Kallari Chocolate Tour of the U.S. in February and March 2009
Noted on February 17, 2009 by Natanya in
Kallari Chocolate Tour of the U.S. in February and March 2009: Ecuadorian chocolate maker to tour ten U.S. cities, educating about organic cacao from “bean to bar.”
- New York Times reporter Jill Santopietro compared eight organic, Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance certified chocolate bars in November 2008 and rated Kallari Chocolate highest. -
Enrique Cerda, a member of the Kallari Association in Ecuador, whose Kallari Chocolate bars were recently launched at Whole Foods stores in the U.S., will be touring ten U.S. cities in February and March of 2009. Cerda will be traveling with a translator, Rebecca Roebber, an intern from the University of Oregon.
The Kallari Association is a cooperative of over 850 Quichua families in Napo Province in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Recognizing that most of the profit is to be made from sales of chocolate bars, not the cacao beans, the Quichua people created a cooperative where they would have more control over revenues. The Kallari Association, with its self-reliant governance and innovative economic model, is nothing short of revolutionary in the global chocolate industry. Cacao production provides the Quichua people with a viable income so they have the economic resources to resist logging their forests or succumb to the short-term riches offered by petroleum extraction. A full 100 percent of profits from sales of the chocolate bars are returned to the Kallari Association.
U.S. Tour Events in CORVALLIS, OREGON
WHO: Enoteca Wine Bar
WHAT: Kallari Chocolate Tasting and “Bean to Bar” Presentation on Cacao Growing and Chocolate Making with Enrique Cerda from the Kallari Association in Ecuador
WHEN: March 23, 2009, 7:00pm
WHERE: 136 SW Washington, Corvallis, OR 97333, (In The Renaissance Building)
DETAILS: 541-758-9095 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
OTHER EVENTS:
U.S. Tour Events in SEATTLE - MARCH 17-20, 2009
Tuesday and Wednesday March 17th-18th -San Juan Island Slow Food Event
Thursday March 19th - Theo Chocolates 6:00-7:30 p.m
Friday March 20th - Seattle Whole Food (Roosevelt Square) demos 5- 8pm
U.S. Tour Events in PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21-22, 2009
Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22 - Portland Whole Food demos
U.S. Tour Events in The Bay Area, California- MARCH 25-29, 2009
Wednesday March 25th - Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell at 12:30 pm
Wednesday March 25th - Art Institute in Sunnyvale California at 7:00 pm
Thursday March 26th - CSU Fresno at 8:00am-8:50 and at 12:00pm
Friday March 27th - Whole Food demo’s in San Francisco
Saturday March 28th - at the Sunnyside Cafe (http://thesunnysidecafe.com) at 6:00pm Slow Food Berkeley
Sunday March 29th - Slow Food Silicon Valley Convivium at 3:00pm
- Cacao Nacional de Arriba -
The cacao beans for Kallari Chocolate are a blend of several varietals, with the main flavor attributed to the Cacao Nacional de Arriba bean. In 2004, these rare beans were singled out by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity as a Presidia heirloom varietal. Kallari Chocolate bars are currently available in 70%, 75% and 85%-cacao content. For more information, visit www.kallarichocolate.com or the IE3 Global Internships Kallari Association Position Description for students wanting to intern at Kallari. Members of the media may request product samples by contacting Eleanor Bertino Public Relations,.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
- Background -
Enrique Cerda is one of over 80 members of the Kallari Association who has participated in the process of chocolate making. Cerda's initial success in the complex and demanding process of tempering led to an apprenticeship with Canadian master chocolatier Eric Gilbert. Gilbert has trained Cerda in the art of truffle making and Enrique has also begun experimenting with Amazon fruits to create unique truffle fillings.
Enrique Cerda is a youth (23 years old) from the Shandia community, a Quichua village that borders the Jatun Yaku River, the main tributary of the Napo River. Cerda is thought to be the only indigenous cacao grower to achieve such a high level of expertise in the art of chocolate making.
Rebecca Roebber is finishing her undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon this spring majoring in International Studies and minoring in Spanish. She spent a year in South America with the majority of her time in Argentina and in Ecuador. Through the University of Oregon she got connected to an internship that introduced her to Kallari and the lifestyles of the Quichua people. The interactions she had there were very valuable to her and made her want to continue working with them in the future.
Cerda and Roebber will complete a U.S. tour of ten major cities throughout February and March of 2009. Their presentations for universities, Slow Food Convivia, and with local municipal organizations feature a detailed explanation of the entire cacao growing and chocolate-making process. They also offer the option of a gourmet dark chocolate tasting, to compare chocolates from around the world and help participants understand how each step of the production and chocolate making process can factor into the final flavor of chocolate.
