Ep 50.1: Ning-Geng Ong (Founder, Chocolate Concierge & Culture Cacao)

Part 1 of STIMY's episode with Ning-Geng Ong - a farmer, chocolate marker, flavour fanatic and founder of Chocolate Concierge & Culture Cacao, where he makes incredible single-origin Malaysian chocolate. In this episode, Ning shares his journey from majoring in physics and computer science, to founding a business in chocolate making. In particular, what it is like working with the indigenous community (including stories involving tigers, a durian thief and a murder!).Highlights:2:31: Loving the outdoors (the dangers of being a boy scout!)5:52: Backpacking in Europe6:59: Doing programming work11:53: Diving into the world of fermentation17:37: Why chocolate making stood out21:39: Cocoa seeds taste like.. Unicorn milk?!24:26: Obsessing over creating Malaysian single origin flavour25:08: Chocolate-making process26:33: Creating the universe27:08: Why Ning struggled to find reliable cocoa beans30:13: Starting Culture Cacao32:11: Living with the Semai community38:38: Tigers40:15: Durian thief!44:17: Not having a contractual arrangement with the indigenous community49:08: Struggling to get cocoa beans from the indigenous community50:52: Giving up?Stay tuned for PART 2 of Ning's episode, coming out this Wednesday!📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/50-1 💌 Sign up for the weekly STIMY newsletter: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/ebf231f605