The Chocolate Conservatory

Hawai'i meets Puerto Rico in this discussion of cacao production in the United States! Dr. Viviana Medina of V.M.R. Consulting and Dave Elliott of O'ahu Resource Conservation and Development Council join host Jose Lopez Ganem.Connect with our guests via LinkedIn: Vivana Medinahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/vivianamedina/Tickets for the HCCA Conference in Hawaii July 10-12, 2026:https://www.tickettailor.com/events/hawaiichocolateandcacaoassociation/2172522Engage Oahu RC&D's programing here:https://oahurcd.org/

Emory University Professor Peter Roberts, an economic sociologist, joins Carla to discuss the commodification of specialty coffee producers and the industry's obsession with a narrative of supply and demand.Connect with Dr. Robert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-roberts-51105374/Order Dr. Robert's book from Oxford University Press: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/from-supply-and-demand-to-numbers-networks-and-narratives-9780198871460?cc=us&lang=en& ; or find it in a library near you: https://search.worldcat.org/

Zurich University of Applied Sciences Professor Tilo Hühn describes his lengthy career in food technology innovation and the ways in which Switzerland remains a center of leadership in education and entrepreneurship in chocolate.Connect with Dr. Huhn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tilohuehnprocessdesign/?locale=enLearn more about ZHAW's course, "The Science and Art of Chocolate": https://www.zhaw.ch/en/lsfm/continuing-education/detail/course/cas-the-science-and-art-of-chocolate

Harvard historian Emmanuel Akyeampong and Fuad Mohammed Abubakar of Ghana's Cocoa Marketing Company join Carla to discuss how Ghana's cocoa pricing developed and the challenges and pitfalls of navigating farmgate pricing in a volatile futures market.Google Drive Folder to Fuad Mohammed Abubakar charts mentioned during the episode: https://tinyurl.com/uzxfetfb More Resources about our Guests:Read Professor Akyeampong's book Independent Africa for more on the history of cocoa in Ghana: https://iupress.org/9780253066657/independent-africa/Find Fuad's articles on Ghana and cocoa pricing here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=qxdVjKwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sraFind Fuad's Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fuadabubakarmohammed/

In this trailer, our hosts Carla D. Martin and Jose Lopez Ganem introduce themselves, and the premise of the podcast! Listen in to learn more about why it is important to discuss the pressing issues related to cacao and chocolate.