Uncertainty, insecurity, and instability. 

These are the emotions that have permeated the fine cacao and chocolate industry in the past four months. Just when craft chocolate was gaining momentum internationally, the COVID-19 outbreak arrived in March. Since then, the entire supply chain from seed to bonbon has been bleeding. Between paralyzing lockdowns and never-ending quarantines, every business was forced to reinvent, adapt and innovate. From redirecting all efforts online to rethinking their entire business model, some companies couldn’t make it to the other side. Others are barely afloat and surviving, while a few chocolate brands are surprisingly thriving and getting more opportunities than ever.

The current struggles of cacao farmers and chocolate makers all over the world have been highlighted in many online conferences, webinars, and presentations. But there is also a plethora of professionals whose battles have passed completely under the radar. There is an entire group of people that are neither cacao farmers nor chocolate makers, but their contribution to the fine chocolate industry is just as important: chocolate educators, professional consultants, journalists and podcasters, teachers and trainers, organizers of tastings and events, and also chocolate festivals. 

Among these, the Northwest Chocolate Festival is the most famous festival in the world dedicated to craft chocolate. Going strong for the 13th consecutive year, November is the yearly appointment in Seattle that reunites 200+ international artisans showcasing their finest creations, and more than 10.000 attendees ready to enjoy them. Booths are reserved months in advance, and chocolate lovers internationally plan their trip to Seattle with excitement.

Because of the COVID-19 situation, the Northwest Chocolate Festival will not take place this year as usual. November seems too close to gather many people under the same roof for two days. Considering the festival’s size, there would be too much to handle to guarantee everybody’s safety, and all the precautions might not be worth the return on investment, with a halved number of attendees. The cancellation of a chocolate festival might not sound like a big deal. It’s only a weekend, right? 

But there is a deeper reality of the fabric that these events create for the entire community, like the chance to showcase new products, discuss innovations, discover new business opportunities and more. What you might not know is that it takes immense effort, time, money, and resources to organize a chocolate festival. Preparations for the following year start the very next day after the festival is over. Team members are involved, money is invested, venues are booked, promotion and registration is in full swing year-round to fill the booths, speakers are scheduled, and many more details that attendees never get to see.

For the organizers this is a full-time job that hopefully brings revenue for the entire year. So what happens when that business model suddenly disappears?

“It’s been a tough year for everyone and we knew that change was inevitable. It was a hard decision to move the festival online. We had to remind ourselves why we are here and what we stand for, and that is to create a vibrant artisan chocolate industry that grows and provides support to small makers, small businesses, and small farmers in the world. We had to get creative and reinvent ourselves in a way that will allow us to fulfill our mission and survive these uncertain times.” Says Brian Cisneros, founder of the Northwest Chocolate Festival. 

What is definitely not going away is the yearly assignment of their chocolate awards. Formerly the Northwest Chocolate Awards, in 2020 they gained a brand-new name: Chocolate Alliance Awards. The Chocolate Alliance is the NW Chocolate Festival’s newest venture that combines services like webinars, chocolate festivals, public and professional workshops, business consulting, and the highly coveted chocolate awards.

The Chocolate Alliance Awards are a great opportunity for makers from around the world. Because of the commitment to high-standards, there are elements unique to these awards. First, renowned chocolate expert and consultant Chloé Doutre-Roussel, one of the most respected and appreciated figures in the fine chocolate industry, is their Chairperson. She will calibrate the judges, review the product scores, and ensure the process upholds the highest standards. Second, the judges are carefully selected to include only professionals with a proven list of achievements and acknowledgments for their work in the cacao and chocolate industry (i.e. no amateurs).

Every sample will be judged using the Chocolate Alliance’s Sensory Analysis Guide, a new system tested over the past 3 years to uplift the standards for chocolate evaluation and reduce its level of bias and subjectivity. It’s also worth noting that the list of winners won’t be a never-ending one, with dozens of first-place winners: there will be only 3 winners (Gold, Silver and Bronze) for each of the 6 categories, with occasional tied scores, making every award extremely special and unique since competitors join from around the world.

