This document summarizes a conference-tasting on Californian chocolatiers held at the 2009 New York Chocolate Show. It discusses the history of chocolate in California dating back to the Gold Rush, and profiles several contemporary chocolatiers including Beatriz Ledezma of Caxao Chocolates, Peter Brydon of Barlovento Chocolates, and Timothy Childs of TCHO Chocolates. It also examines food trends in California like the raw food and farmers market movements that have influenced the chocolate industry.

1. Conference-
Conference-Tasting
on Californian
Chocolatiers
Lauranie, Esprit Chocolat
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

2. A historical link with cocoa and chocolate
The Gold Rush and its consequences
• Numbers of unlucky miners trying to find gold abandoned Californian soils and decided to
discover their neighbouring countries.
• Cocoa plants already existed in Mexico, in Costa Rica or even in Nicaragua
• « One of the citizens came out to meet us and escort us to his house, where a beautiful supper
was ordered for us consisting of tortillas, biscuits and huevos with the most delicious chocolate
I ever tasted » Charles Ross Parke, Dreams to Dust, A Diary of the Californian Gold Rush
• 1848: Domingo Ghirardelli, understanding miners need
something to spend their gold in, decides to launch into
business and opens his first grocery store
• 1850: opening of an hotel and a shop in San Francisco
• 1852: the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company was born
• 1866: 1,000 p of imported cocoa beans
• 1885: 450,000p of imported cocoa beans
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

3. Mexico and California: a long story
Tasting from
Ledezma,
Beatriz Ledezma, Caxao
San Diego, CA
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

4. Caxao Chocolates
A meeting
• 2005: Creation of her first brand Xocoatl
• 2007 : Creation of Caxao Chocolates
“In my personal journey and education, learning from great masters was a must, that’s why once
I had the opportunity to travel to France, training with one of the best pastry chefs and
chocolatiers, such a Pierre Hermé, became a obsession”
An authentic connection
• Being a Mexican, it was natural for Beatriz to work with a raw material from her native country
and to make of it a sweet she could offer to her adoptive country
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

5. Food trends in California
Two main movements
• The Raw Food Movement
• Initiated at the beginning of the 20th century in the American West
• 1984: Leslie Kenton re-launches the movement in Raw Energy – Eat Your Way to Radiant
Health, recommending sprouts, cereals, seeds based meals and fresh vegetables juices
• The hippie movement in the 1970s and 1980s also promoted a return to safe food
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

6. Food trends in California
Two main movements
• The Farmers Market Movement
• A double target: bring the producer closer to the consumer and allow farmers to be
more competitive
• 1977: end of restrictions on farmers due to (thanks to) production surplus
• Fresh products become accessible to consumers but also chefs in restaurants
• Chocolate makers like Scharffenberger and Recchiuti start to source some of their
products on the Farmers Markets
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

7. artisans’
San Francisco Bay Area: the artisans’ kingdom
Tasting from
Brydon,
Peter Brydon, Barlovento
Oakland, CA
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

8. Barlovento Chocolates
A retraining
• 2006: Peter Brydon and his wife launch Barlovento Chocolate after a career in printing
A state of mind
• Use of natural and regional products. The lemon used in his Meyers Lemon Zest dark ganache
comes from his clients’ gardens
« I started working with chocolate because of the organic dried cherries I found at my local
Farmers Market. If I had not found those dried cherries ( moist, glossy, excellant flavor ) I would
not be a chocoltier today. (…) For our Meyer Lemon Zest we take the concept a step furthur. We
source all our lemons from our customers at the Farmers Markets »
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

9. Evolution of chocolate consumption – United States
Figures
United States Annual consumption
2007: 12p/ people (4th place) > Datamonitor’s prediction for 2010: 14p
“Premium” chocolate
Premium”
2004: $670 billion > 2009: $850 billion
“Premium” chocolate sales +24%
Global sales +3,9%
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

10. Evolution of chocolate consumption – United States
Trends
• Highest focus on nutritional facts
• Search of affordable luxury products
• Treat oneself in a stressed economic situation
• New designations of products “Premium chocolate”, “ Gourmet chocolate”
• Highest rate of “Premium” chocolate consumers in the Western regions
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

11. Evolution of chocolate consumption – California
Figures and Trends
• In 2004, 136 chocolate factories in California vs 122
in Pennsylvania
• “We've gone through a food revolution” John
Scharffenberger
• A reputation of a « paradise for food snobs »
• A pragmatic explaination of the concentration
chocolatiers: climate
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

