INTERVIEW: Dr. Kristy Leissle, Cocoa Researcher & Scholar

With 15 years of cocoa research in West Africa under her belt, Dr. Kristy Leissle is well-poised to speak on the topic of its future. African farmers grow over two-thirds of the world’s cocoa supply, making the African continent the deciding factor in chocolate’s future. With all the hype and questions around the potential extinction of chocolate, it makes sense to get as close to the source as possible: cocoa farmers (or at least someone who’s talked to thousands of them). So what do farmers actually need from chocolate makers, and in turn, chocolate consumers, to keep growing cocoa? From her office in Accra, Ghana, we dive into global warming, power dynamics in cocoa, and fine flavor cacao in Africa. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I enjoyed having it. Note that the idea of the end of chocolate as we know it was the focus of my interview with Kristy with the end product being this podcast episode titled Is Chocolate Going Extinct? (https://damecacao.com/chocolate-on-the-road-is-chocolate-going-extinct/) Show Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chocolateontheroad/ (https://www.instagram.com/chocolateontheroad/) Show Notes: https://damecacao.com/interview-dr-kristy-leissle-cocoa/