Seminars

We are excited to share six seminars/presentations scheduled for the 2024 show that we're sure you will enjoy!  Five of these presentations are included with your general admission ticket to the show. The Chocolate and Cheese pairing requires a separate ticket, along with a general admission ticket to the Show, and is available under "Extras".

All seminars/presentations are available on a first come, first serve basis (other than Chocolate and Cheese) with a maximum of 40 guests per seminar. 

Stay tuned as we update more details about each presentation as they become available.

10:30 - 11:15 Craft Made Chocolate and Flavour
Hosted by Ariane Hansen, co-owner of Desbarres Chocolate. Ariane will be sampling 6 craft chocolates with guests as she walks through how craft chocolate flavours develop, from the farmer through to the maker.

11:30 - 12:15 Chocolate and Cheese Pairing
If you have never tried chocolate and cheese together, this is a pairing you don't want to miss!  Joanne Mutter of JoJo CoCo Chocolate and Kyle Weaver, Cheese Monger, have been doing this unique pairing since 2018! We invite you to 
join us for a pairing of 4 bean to bar chocolate with 4 artisan cheeses.

To attend this presentation you will need to purchase a separate ticket along with your general admission ticket for the Show. Maximum guests for this event is 40.

12:30 - 1:15 Exploring Chocolate Bean to Bar: Making Conscious Chocolate Choices  
Presented by Valerie Beck, a graduate of Harvard Law School, a chocolate services entrepreneur who founded Chicago Chocolate Tours, and a consultant through Chocolate Uplift to small-batch chocolate makers and growers in ethical cacao supply channels. Join Valerie on a tasting trip from cocoa bean to chocolate bar, focusing on the rise of "craft" or "bean-to-bar" chocolate, and spotlighting Canadian and other chocolate makers. We'll look at how cacao is harvested, fermented, dried, roasted, ground, and more, and at how to choose chocolate consciously, as we peer back into the history and ahead to the future of one of the most beloved foods in the world.

1:30 - 2:15 Chocolate and Tea Pairing
Like chocolate? Like tea? At JoJo CoCo, we love both and especially enjoy them together! Tea is a new addition to JoJo CoCo Chocolate and we have been having fun trying different flavours of teas with bean to bar chocolate. We invite you to join us for a pairing of  2 teas each paired with 2 chocolates for a total of 4 pairings. This presentation has a maximum of 30 participants and is included with your show admission ticket. 

2:30 - 3:15 Why Craft Chocolate Matters
Join Drew Gilmore, co-founder of Hummingbird Chocolate as he leads a presentation exploring why people are increasingly embracing craft chocolate and the big differences of industrious versus industrial chocolate.

3:30 - 4:15 A Winter Wonder of Flavours 
Join Canada's first (and so far only) IICCT Level III Chocolate Taster, Mary Luz Mejia, in an exploration of Canadian-made craft chocolate that celebrates holiday and winter-themed nuances.