Forum Activity for @Michael Winnike

FAIR TRADE AND ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FROM THE EYES OF A PRODUCER

Posted in: Opinion

Hi Alan,I am working with farmers in East New Britian on importing Cacao to the United States. The samples of cacao they provided were outstanding and we were lucky enough to find a corporate partner interested in purchasing the beans at a premium over normal PNG prices. I would love to chat sometime about travel to and within PNG. I would also like to hear more about your experiences organizing coops.But, to the topic at hand... I have good news. PNG beans trade at over the world market price for beans. It seems that the quality of PNG beans is recognized not only in in the ICCO rating (as meaningless as that may be), but more importantly it is recognized by the market. Generally PNG beans sell for a premium of around $400 USD over the NY price. That is not where near what Vene beans sell for but it is still a premium.Since Dec. 08 the price paid by Agmark and Garamut for dried fermented PNG beans increased by 38%. Honestly, the prices don't seem that awful given the market price and degree of risk. Maybe the data I have is from a very particular and slightly more competitive market. It seems that those who don't dry or ferment are in much greater peril. Farmers selling wet beans get about 1/3 of the price dried beans go for. I would be happy to learn more about the situation in PNG. If you have your own experiences to share or some articles I can read I would really appreciate it!Smoke damage is the #1 issue that plagues PNG beans and creates a certain degree of risk for anyone dealing with them. I know our partner/buyer is extremely worried about this even thought the samples provided were smoke free. They will reject the shipment if there is a hint of smoke.Unfortunately solar dryers have not caught on. The report Samantha links to below indicated that costly maintenance might be the issue. The farmers I work with did examine solar dryers that were available through one of the local nurseries and the CCI and opted instead to use a brick kiln. I don't have all the details on why they went this way. They did say that they felt the kiln is more reliable, and that they can go for weeks without much sun during the rainy season. The kiln they created is very well constructed keeping smoke from the beans. Alan, are your co-ops using solar?

Bean to bar chocolate makers

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Steve,I am not a lawyer, but I do think you should consult one. I think you are in violation of Federal labeling law. I believe you need to make up some sort of name for your product. It legally isn't chocolate. (Maybe you could call it Chocolate with Cocoa Husk)The standards of identity are not concerned with safety at all. They are about full disclosure to consumers. They also provide for fair competition and prevent a product from dilution. If there were no distinction between chocolate and for example chocolate compound consumers could easily be misled into thinking they were paying for a premium product and actually purchasing something diluted with hygroginated vegitable fats. If they dislike compound coating they might frown upon all chocolate. That hurts business making a the "real" thing.This isn't an attack on your product. I haven't tried it. It may be very good. However, the standard set by the FDA isn't about making value judgements. It is about making sure we all are speaking the same language when we use words like "chocolate" or "sugar".Interestingly if you include less than 12% milk solids in a chocolate bar you can't call it a "Milk Chocolate." So if you have a bar with 9% milk you may need to call something fanciful like "Mike's Bar" and then have a clear description of what the product actually is comprised of on the front label.best of luck,Michael