Women of Cacao

About Women of Cacao

From the Amazon to chocolate ateliers, from ancient myth to modern science — Women of Cacao brings you into conversation with the people, plants, and stories shaping the future of chocolate. Hosted by chocolate-cacao due, storyteller Ava J. Holmes and sommelier Fiorella Richter, this podcast is born from the annual Women of Cacao Summit — a global gathering of farmers, scientists, wisdom keepers, and chocolate makers reimagining our relationship with cacao. Each episode features highlights and full-length talks from past summits, alongside new interviews and reflections that bridge culture, ecology, spirituality, and innovation. You’ll hear from voices across Latin America, Africa, Europe, and beyond — women who work with cacao as food, medicine, art, and social movement. Whether you’re a chocolate professional, wellness practitioner, or simply someone curious about the deeper story behind your favorite food, Women of Cacao invites you to slow down, sip consciously, and reconnect with the wisdom of this ancient plant and modern phenomenon of chocolate. ✨ Themes include: Cacao genetics, fermentation, and fine flavor Feminine leadership and community economics Indigenous cosmologies and sacred rituals Sustainability, climate resilience, and decolonizing chocolate The sensory, artistic, and emotional alchemy of cacao 🍫 Produced by Women of Cacao, this podcast is both a celebration and a call — to elevate the voices that make the world of cacao and chocolate, to protect its origins, and to rediscover the beauty that connects us all.

Publisher

Women of Cacao

Category

education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Dec 2025

Latest episode

5 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

7 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   5 Jan 2026

   EP6 — From Hawaiʻi to Samoa: One Cacao Tree Author on Rustic Drinking Chocolate and the Myth of “Best” Cacao

   In this episode of Women of Cacao, we hear from Raven Hanna, scientist, author of One Cacao Tree, and micro–cacao grower on Hawaiʻi Island. Tending around 50 trees in a food-forest system, Raven shares her experience fermenting and processing cacao on the smallest scale—challenging the idea that “real” chocolate requires industrial volumes. Drawing from her research on homegrown cacao traditions in Belize, Mexico, the Philippines, the Caribbean, and Samoa, she maps a global landscape of rustic, unfermented or lightly fermented drinking chocolates. Along the way, Raven unpacks how unfermented cacao behaves differently in the cup and in the body (bitter, more coffee-like, more stimulating) and why these preparations function as everyday nourishment and morning fuel rather than dessert. At the heart of her message is a core reminder for makers, growers, and facilitators: there is no single “best” way to grow, process, or drink cacao—only culturally grounded, context-specific practices that deserve to be honored alongside fine-flavor bar traditions.

2. 

   29 Dec 2025

   EP5 — Behind the Scenes of the International Chocolate Awards with Lilla Toth

   This episode of Women of Cacao features Lilla Toth—Hungarian chocolate educator, international chocolate judge, and tea–cacao pairing expert based in Vienna. As a member of the grand jury of the International Chocolate Awards and a trainer with the IICCT (International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting), Lilla pulls back the curtain on how the world’s best craft chocolates are actually judged. Leila walks listeners through the behind-the-scenes structure of the International Chocolate Awards: regional and world competitions, blind tasting, palate calibration, the infamous lukewarm polenta, and why judges first ask a simple question—“Do I like this?”—before diving into complex flavor notes. She explains the Awards’ strict commitment to fully traceable cacao, no industrial couverture, and clean ingredient lists, and how this has driven real change across the industry. From there, Leila explores three big trends shaping craft chocolate today: Purity – high-percentage and even 100% bars that are now genuinely pleasurable to eat Provenance – microlots, rare origins, and deeper relationships with farmers and origin makers Playfulness – alternative sugars and “milks,” drinking chocolate as serious as specialty coffee, bold gastronomic flavors, alcohol infusions, and experimental post-harvest methods inspired by specialty coffee fermentation Throughout the conversation, she emphasizes balance, integrity, and respect—for the cacao, for the farmers, and for the culinary cultures behind each bar. Listeners are invited to grab a cup of cacao, settle into a quiet space, and enjoy an insider’s tour of the evolving world of craft chocolate, from judging forms and defect maps to the future of traceable, truly ethical cacao.

3. 

   23 Dec 2025

   EP4 — The Neuroscience of Cacao: Brainwaves, Reward Pathways and Multisensory Tasting

   In this episode of Women of Cacao, Ecuador-based founder of Aukey Cognitive Chocolates, Natalia shares the neuroscience of cacao and how chocolate interacts with the brain. Drawing on research in gamma brainwaves, dopamine and reward pathways, multisensory integration, and the endocannabinoid system, Natalia explains how visual cues, aroma, texture, sound, and context shape not only flavor perception, but also mood, memory, and connection. She shares findings that link high-cacao chocolate (70%+) with improved cerebral blood flow, cognitive performance, and emotional regulation, and presents parallels between the neurological effects of laughter, deep meditation, and cacao. The conversation closes with practical implications for makers, facilitators, and wellness practitioners: mindful, multi-sensory cacao experiences can be designed to enhance focus, empathy, and group cohesion—turning chocolate into a deliberate tool for cognitive and emotional transformation.

4. 

   16 Dec 2025

   EP3 — Cacao Blood: Bribri Cosmovision with India Mayorga

   In this episode, we travel to the high mountains of Talamanca, Costa Rica, with holistic therapist and Bribri–Cabécar healer India Mayorga to explore the cosmovision of cacao as a living spirit, not a commodity. India shares an ancestral origin story of cacao—Siru—as told through her matriarchal lineage, explaining how cacao is woven into Bribri cosmology, law, and ceremony, and why her community speaks of having “cacao blood.” She also touches on traditional protocols (including why Bribri women do not drink cacao during menstruation), the role of women as guardians and ritual preparers of cacao, and how modern practitioners can approach cacao with greater reciprocity, respect, and relationship to original peoples and lands.

5. 

   8 Dec 2025

   EP2 — As Above, So Below with Sarah Bharath - Women of Cacao Summit 2025

   Conversations from the Women of Cacao Summit—uniting the many voices shaping the future of cacao and chocolate. Join our global community, register for the next FREE live summit, and explore monthly gatherings at womenofcacao.com. Welcome to the Women of Cacao Podcast, Season 1, sharing  highlights from the Women of Cacao Summit 2025.

6. 

   1 Dec 2025

   EP1 — Take a Seat Inside the Women of Cacao Summit Opening Ceremony

   In this opening ceremony of the Women of Cacao Summit 2025, hosts Ava J and Fiorella welcome listeners into a four-day journey that bridges cacao and chocolate, ancient cosmologies and cutting-edge research. Broadcasting from Cusco, Peru, Fiorella shares the scope of this year’s gathering: more than 40 women speakers, 32 workshops and panels, 23 cacao origins, 7 native languages, and 25 partner organizations working across the cacao and craft chocolate value chain. Through blessings from First Nations and Indigenous elders, the episode honors cacao as a feminine, sacred plant teacher and a living bridge. Listeners are invited to treat the summit like a personal rite of passage—from head to heart—showing up in self-responsibility, reverence for the land, and respect for the communities who have carried cacao’s wisdom for generations.

7. 

   1 Dec 2025

   The WOC Origin Story, Meet your Hosts Ava and Fiorella

   This episode opens Season One of the Women of Cacao Podcast and highlights a selection of standout sessions from the 2025 Women of Cacao Summit. RSVP for next year’s free live event or join our ongoing community gatherings at WomenofCacao.com.

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Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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