Are you a Craft Chocolate Maker? Click here for more details on how to participate (online entry is open until August 31)

Right in the middle of the pandemic, when the entire world was under lockdown and chocolate professionals were stuck at home wondering about their future, The Chocolate Alliance quickly organized a FREE set of web-meetings that they called The Crisis Conference. In one month, they held 9-gatherings online to bring 300 members of the chocolate supply chain together to share and learn how to cope with the situation. Professionals in the cacao and chocolate industry, from every point of the supply chain and every corner of the world, came together to discuss challenges and opportunities in this new uncertain scenario. That was just their first step to help the industry.

Building from the free gatherings, the Chocolate Alliance created the 3-day Chocolate Business Webinar to address the concerns that emerged from the Crisis Conferences. From June 1-3, The Chocolate Business Webinar was a big success for its 500 attendees and speakers, and benefits included business insights, information, and new business opportunities. 

After such positive feedback, webinars have become a staple in The Chocolate Alliance’s new business model. Their next webinar series “Artisan Chocolate Business Webinar” is scheduled for September 15, 17, 22, and 24. Each session will be entirely dedicated to an important topic in the chocolate industry, from cacao fermentation to chocolate making, business planning and marketing. 

Nicole Seymour, co-founder of the Chocolate Alliance, explains “Our goal with the webinar is to bring the community together and use the power of networking and education, to create new opportunities for professionals and businesses in the industry.” 

Click here for more info on the Artisan Chocolate Business Webinar

Their newest public initiative is The Virtual Northwest Chocolate Festival. It’s common knowledge that holidays are the most remunerative times for chocolate businesses. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus outbreak halted Easter sales this year. The months of March and April, when chocolatiers and chocolate makers usually achieve some of the biggest sales of the year, were underwhelming to say the least. With stores forced to close down and consumers financially struggling and losing their jobs, there wasn’t much excitement or festivity in the air, and online sales were just a tiny consolation. This is why chocolate businesses can hardly wait for Christmas time to come around, and here is where the Virtual Festival may come to the rescue.

Every company that participates will have the chance to reach consumers with product demos and exclusive interviews, in addition to brand exposure to thousands of consumers. The Northwest Chocolate Festival’s digital platform is being used in a new and unique way to achieve chocolate makers’ marketing goals. Every company in the Virtual NW Chocolate Festival will have links that bring people directly to the company’s online store to drive traffic to their websites and push sales of their Christmas specials, and regular offerings too. The Festival hits online platforms the weekend of November 7th and 8th (which would have been the in-person dates), and featured content will be replayed during the holiday season. 

“We are excited to inspire the joy and interest of chocolate consumers around the world in our first online festival. There are always people who message us about not being able to travel to Seattle for our show and we hope this gives everyone the opportunity to experience the magic of the Northwest Chocolate Festival firsthand.” Says festival founder, Brian Cisneros. 

Chocolate companies, CLICK HERE to participate the Virtual Northwest Chocolate Festival.

Chocolate consumers, stay tuned as the full schedule will be announced this Fall!

You can see that not only cacao farmers and chocolate makers had to reinvent themselves, but also those professionals that conduct different activities around cacao and chocolate. All the events that used to be in person are now shifting online (tastings, workshops, events, classes, festivals) with a steep learning curve for all the people involved. The experience won’t be the same online, but the craft chocolate industry is doing its best to keep the community together and bring everybody to the other side of these uncertain times.

The day will come again when we’ll tell each other “See you there!”, referring to the next chocolate festival around the world, perhaps the exciting Northwest Chocolate Festival in Seattle, now scheduled for May 15-16, 2021. In the meantime, it’s worth taking advantage of technology and all the online tools available to us.

We are all in this together!