Women in Craft Chocolate: Live from the Oregon Chocolate Festival

This week on The Chocolate Pod, we’re bringing you a live recording from the Oregon Chocolate Festival, featuring a panel of women shaping the craft chocolate industry.

Hosted by Darlene Gallinger-Long, this conversation brings together chocolate makers and chocolatiers to share how they got started, the realities of building a business, and the resilience required to stay in it. From evolving craft and navigating pricing challenges to balancing creativity with sustainability, this panel offers an honest look at what it takes to grow in chocolate today.

You’ll hear perspectives from Dr. Melissa Berry of Missionary Chocolates, Deena Branson of Branson’s Chocolates, Evergreen Love of AhHome Chocolate, and Desiree Marca of Scharffen Berger. Together, they explore the importance of community, the role of curiosity and experimentation, and why supporting local chocolate makers matters more than ever.

If you’ve ever wondered what it really looks like behind the scenes of craft chocolate or considered stepping into the industry yourself, this episode offers both inspiration and practical insight.

Listen now to this special live episode of The Chocolate Pod. 🍫🎙️🎧

Discover more at www.TheChocolatePodcast.com

Discover more at www.TheChocolatePodcast.com

Transcript

Welcome to the Chocolate Pod, a show about founders and innovators in the craft chocolate industry and the stories behind the chocolate they create. I'm Zack Gallinger-Long, and this week we're featuring a live podcast recording from the Oregon Chocolate Festival. In this episode, Darlene Gallinger-Long, commonly known as the Chocolate Queen, interviews a panel of women in chocolate, including chocolate makers, as well as chocolatiers. Let's join her session already in progress.

…from serving customers and building community, you'll hear real stories, practical lessons, and what these leaders see ahead for craft chocolate. 

• Hi, I'm Dr. Melissa Berry. I'm the owner of Missionary Chocolates in Portland, Oregon. 
• I'm Deena Branson, and I am the owner of Branson's Chocolates. 
• I am Evergreen Love, and I am the owner of AhHome Chocolate. 

I know we have in the audience Desiree from Scharffen Berger Chocolates.

Great see you all at the Oregon Chocolate Festival. Take us back to the beginning. What did the beginning of craft chocolate look like and how is it different from what you imagined it to be? Evergreen, let's start with you. 

Well, I would say that for me, it's been my way of creating art and I get to have fun and play with it and it's something I also get to taste and experience the final product. And so, I would make that a craft and I'm not a machine. So, I have a human touch. That would be my beginning of craft chocolate. 

Deena, what about you? 

Craft chocolate has been a journey in a way because where I started and how I started and what I do now are two completely different things. Doing bonbons and things of that sort was not something that was around when I started. Those type of products were not something that you found. So that's the craft that I've learned and do now. 

Dr. Berry?

There's so much to say. I've learned so much over the years. My craft has definitely evolved as well. When I started in 2008, there were no vegan chocolate truffles that my mom could eat safely. And that's why we started what we do. It's just been a long journey of 18 years of learning and growing as we go. 

All right, Deena, is there some story that you could tell us that dives into a little about the resiliency that has to happen when you're dealing with the world of chocolate? 

Chocolate itself, if you force it, it knows it and it knows when you're having a bad day and it knows when the environment is not right. You have to learn to go with the flow and with the business itself. If you try to force something, it doesn't always work. You have to just learn to keep going. 

Evergreen, how about you? You have your factory in Weaverville. What does that look like for you having to be resilient in the craft chocolate world? 

Goodness. I really like what you said about going with the flow because that is such an important part about working with chocolate, it does listen to us. It can tell when we're having a frustrated day or trying to force something that might not be the best for the business or the chocolate or ourselves. And so for me, the resiliency has been specifically with the factory that you're mentioning. We stepped into a position of remodeling a bakery that had been in Weaverville for over 50 years. And so, this was an opportunity, a lighthouse that I saw that I could, with the help of the community, remodel and bring life, breathe life back into this building. And that was tough. That was a matter of learning how to pick myself up even when I didn't want to continue with this tough construction work. I wanted to be making chocolates and I had to be doing both at the same time. 

That does sound like a tough job. Now I like what you said about community because you find that very frequently in the world of chocolate. Deena, you've also been at the Chocolate Festival for quite some time. So, what does it mean to you to build up that community and that rapport and those connections? 

So, community in the chocolate industry 20 years ago when I started is different than it is now. 20 years ago, you did not find other chocolate makers and chocolatiers standing around talking, talking chocolate. So, the community that we have now in the industry is very loving and very giving. But you also building the relationships with your suppliers and those that you work with, whether they're a customer or the supplier. If you don't have that, things don't always work. 

