The Journey of Cacao from the Farm to Chocolate • 11:30 am - 12:15 pm

Learn about the challenges of growing cacao from a "down and dirty" perspective, through the eyes of César Aguilar, owner of Cacaitos. A native of Colombia, his extensive knowledge and experience in real life conditions, and the circumstances of running a cacao farm in South America will be highlighted. Since Cacaitos works directly with Colombian farmers, César can speak to us on bean varieties, growing conditions, labour challenges and harvesting, as we gain a new appreciation, and delve into what it is really like to grow those precious pods so essential to creating a unique and distinctive bar of chocolate.

O T H E C A C A O P O D

Full Event Hours 11am-5pm

THE CACAO POD & SCHEDULED PROGRAM

Saturday November 15, 2025

Fine Chocolate 101 - The Good, the Bad and
the Yummy • 12:30 pm - 1:15 pm

Don't know much about chocolate and how to differentiate between the various qualitites? No problem! We have you "chocolate covered" with Colombian-born and Canadian-raised Mary Luz Mejia, Level III IICCT Certified Chocolate Taster, who will take us through a tasting of three separate chocolates with some big surprises in store. Through it all she will explain how each are produced, why different chocolates have price points, and what to look for when making a fine chocolate purchase.

20 Years of Craft Bean to Bar Chocolate in Toronto • 1:30 pm - 2:15 pm

Charming Mattieu McFadden takes us on a journey and recounts ChocoSol's path into interculturality and ecological regeneration through the making and sharing of stone-ground chocolate & direct traded coffee.

ChocoSol Traders are leaders in the Canadian Craft chocolate industry - ChocoSol is focused on the ecological regeneration of supply chains both with cacao producers and in Canada. ChocoSol produces exclusively bean-to-bar chocolate focused on clean ingredients and direct trading relationships.

Decades of Ingredients: The Making of Antidote Chocolate • 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm

Founder and creator Red Thalhammer discusses her life long travels with her Company and how each decade became an ingredient—from childhood in her family’s farm and restaurant in Austria with her mother’s low-sugar cakes, to discovering Ayurveda and ancient medicine in her twenties, to honing global branding expertise for CPG brands in her thirties—each phase has shaped how Red looks at food, wellness, and experience.

In her forties, improving Antidote with every batch became the synthesis: learning every aspect of cacao sourcing and crafting; pairing function with flavor; and building a chocolate that nourishes as much as it delights.

Chocolate & Tea Pairing • 2:30 am - 3:15 pm

Enjoy a introduction to Chinese tea from Edward Qu, the Founder of Similar Minds. He is a tea sommelier, oenologist, and educator known for bridging the worlds of tea and wine. Through @similar.minds.tasting, he curates sensory-driven experiences that explore cultural depth and connection. In this workshop, Ed will pair his tea selections with a few thoughfully matched chocolate choices. Learn about the unique qualities of tea and how to unwind and savour these two fermented foods in synergized harmony.

Note—Spots to participate are limited to 50 seated guests who have already purchased tickets to CHOCOLATO.

Sign up sheet here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19y7ia34Eorb6tvc74ycLYVvZc5mFgzIJqVH_AGAyjbI/edit?ts=68ea8b81

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