Episode 23 | A Field Visit to the Forest Gardens of Oaxaca with ChocoSol

In this episode, the Feeding City Lab brings listeners to the forest gardens of Oaxaca to learn about cacao growing and grassroots actions towards regeneration and biodiversity. Culinaria Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Nino Bariola recounts his field site visit to the Indigenous Chinanteco community of San Felipe de León in March 2024 with ChocoSol’s Michael Sacco. During their visit, Nino met with community members and cacao growers, including two key contacts for ChocoSol Traders, Don Max and his daughter Miriam. Based on his interviews with Don Max and Miriam, Nino conveys how the cacao that goes into ChocoSol bars is grown, how it is harvested and processed, and why fermentation is important. From discussion of growing conditions to quality evaluation, the conversation takes listeners into the cultivation of cacao, showing how biodiversity is important to the flourishing of both cacao and community.  

This bilingual episode includes an in-depth conversation with Nino, hosted by Dr. Jaclyn Rohel of the Feeding City Lab in English, as well as short segments from Nino’s original interviews, in Spanish, with Don Max and Miriam. Nino’s interviews with Don Max and Miriam took place in Oaxaca in March 2024. The environmental sound effects featured in this episode (i.e. of natural surroundings; and peeling and processing the cacao) come from Nino’s field visit to the forest gardens. [Additional sound effects sourced from https://www.zapsplat.com.]

For more about bean-to-bar chocolate making with ChocoSol Traders Founder Michael Sacco, listen to Episode 22 | How Relationships Sustain Bean-to-Bar Chocolate, From Forest Gardens to Farmers’ Markets. 

To learn more about the Voices from the Food Frontlines, Sustainable Foodways podcast series, visit the Feeding City Lab at https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/projects/feedingcity/sustainable-foodways/.