Last Tuesday at 6:47 PM GMT, I joined a virtual chocolate tasting and myth-busting session hosted by Spencer Hyman, the founder of Cocoa Runners.
My own boss, Kristy Leissle AKA Dr. Chocolate was the guest. She had invited me to the Zoom meeting which also streamed live on YouTube.
It was a beautiful sight.
About 30 chocolate lovers from different corners of the world had gathered. Tasting and sharing feedback on selected brands of chocolate. While eagerly listening in as Dr. Chocolate crushed some misconceptions about African cocoa. (She has a special hammer for doing that.)
Now, I know nothing about chocolate tastes. And I was certain I would do no more than quietly look on as these brown bar lovers happily enjoyed and described it with strange vocabulary. Until…
Suddenly (but not unexpectedly) my boss invited me into the Zoom spotlight; to share my cocoa experience – as a Ghanaian/African, and as her Research Assistant. (Did I even comb my hair?)
I weighed in lightly on the issue of Child Labor (a sensitive topic). Then I shared a thought on how storytelling can help reveal the true cocoa narrative of Africa.
The meeting ended. And I was happy and relieved.
But, as I clicked “Leave Meeting” TWO things were clear to me:
First, “Cacao” still sounds strange to me. So I’m clinging on to “Cocoa”.
Second, and more important…
For some consumers, chocolate can ONLY be as sweet as the story of the beans from which it is made.
So they want to know: Where was the cocoa grown? Who was the farmer? Was anyone abused in the cocoa growing process? Is the farmer a woman? Was anyone cheated along the supply chain?
The answers to these questions LITERALLY determine the taste of chocolate for these people. It also determines which one they’ll spend their money on. And which one they’ll recommend to their best friend.
So, what’s happening here? One thing:
As consumers, we often want to associate with good stories.
We want to be part of stories of impact. Stories of fairness. And stories of positivity. EVEN if it means buying one chocolate, and boycotting others.
Are you a service provider? Or a product designer? Hear me out:
It pays to know what story your audience carries. That story is like a wall socket. And your product, the plug, must match it.
Thank you Kristy Leissle – my hype woman – for the invite, and for ensuring I was comfortable.
Also, a big thank you to Spencer Hyman and the Cocoa Runners community for the warm reception. It was a pleasure to be in your midst. I loved it, and I look forward to the next one.