INTERVIEW: David Castellan, Co-founder of SoMA Chocolate

SoMA Chocolate Maker is one of the oldest small-batch chocolate makers in the world. In 2003, David Castellan co-founded the company with his partner, Cynthia (https://damecacao.com/interview-cynthia-leung-soma-chocolate/), and they’ve been making great chocolate ever since. But as any chocolate maker can tell you, starting a chocolate factory from scratch is no easy task, and back in 2003 it seemed laughable to even think about. Yet they did it. These days SoMA Chocolate Maker is seen as one of the founding members of the craft chocolate scene. From their factory in Toronto, Canada, David & I discuss his food industry background, the landscape of fine chocolate in the early 2000’s, and their process for developing new origins. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I enjoyed having it. Note that the topic of building his business & chocolate in David’s childhood plays heavily in my questions thanks to the podcast episode (https://damecacao.com/chocolate-on-the-road-hidden-costs/) for which I was interviewing him. Show Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chocolateontheroad/ (https://www.instagram.com/chocolateontheroad/) Show Notes: https://damecacao.com/interview-david-castellan-soma-chocolate/