanting has real, measurable beneifts: diversified income, a functioning water cycle under canopy, habitat for whatever else lives in a working forest instead of a cleared field. * In Ecuador (and Peru, and everywhere CCN-51 is grown), full-sun CCN-51 pushed out agroforestry systems that were already working. In Peru, CCN-51 pulled families out of a **coca** economy that was actively killing people, sometimes within agroforestry systems, sometimes not. Same variety, two different growing conditions, two different verdicts. That’s not a contradiction to paper over, it’s one answer to “is CCN-51 good or bad,” which is that _the variety was never the right unit of analysis_. The farming system it gets dropped into is. * **The critique of CCN-51 was never actually a genetics critique: It’s a land-use and context critique that got grafted onto a quality discussion,** * Calling CCN-51 GMO hands anyone who wants to dismiss the concern a free, technically correct exit: “actually, it’s _not_ (a GMO)” and the conversation ends before it gets anywhere near agroforestry, biodiversity, deforestation, water cycles, or farmer income. * It also flattens a genuinely complicated policy success into a punchline. In Peru, backed by USAID, CCN-51 helped pull more than 40,000 families out of a narco-trafficking economy. That deserves more than dismissing CCN-51 with “GMO bad” or “GMO not real, case closed.” * The land-use argument doesn’t need borrowed weight from a scarier, unrelated word. The land-use argument is strong enough on its own, and it survives fact-checking, which GMO doesn't. > This is the **general** lesson, not just a cacao one: precision in language is what lets the real argument, and the real trade-offs behind it, survive exposure to the full light of fact-checking. ### **In closing…** 1. CCN-51 is not a GMO under any regulatory definition on the books; that fact is not in dispute. 2. CCN-51 is is a variety deliberately bred for a full-sun, industrial-style agricultural philosophy that, in Ecuador, Peru, and elswhere, measurably pushes farmers away from shade-grown agroforestry. 3. The same variety is also the backbone of a coca-substitution program that moved over 40,000 Peruvian families into legal cacao income and cut coca cultivation by 86 percent where it was implemented, while quietly costing Peru its fine-flavor export premium as it spread. > **All three things are true at the same time.** The mistake in the comments that sparked this episode was not the argument, it was the word carrying it – GMO – and that word is too small to carry what’s actually at stake in this conversation. I have long been saying, “Monocultures of ideas are just as bad as mono-cropping.” ### **Call to action** The next time you see GMO used about a crop, _ask the more useful question_ : not “was this engineered,” but, “what was it bred _for_ , what does growing it do to the land, and who's actually cashing the check for the trade-off?” That question travels to coffee, to rice, to grapefruit, to almost anything on a supermarket shelf. * * * ### **Sources** * Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, Article 3 definitions — living modified organism / modern biotechnology * USDA AMS — National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard * PeerJ — Theobroma cacao L. cultivar CCN 51: origin, genetics, and production dynamics * Sweet Maria's Coffee Library — Catimor * Wikipedia — IR8 rice * Genetic Literacy Project — mutation-bred grapefruit * USAID Peru — Alternative Development program archive (families, hectares, sales, loan, and cooperative figures) * TIME — "Drug Lords vs. Chocolate: From Coca to Cacao in Peru" (U.S. investment total, export growth, on-the-ground reporting) * Choices Magazine — "Can Niche Markets for Local Cacao Varieties Benefit Smallholders in Peru and Mexico?" (CCN-51 yield data, fine-flavor classification decline, price premiums) * Cocoa Radar — Peru's cocoa sector export statistics * Cacao Latitudes — "Emancipation from Coca with Cuencas del Huallaga Cacao and Agroforestry" (CCN-51 grown within agroforestry, quality-of-life framing) * * * ### Future Episodes 🗓️ __Friday, September 18th__ ****Celebrating(?) the 25th anniversary of the signing (on Sept 19, 2001) of the Harkin-Engel Protocol**** with confirmed special guests Terry Collingsworth and Miki Mistrati. * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). #TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. * * *

🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Tuesday, September 1st, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook * * * ## **Episode 229** I have published dedicated Reading List posts in the past (search for “Reading List” to find them), as well making book recommendations in dozens of other posts. Most of those recommendations were physical books, and most of those come wrapped up in Amazon Affiliate Links. > Not in this post. Not in this episode. I am going to do something different in this post, which is to recommend some of my “must read” books, articles, and research papers that are difficult to find in physical form. * _What are those must reads?_ * _Why do I think they are must reads?_ * _And, where you can go to download FREE copies for yourself._ * * * ### **Resources** The must reads – and where I found them – will be shown during the episode and added to this page after the live stream ends. Upon reflection, I will recommend at least two physical books that provided interesting and much-needed context to my understanding of the history of chocolate. * * * ### Future Episodes 🗓️ __Friday, September 18th__ ****Celebrating(?) the 25th anniversary of the signing (on Sept 19, 2001) of the Harkin-Engel Protocol**** with confirmed special guests Terry Collingsworth and Miki Mistrati. * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). #TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. * * *

🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Tuesday, September 1st, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook * * * ## **Episode 229** I have published dedicated Reading List posts in the past (search for “Reading List” to find them), as well making book recommendations in dozens of other posts. Most of those recommendations were physical books, and most of those come wrapped up in Amazon Affiliate Links. > Not in this post. Not in this episode. I am going to do something different in this post, which is to recommend some of my “must read” books, articles, and research papers that are difficult to find in physical form. * _What are those must reads?_ * _Why do I think they are must reads?_ * _And, where you can go to download FREE copies for yourself._ * * * ### **Resources** The must reads – and where I found them – will be shown during the episode and added to this page after the live stream ends. Upon reflection, I will recommend at least two physical books that provided interesting and much-needed context to my understanding of the history of chocolate. * * * ### Future Episodes 🗓️ __Friday, September 18th__ ****Celebrating(?) the 25th anniversary of the signing (on Sept 19, 2001) of the Harkin-Engel Protocol**** with confirmed special guests Terry Collingsworth and Miki Mistrati. * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). #TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. * * *

🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Friday, August 28th, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook * * * ## **Episode 228** I asked regular ChocolateLife contributor Keith Ayoob to join me for Episode 226 of PodSaveChocolate because it involved taking a look at recent research on the effects of processing cacao with respect to health outcomes. While I have experience reading research reports and decoding them, understanding medical research reports requires special skills and experience to understand things like, “Was the methodology (study design) sound?” Processed Cacao & Health: Maybe Less ISN’T More | #PSC 226OVERVIEW: Episode 226 of #PodSaveChocolate, with guest contributor Keith Ayoob, takes a look at some new research that questions assertions that processing cacao is always a bad thing.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon As the episode was closing down, Keith mentioned that the medical community has a “Ten Red Flags of Junk Science” communications program – which is the inspiration for this episode. I created my own set of ten “signs” that a health claim you run across on the Internet might be “junk science,” a scam, or both, and that’s what I am going to cover in this episode. > I created a presentation slide deck that I will use for the presentation. After the episode is over I will generate a link on this page so you can download it as a PDF. I created a slide for each of the ten signs. On each slide is a “How It Shows Up” list of points to consider, followed by how a well-known cardiothoracic surgeon cosplaying on the Internet as a nutritionist – Dr Steven Gundry – fits the pattern as a purveyor of junk health claims. I then connect the patterns to recent episodes covering the claims of Layne Kilpatrick and Maïa Ceremonial Cacao. Who the Heck is Layne Kilpatrick? Part 2 of 2 | #PSC 205OVERVIEW: Episode 205 of #PodSaveChocolate deconstructs and debunks the final instalment of Kilpatrick’s fearmongering series demonizing lab-crown cocoa and gene-edited cacao trees. Brandolini and Cervantes would be proud?The Chocolate LifeClay GordonUpdated: Who the Heck is Layne Kilpatrick? Part 1 of 2 | #PSC 203OVERVIEW: Episode 203 of #PodSaveChocolate casts a critical eye on the musings of this struck-off pharmacist and current self-styled hormone doctor and what he has to say about “lab-grown” cocoa and chocolate, and much, much more.The Chocolate LifeClay GordonIs Maïa Ceremonial Cacao a Scam? | #PSC 179Episode 179 of PodSaveChocolate examines the health claims made about and for Maïa’s “#Ceremonial Cacao.” Are they believable? Should you trust them? Why – or why not?The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon * * * ### Future Episodes 🗓️ __Friday, September 18th__ ****Celebrating(?) the 25th anniversary of the signing (on Sept 19, 2001) of the Harkin-Engel Protocol**** with confirmed special guests Terry Collingsworth and Miki Mistrati. * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). #TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. * * *

🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Friday, August 28th, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook * * * ## **Episode 228** I asked regular ChocolateLife contributor Keith Ayoob to join me for Episode 226 of PodSaveChocolate because it involved taking a look at recent research on the effects of processing cacao with respect to health outcomes. While I have experience reading research reports and decoding them, understanding medical research reports requires special skills and experience to understand things like, “Was the methodology (study design) sound?” Processed Cacao & Health: Maybe Less ISN’T More | #PSC 226OVERVIEW: Episode 226 of #PodSaveChocolate, with guest contributor Keith Ayoob, takes a look at some new research that questions assertions that processing cacao is always a bad thing.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon As the episode was closing down, Keith mentioned that the medical community has a “Ten Red Flags of Junk Science” communications program – which is the inspiration for this episode. I created my own set of ten “signs” that a health claim you run across on the Internet might be “junk science,” a scam, or both, and that’s what I am going to cover in this episode. > I created a presentation slide deck that I will use for the presentation. After the episode is over I will generate a link on this page so you can download it as a PDF. I created a slide for each of the ten signs. On each slide is a “How It Shows Up” list of points to consider, followed by how a well-known cardiothoracic surgeon cosplaying on the Internet as a nutritionist – Dr Steven Gundry – fits the pattern as a purveyor of junk health claims. I then connect the patterns to recent episodes covering the claims of Layne Kilpatrick and Maïa Ceremonial Cacao. Who the Heck is Layne Kilpatrick? Part 2 of 2 | #PSC 205OVERVIEW: Episode 205 of #PodSaveChocolate deconstructs and debunks the final instalment of Kilpatrick’s fearmongering series demonizing lab-crown cocoa and gene-edited cacao trees. Brandolini and Cervantes would be proud?The Chocolate LifeClay GordonUpdated: Who the Heck is Layne Kilpatrick? Part 1 of 2 | #PSC 203OVERVIEW: Episode 203 of #PodSaveChocolate casts a critical eye on the musings of this struck-off pharmacist and current self-styled hormone doctor and what he has to say about “lab-grown” cocoa and chocolate, and much, much more.The Chocolate LifeClay GordonIs Maïa Ceremonial Cacao a Scam? | #PSC 179Episode 179 of PodSaveChocolate examines the health claims made about and for Maïa’s “#Ceremonial Cacao.” Are they believable? Should you trust them? Why – or why not?The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon * * * ### Future Episodes 🗓️ __Friday, September 18th__ ****Celebrating(?) the 25th anniversary of the signing (on Sept 19, 2001) of the Harkin-Engel Protocol**** with confirmed special guests Terry Collingsworth and Miki Mistrati. * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). #TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. * * *

🗓️ This stream begins at 10:00 ****MST**** (10:00 P****D**** T, 11:00 M****D**** T, 12:00 C****D**** T, 1:00 pm E****D**** T) on Friday, August 21st, 2026. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the @PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel, like this video, comment, and ****share**** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. Participate/Watch on YouTube This ****LINKEDIN**** link is shareable. Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. Participate/Watch on LinkedIn This ****FACEBOOK**** link is shareable Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page**** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow TheChocolateLife on Facebook to receive notifications and catch up on other content. Participate/Watch on Facebook * * * ## **Episode 227** “Direct trade,” like “bean-to-bar,” and “craft/artisan” is one of those terms that has no one settled definition. But, like most things in chocolate and cocoa, precise definitions **_matter_**. In this episode of PodSaveChocolate we’ll take a stab at arriving at a definition for Direct Trade that covers **_all_** of the essential bases without including concepts that confuse the discussion, making it more difficult to gain broad acceptance. * * * ### Future Episodes 🗓️ __Tuesday, August 25th__ ****Ten Red Flags of Junk Science –**** this is a topic that came up during PSC Ep 226 featuring Keith Ayoob. 🗓️ __Friday, September 18th__ ****Celebrating(?) the 25th anniversary of the signing (on Sept 19, 2001) of the Harkin-Engel Protocol**** with confirmed special guests Terry Collingsworth and Miki Mistrati. * * * ### **Episode Hashtags** #DirectTrade #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife * * * ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). #TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free**** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. * * *

OVERVIEW: Episode 226 of #PodSaveChocolate, with guest contributor Keith Ayoob, takes a look at some new research that questions assertions that processing cacao is always a bad thing.