12. California and Silicon Valley: when techies fall into gastronomy
Tasting from
Tcho Chocolates
San Francisco, CA
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

13. Tcho Chocolates
A meeting
• 2005: Timothy Childs, a former engineer on the Shuttle, founds Tcho Chocolates
• Karl Bittong, serial chocolate entrepreneur. Opened several chocolate factories in the US.
• Louis Rossetto, founder of Wired Magazine and web pioneer
A state of mind
• Uses of the web 2.0 tools : to create proximity through the whole process, from the producer
to the final consumer
A process
• Innovation and optimization of the equipments to limit maintenance and energy consumption
and to focus on the product’s quality
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

14. to…
Thanks to…
Interviewed Chocolatiers
Beatriz Ledezma, Caxao
http://www.caxao.com/
Peter Brydon, Barlovento Chocolate
http://www.barloventochocolates.com/
Thimothy Childs, TCHO Chocolate
http://www.tcho.com/
Jason Vishnefske, Santa Barbara Chocolate
http://www.santabarbarachocolate.com/
Mimi Milne, Ojai Chocolates
http://www.chilihot-chocolat.com/
Robert Lambert
http://www.robertlambert.com/
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

15. Sources
Surveys
The U.S. Market for Chocolate survey Premium Chocolate Confectionery – US- March 2007,
Mintel International Group Ltd
Convenience store news April 2006
Datamonitor
Patterns of chocolate consumption by Seligson FH,Krummel DA, Apgar JL
Nutrition and Food Safety Department, Hershey Foods Corporation, PA 17033.
Am J Clin Nutr 1994 Dec; 60(6 Suppl):1060S-1064S
Chocolate and cocoa Products – SIC 2066
Organizations
U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC).
National Confectioners Association (NCA)
Simmons Market Research Bureau data
Research and Markets - http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c84435
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

16. Sources
Books
Economics, Taylor Weerapana 2009 – Article « Calif. Chocolatiers boost Premium boom »
From Lisa Leff
The History of Farmers Markets, Dave Fidlin
The Chocolate Conscience, Gillian Wagner
Ed. Chatto & Windus, London
Bitter Chocolate, Investigating the Dark Side of the World’s Most Seductive Sweet, Carol Off
Ed. Random House, Canada
The American West
Dreams to Dust, 1849-1850 – A Diary of the Californian Gold Rush, Charles Ross Parke Ed.
Nebraska
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

17. Chocolat’
Esprit Chocolat’s offer
Chocolate Tastings
Discover the history of cocoa and chocolate
Discover the creations of top chocolate manufacturers in Paris and
throughout the world
Train your senses to enjoy an exceptional product and become a connoisseur
Chocolate Tours
Take a behind-the-scene look at the world of chocolate in Paris and receive advice
from professionals on how to select and taste chocolate, or even make your own!
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

18. Esprit Chocolat – Lauranie Nonotte
After working for 6 years in the press & PR industry during which
time she worked with several companies as a PR consultant, I
created Esprit Chocolat, thus turning my passion into a career.
After a tour of cocoa plantations in Mexico followed by a fact-finding
visit to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006 to research new
chocolatiers, I created Esprit Chocolat, a company specialized in
the organization of chocolate tastings and chocolate tours.
I currently work in partnership with top gourmet chocolate
manufacturers in Paris, provincial France and overseas.
My primary ambition is to share my passion for chocolate as well
as doing my utmost to promote superior quality chocolate, made
from raw materials cultivated with methods that respect the
environment and the labour of individuals, and selected by
manufacturers and chocolatiers themselves.
Photo:Raphaël Hache With my chocolate tastings and chocolate tours, I take you on a
journey through a world of unsuspected pleasure and discovery.
Formal training at the Université du Chocolat,
Paris (IESA)
Lauranie Nonotte, founder of Esprit Chocolat
Training in Sensory Evaluation at the Centre
de coopération internationale en recherche
agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD),
Montpellier
Secretary General of the Club des Amants du
Chocolat de la Couronne Parisienne (ACCP)
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers

19. Chocolate Tastings
Contact
Tel : +33 (0) 953 426 542
Mob: +33 (0) 663 920 572
lauranie@esprit-chocolat.com
http://esprit-chocolat.blogspot.com
2009 New York Chocolate Show
09/10/31
Conference-Tasting: Californian Chocolatiers