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.

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.

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.