In this episode we talk with Kyle Bellinger of Osito Coffee who imports both coffee and cacao from Colombia to North America and Europe and Hans Westerink of Violet Sky Chocolate and Cloud Walking Coffee in South Bend, Indiana. I talked with Kyle and Hans recently about these amazing crops, what they have in common, and what the industries can learn from each other.

In this episode we take a deep dive into cacao fermentation with Sarah Bharath. Sarah works with cacao farmers in Trinidad & Tobago on behalf of Meridian Cacao, assisting them in improving their farming and post-harvest processes. Sarah is both a passionate advocate for cacao farmers and an inquisitive researcher whose curiosity drives her enthusiasm for always learning more about this fascinating crop. Today we talk all about the cacao fermentation process, how the variables of that process impact the flavors of chocolate, and how climate change is forcing farmers and scientists to constantly adapt to new realities.