Overview of the Hawaii Cacao Symposium,
June 2005
Symposium Workshops
Opening Speaker: Supporting the Artisanal Cacao Grower
Gary Guittard, President of Guittard
Chocolate Company, opened the Symposium with a presentation
on his work with small cacao growers around the world.
The family owned Guittard Chocolate Company, founded
in 1868, is one of 10 "bean to bar" chocolate
manufacturers in the United States. According to Gary
"The flavor of chocolate is determined by the quality
of the bean, then by the precision of post-harvest processing
methods that include the drying, fermentation, roasting
and grinding of the beans". He is the driving force
behind the development of the E. Guittard line of varietal
chocolates now used by many of the leading chocolatiers
and pastry chefs in the US. Gary is a champion of small
growers and believes that fine chocolate is a result
of slow roasting, fine stone grinding, small batch blending
and careful aging to enhance the bean's flavor.
- Gary Guittard, Guittard Chocolate
Company
Ed Seguine, Guittard Chocolate Co, leads the tasting
Tasting: Savoring the Differences - a Chocolate Tasting
The growth of cacao plantings in Hawaii will determine
the future flavor and quality of what will be recognized
as 100% Hawaii chocolate. What does the future hold based
on decisions made yesterday. Decisions that can't ignore
the changing preferences of today's consumer market. What
flavor nuances does a chocolate manufacturer need to capture
to satisfy that market?
When our taste buds were at their peak, Ed Seguine,
Vice President of Reserach and Development at Guittard
Chocolate Company led our tasting including Hawaii
grown chocolate from Original
Hawaiian Chocolate Factory.
- Ed Seguine, Guittard Chocolate
Company
Participants get a lesson in the art of chocolate tasting
Panel Discussion: The Hawaii Cacao Industry
Gini Choobua, Cacao Growers Chapter President of the
Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers led a lively panel discussion
on the past, present and future of Hawaii cacao industry.
Panelists discussed the history of cacao plantings across
the Hawaiian Islands and the size of the industry today.
Also we learned about the kinds of genetic stock being
planted and what direction the industry is taking: bulk
cacao sales, bulk chocolate processing for wholesale
sales, production for retail sales or a combination
of directions.
- Gini Choobua,
Cacao Growers Chapter President of the Hawaii Tropical
Fruit Growers
- H.C. "Skip"
Bittenbender, Ph.D., Extension Specialist
for Coffee, Kava and Cacao, Tropical Plant and Soil
Sciences, CTAHR/University of Hawaii
- Dr. Raymond J.
Schnell, Ph.D., Research Geneticist, The
Cacao Project, Subtropical Horticulture Research
Station's (SHRS), Miami, FL
- Michael J. Conway, Manager of Tropical
Crops, Dole Food Company of Hawaii
Left to right: Dr. Schnell, Skip Bittenbender, Michael
Conway and Gini Choobua
Panel Discussion - Using the Perfect Chocolate - A Chocolatier's
Quest
These extraordinary chocolatiers discussed the factors
they consider when choosing a chocolate to use in the
production of their consumer products. What led them
to the use of a specific chocolate for a specific product?
How did they determine their customers' chocolate preferences
in order to produce products tailored to their market?
Have the chocolates they use changed over time and why?
What chocolate characteristics are most popular with
their market?
Symposium Workshop - Understanding Recipe Development
- A Chocolatier's Perspective
Fran, Michael and Cathy presented their own philosophy
of matching and balancing flavors to create a new chocolate
bonbon. The discussion centered on the creative process
they went through to create a special combination that
showcases Hawaii chocolate and tropical fruit flavor.
Each chocolatier had a unique development process that
transforms a recipe from the original creative idea
to an actual product on their store shelves. The importance
of testing and re-testing to get a workable and stable
recipe for production was examined.
Left to right: Skip Bittenbender, Fran Bigelow, Cathy
Barrett, Michael Recchiuti,
Gini Choobua, Dr. Ray Schnell, Gary Guittard.
|
The Hawaii Cacao 2005
was sponsored by Ecole
Chocolat Professional School of Chocolate Art
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