Elmer Pineda of Yojoa Chocolate in Honduras

Elmer Pineda and his family grow cacao and make tree to bar chocolate in the mountains of Honduras. Taking their company name from the Volcanic crater lake where their chocolate factory is located, Yojoa Chocolate makes classic two-ingredient bars, as well as a range of inclusion bars that celebrate the agricultural bounty of their corner of the world. When I connected with Elmer over Zoom recently, a tropical rain storm was drenching his property, and you might even be able to hear it in our conversation. In this interview we talk about the background of Yojoa Chocolate and their cacao farm, the natural landscape that provides so much flavor and inspiration to Yojoa’s bars, the importance of not only fermentation but carefully controlled drying in flavor formation, and some of Yojoa’s unique inclusion bars, like Espresso and Anis Avocado. You can learn more about Yojoa on their website or their Instagram.Episode timeline (approximate):2:00 - Introduction3:30 - Yojoa summary and background10:10 - Local microclimate13:50 - The power of tree to bar18:05 - Fermentation and drying25:40 - Espresso bar29:05 - Anis Avocado bar33:30 - Whisky Barrel bar39:25 - Packaging and artwork40:40 - The story Yojoa is telling Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterestSign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.