#18 Ethical chocolate with Sara Castañeda and Andres Altamirano of Rio Nuevo

For today’s episode I spent a fantastic morning sharing breakfast with chocolatiers Sara Castañeda and Andres Altamirano of Rio Nuevo, and we recorded this conversation at the fabulous Origin Coffee Warehouse Café in Penryn. Sara and Andres set up Rio Nuevo after learning the art of chocolate making from local people in the Ecuadorian rainforest back in 2014.  During this time, they became aware not only of the very unique and special flavours that derive from the heritage variety of cacao, Arriba Nacional, but also of the devastating impacts that the cacao trade can have on rural communities and environments.  Rio Nuevo was established to create a company that supports rural cacao-growing farmers and their communities by trading with them directly, and in so doing, shortening the supply chain, and empowering the people who grow the beans. Sara and Andreas’s story is one of creativity, compassion and hope for a different future – for the chocolate industry and beyond.  They are motivated by the goal of having a positive impact for people and planet, and they have worked tirelessly to create a direct trade model for Rio Nuevo that supports the farmers and their families that they work with, as well as taking an holistic view on what creating ethical chocolate means in practice.  In chatting with Sara and Andreas I learnt so much about the process of farming and creating chocolate – from the cacao bean through to the final, wrapped bar – as well as about the background workings chocolate industry in general.  When we consider how ubiquitous chocolate is within our Western lives, it feels pretty important to have our eyes wide open to this - and I hope you’ll find this episode as informative and uplifting as I did. Sara, Andreas and I shared a delicious breakfast at Origin’s Warehouse Café – porridge topped with seasonal compote, mushrooms on toast along with teas, artisan coffees, and Rio Nuevo hot chocolate - which is on the menu at Origin Cafes - was the final course of our breakfast. Huge thanks to everyone at Origin’s Warehouse Café for hosting us and for the warm welcome.  The vibe for this conversation is a bit different from my normal rural, bird-song-infused episodes, but I hope you’ll enjoy the cosmopolitan edge!   Thank you to photographer Rhona McDade of Goodrest Studios for the Episode 18 photography, you can find behind the scene photos of our conversation via the Episode 18 web page, along with more information about Rio Nuevo and the themes we discussed.   Thank you for listening, I’d love to know your thoughts on today’s episode.  You can join the conversation by getting in touch - [email protected] or message via Instagram @breakfast_and_beyond.    Please do subscribe to the podcast, and I’d be so grateful if you could rate and review this episode, then share it with people in your network who you know would enjoy listening.  Thank you so much, welcome to Breakfast & Beyond.