Chocolate blog
5 fun filled tips for building an amazing team culture
It is becoming obvious in the world of work that without a healthy and collaborative company culture, you are bound to experience, inefficiencies, and toxic relationships. These are things that no company wants, but it takes planning, strategy and concentrated effort to establish something different. Whether your teams are on site, remote, or a blend of both, it's time to start thinking about how to build connections together.
Cocoa pod waste
Repurposing cocoa waste into a commercial commodity not only keeps rubbish out of the environment but should also create extra income streams and employment opportunities from what some think is just rubbish.
Luker in Colombia are doing some great work in this area as are Crig (the cocoa research institute Ghana) NPD department who are working on a plethora of products using this waste thank you aunty Ester for sharing some your work with us.
The history of florentines
The perfect blend of chocolate and caramel flavours make these crispy biscuits an irresistible treat. the history and origins of this classic little biscuit is fascinating.
Even its name is misleading, the biscuit, didn’t originate in Florence, and they’re not even Italian!
Bean to bar chocolate making
As the bean to bar chocolate movement spreads around the world, people are searching for more provenance and authentic artisanal chocolate instead of mass-produced me too chocolate.
This has led to more people starting to make chocolate at home and realising that when you make bean to bar chocolate, it will taste different from batch to batch, because the flavours in a chocolate are dependent on many factors, ranging from the climate during the crop to the fermentation and then to the way the maker roasts and grinds their beans but thats part of the charm.
The chocolate Islands
Recently I was asked by a Portuguese hotel and hospitaliy company to lead a chocolate safari to Chocolate Islands:
São Tomé and Príncipe, as a way of preparing for this event I started some research and I came across this amazing book, with maps photgraphs and charts all about the islands I was about to visit.
Adinkra symbols a brief history
When I worked for Divine chocolate we had a major rebrand and the new packaging and bar moulds featured a collection of adinkras,
we were all encouraged to pick a adinkra that we felt represented us best to use on our business cards.
I did some research and eventually choose FUNTUNFUNEFU "the Siamese crocodiles" It’s a symbol of democracy and unity.
Here’s some of the background stuff I found in my research.
Why we celebrate hallowe'en with sweets and chocolate?
The ancient tradition of Samhain, originated with the Celts, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts and evil spirits.
In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as a time to honour all saints.
But where did the sweets and chocolate come from?
History of cocoa in Ghana
According to the popular story, cocoa cultivation began in Ghana, around 1895 when Tetteh Quarshie a blacksmith who had been working on the island of Fernando Po (now Bioko) in Equatorial Guinea smuggled back some beans in his pocket.
but like most stories there maybe more to it.