Northwest Chocolate Festival 2024 was genuinely unforgettable.

I have never felt this way after an event my entire life. Ever.

The Northwest Chocolate Festival gave us four days dedicated to not to just buying craft chocolate, but to building a community, connecting people and to sharing the most amazing stories. In the best way, I was so wired I couldn’t sleep and there are countless interactions and realizations (and flavors!) that have blown me away.

I came here knowing I’d have an amazing time,

To the point that my “worst case scenario” was:

1. Meeting chocolate friends I’ve only spoken to via the interwebs and scratching that “craft chocolate conversation” itch.
2. Learning from inspiring leaders at Unconference.
3. And leaving with a suitcase full of craft chocolate.

That’s a decent worst case scenario – I’ll take that.

But in hindsight, these were my “cheat goals”. You know, when you have a lot on your plate so you sneak in a couple of easy wins (like having breakfast, dropping off the kids or walking the dog)

In hindsight, of course I was going to do all of that.

Instead, I did all of that and more.

1. I haven’t just met chocolate friends. I found one of the most genuine communities – and I’m gonna say it – in the world.

There are so many genuine people in the craft chocolate industry that are working towards a common goal – to better the entire end to end process. From growing cacao trees and empowering those communities through to making, retailing and eating craft chocolate bars.

And what hit hard is that no one gets left behind. Every single person in the chain counts and I was lucky to meet and share ideas with the most inspiring, thoughtful, compassionate and kind-hearted community who share this common goal.

2. Instead of setting up a stage and giving microphones to “people in the know”, Unconference was designed to level the playing field.

From Thursday to Friday, I came in expecting to learn from leaders during Unconference. Craft Chocolate is not new – it’s just new to me and I was onboard to sit, take notes and listen to all the talks and presentations.

And there wasn’t a single one.

Unconference is designed to intentionally give everyone in the room the opportunity to bring what they have to the table and be heard.

Not just a “here’s my idea….. next!”

It went so much further, allowing us to hear from and interact with:

• People sourcing cocoa so we could learn about the relationships they’re building with the farming communities and what more needs to be done.
• Chocolate makers to hear the ideas they have, the questions they have and help each other reach their potential and uplift the entire community.
• Retailers, educators, social media experts – you name it, we got it. And it was always a two-way street.

We all got to contribute and we were all given the opportunity to take something invaluable away.

My head and heart are full – they’re jam-packed with inspiration… and something else I can’t quite put into words yet…

3. My suitcase is also satisfied.…

And then the festival shenanigans begin.

The learning didn’t stop, and the intent behind who presented to the wider public couldn’t have been more perfect.

I attended the “Cocoa Masterclass” and both “Drown In Diversity” sessions, where both involved interactive panels.

They were eye-opening – you’ve gotta attend to understand why because I don’t have the right words to do this justice either. And if I eventually find them, I’ll pop a link here.

(If there’s no link, there are still no words.)

On the vending floor itself,

It’s this all over again. That is, a total revival of feeling like a kid in a candy store but levelling up with craft chocolate.

There were countless things to explore, taste, and appreciate. Even little things like:

• chatting to everyone to see what they found, what they hoped was still in stock,
• and bumping into a familiar face (and at times startling each other because we were that excited to find them in the crowd.)

I got to see the other side too (as a vendor, not as an attendee!)

I was lucky enough to help out at Foundry Chocolate’s exhibit (from New Zealand!) and and interact with customers, see their process, find out where they were in their chocolate explorations and I could either:

• nerd out with them (I don’t know how many times I said the word “spreadsheet”)
• or try to get them as excited as myself and my newly found die-hard craft chocolate friends

(A quick thank you to Foundry Chocolate for letting me get behind there – it was an awesome crowd to be a part of and I’ll remember this for a long time!)

I’m wary that I have only skimmed the surface…

There’s so much more to say but for now, give me a couple of weeks to compartmentalize, get over the jetlag and hopefully start sleeping again…

But before I go – I want to say a huge thank you to:

• Brian, Charlie, Dylan, Megan, Christian, Kayla, Kalle, Erin, Alycia and the entire Northwest Chocolate Festival and Unconference team. You haven’t just organized a festival and shipped in a bunch of chocolate people. You’ve created an environment that is overwhelmingly open and welcoming to give us all the much needed space to find each other and craft chocolate.
• Everyone who leapt into that environment with both feet, who guided all the eye-opening sessions, who shared life experiences or just gave both ears and made us all feel heard. It’s one thing to be given an amazing environment, it’s a whole other thing when those involved grabs it by the horns and embraces it wholeheartedly.
• Everyone on the festival floor exhibiting, buying and participating. If you’re reading this, congratulations! The festival floor was an intoxicating maze of all things chocolate and we made it out! (Hopefully with a few bars of chocolate or maybe even an idea of what you’re hunting for).

The Northwest Chocolate Festival and Unconference has been more inspiring and memorable than I ever could have imagined and it’s thanks to all of you. This year’s October 2024 festival has wrapped up, and while I’m sad that it’s over I cannot wait to see what we all bring to the NW floor and to the community next year.

It was so good to spend time with all of you there and I cannot wait until next time – it would be amazing to see you all here again.

Did you go to Northwest 2024? Are you already thinking about Northwest 2025? Let us know – I would love to hear your stories.

Where to next?

Well if you’re new, we recommend:

And if you’re curious, we recommend:

And if you’re still not so sure, check out what events or makers are in your area:

Got any questions? Feedback? Want to hi say? Reach out below – we’re always happy to chat!

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