Chocola-to Chocolate Experience and Tasting Event Exhibitors

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There are many things to know about chocolate.

CHOCOLATO is also about educating while having fun!
Join us in our designated Cacao Pod zone where we experience, discuss and discover a few topics that will peak the interest of our Chocophile audience.

Note that some of the day's events are included in the ticket price! Others will require a supplemental ticket which helps us maintain a high level of workshop quality.

Check back and view our full day’s schedule as it unfolds and we get closer to our event date.

Don't miss out on these informative talks and experiences. They are one of a kind!

O E V E N T I N F O

Fermentation - Where Chocolate Flavour Begins • 11:30 am - 12:15 pm

Fermentation is the all-important stage where our favourite foods and beverages develop their taste profiles, and cacao is no exception. Future chocolate flavour is shaped tremendously by many factors, and skilled fermentation is key. In this process, natural microorganisms transform the sugars and acids surrounding the beans, creating the flavour precursors responsible for fruity, floral, nutty, and other complex notes in fine chocolate.

Join our talk with Ingrit Jaimes, a microbiologist and Founder of Artilate, as we shed light on the science behind this fascinating process while tasting their delicious single-origin craft chocolate.

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

Full Event Hours 11am-5pm

THE CACAO POD & SCHEDULED PROGRAM

Sunday November 22, 2026
NOTE Our schedule is updating weekly! NEW supplemental tickets are on our purchase page.

What Makes Great Chocolate • 1:30 pm - 2:15 pm

Let's face it, finding a great chocolate bar can be a challenge. If you've ever truly wondered how and why a craft or premium chocolate bar is better than a supermarket bar, this session is it!

Spend some time with Mary Luz Mejia, Canada's first Level III IICCT Certified Chocolate Taster, to discover how to uncover great chocolate. That discovery can be different for every individual, and she will explore what separates fine chocolate from the everyday bar, why two chocolates with the same cacao percentage can taste completely different, whether origin matters, and how much processing affects flavour.

We will taste fine chocolate, break down what bean-to-bar chocolate means, discuss “clean” labels, and other factors that shape flavour. Walk away with a few practical tools for tasting, comparing, and choosing great chocolate with confidence.

Theobroma Bicolour - A Deep Dive into Jaguar Cacao • 12:30 pm - 1:15 pm

Jaguar chocolate is a distinctive and rare type of chocolate made from Jaguar cacao, also known as cacao blanco, pataxtle, balam or macambo.

With its naturally pale, golden-white beans, Jaguar Cacao creates a chocolate unlike any other—smooth, creamy and buttery, with intriguing notes of caramel, peanut butter, coffee and butterscotch.

For over 20 years, ChocoSol has built relationships of solidarity, knowledge-sharing and supply-chain resilience with Indigenous communities in Oaxaca, helping bring this rare forest-garden cacao to Canada.

Join them in a journey from the traditional forest gardens of Oaxaca to sampling the ChocoSol bar in your hands. Taste, explore and discover the story, flavour and future of Jaguar Cacao.

A Beloved Turin Tradition - The Bicerin (supplemental ticket required) • 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm

The iconic Bicerin, which originated in Turin in the 18th century, is a not a globally well-known drink. But for anyone who travels to this magestic city in Italy, the Bicerin becomes a taste that is hard to forget with its magical depth and warmth.

A multi-layered liquid delight consumed by poets, movie stars and politicans alike, we will discover its origins, how the Bicerin is made, and how to carefully sip its
chocolate-y goodness. Let's savour this cultural beverage along with Baratti & Milano inventions – a different multi-layered treat, as well as their famous Gianduiotto chocolate.

Take a copy home of their Bicerin recipe with a how-to-make technique, as we dream of the elegant Piemontese locales, with their vintage glass chandeliers, high vaulted ceilings and fully immerse ourselves in Baratti & Milano's historic caffè located beside the beautiful Subalpino courtyard.

Note—This workshop has a small additional cost for attendance, which includes expenses for ingredients and educational materials provided.

Spots to participate are limited. Seated guests who have already purchased tickets to CHOCOLATO can attend until all spots are filled. Tickets for special workshops are now available on our purchase page.

Additionally all Bicerin participants will be entered in a raffle to win a Baratti & Milano prize pack!

Chocolate & Tea Pairing (supplemental ticket required) • 2:30 pm - 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 from Level III IICCT Certified Chocolate Taster Christie Conte. Learn about the unique qualities of tea and how to unwind and savour these two fermented foods in synergized harmony.

Note—This workshop has a small additional cost for attendance, which includes expenses for teas and other educational materials provided.

Please note that any food consumed at CHOCOLATO may contain nuts, dairy, gluten, soya and other allergens. We cannot be held responsible if a guest experiences an allergic reaction, although exhibitors make every effort to reveal any potential risks in their ingredient lists. Most companies handing out samples do not have dedicated production facilities regarding allergens and many items will potentially come into contact with these various foods. CONSUME AT YOUR OWN RISK. Regarding dietary restrictions we cannot always accomodate vegetarian or vegan requests in the workshops, although we will do our best to accomodate.

Be advised that chilldren under the age of 12 will not be permitted in the Cacao Pod workshops. While we welcome all families to CHOCOLATO, we must consider the enjoyment of all our guests. Thank you for your understanding.

For hygenic reasons, pets are not allowed into CHOCOLATO.

By entering the CHOCOLATO event, you are entering an area where photography, audio and video recording may occur. By entering the event premises, you waive and release any claims you may have related to the use of recorded media of you at the event, including, without limitation, any right to inspect or approve the photo, video or audio recording of you, any claims for invasion of privacy, violation of the right of publicity, defamation, and copyright infringement or for any fees for use of such record media.