Now, Dr. Berry, what does a realistic day look like? 

Well, a real day looks kind of challenging. I have seven-year-old twins and just getting them on the bus sometimes feels like, you know, a momentous achievement. But every day is different. I feel like we're always preparing for the next holiday. I never was a really retail oriented person before I started my company. And it's been a real mind shift to start trying to think about Christmas in July, which is part of the game. 

Evergreen, as you're thinking about strategies and what's coming up next, how do you prioritize? How do you know what the next step is going to be? 

That has been a challenge and an exciting one too, because I get to contemplate the difference between what does the community want? What does our culture want, what does my heart want and what does cacao want and finding the balance between all of those. So, for me, my priorities are, okay, if it doesn't sit right in my heart, I'm just not going to do it. If it has benefit for the community at large and honors the process of cacao. So, I buy fair trade and organic cacao, voting with our dollars and that's what AhHome represents. So, my priorities with that is taking care of the earth and paying the people properly for growing this cacao. So those are all intertwined priorities. 

So, as we think about lessons learned, it's a learning journey, but is there something that maybe you would have done differently with the knowledge that you have now? Is that something that you can speak to, Deena? 

Something I would have done differently? Learn to price, learn to budget. The cost of chocolates have fluctuated so much if you don't have your margins. You're not there. And that's a huge part of what's going on in the industry right now is just trying to figure out ways of staying viable. 

My understanding is that the industry can be quite fragile. You're working with suppliers, you're working with personalities that may come and go. How do you keep that in mind as you're working towards the future? 

[Deena] It's not easy. It's one of those things that you have to build the relationships with your suppliers for when you go, hey, the price went up, can you help me here? Because if you don't have a relationship, whether it's the supplier or your wholesale or your retail customers, or even at the events, the people that you see every single year coming back and forth, if you don't have those relationships, you won't survive. And we want to be viable. We want to survive. We want to be here for many, many years. 

Now, Desiree, I would love for you to talk a little bit about what it means to be new in the industry. 

I am very new in the industry. Scharffen Berger's newest chocolate maker. So, if I don't know something, I am training myself to not be afraid to ask, ask about new equipment, ask about new cocoa. And then I'm also not afraid to share information back. So, if I've worked with someone and I have a great relationship, I want as many people to work with them because they need the support too. 

Dr. Berry, what does it mean to you specifically to be a woman in the world of chocolate?

Well, back when we started, it did seem like it was a very male-oriented profession, and I found that people were very standoffish. As you mentioned, it wasn't quite the community that it is now. And I feel like being a woman in chocolate is so important because women do tend to be the person that makes sure that the household is fed and we take care of our families. And I think that for women to contribute to our communities and to have a voice that we wouldn't otherwise have.

Evergreen, how are you finding your identity as a woman in chocolate? 

I love this question. I mean, it's a stereotype that women love chocolate, but for good reason, with all these medicinal benefits that cacao contains, which all chocolate comes from, the cacao bean. Traditionally, it has always been women taking care of the cacao and processing it and picking it. And it was the woman's job in tribes and a lot of these cultures around the equator who grew cacao, to be the caretakers and the stewards of this amazing plant. So, I feel like it's my role to continue that legacy and honor it in a good way. And we do have that nurturing touch. We are caretakers. And so, we get to caretake this seed from a fruit that has nutrition benefits. It tastes delicious. It's been used as money and in ceremony. I love that.

And Desiree, would ask you the same question. What does it mean to you to be a woman in the world of chocolate? 

I think for me, I really try not to let it define me. I try not to label myself as a woman in chocolate. I'm just in chocolate. And I jump right in. I joined the conversation. I visited farms and I really loved that. And I got really into the agricultural of growing a cocoa tree. And then we went into processing and we were roasting and I just jumped right in and I was like trying to learn as much as I can. I just kind of be fearless. And maybe that's something that we have to do as women is try to be fearless. But yeah, that's kind of my approach. 

And can you dive in? What is the one distinct thing that got you into chocolate? 

I've actually thought about this a lot. The single like pivotal moment in my life was actually choosing to go to culinary school. It wasn't something I thought about doing until I really took a hard look at my life and decided, you know, if I want to be happy and I like cooking, I should do that. And so, I went to culinary school. I met my husband there and we moved to Oregon because of it. I started working at Harry and David and it put me in the exact right place, right time to become Scharffen Berger's newest chocolate maker. So, if I hadn't done that, I probably would not be here. 

Deena, what about you? What was the defining moment? What was it that caused you to head down the chocolate road?

I had worked at a place 10 years that was a chocolate shop, but I was in charge of staffing inventory. I was not in charge, never produced anything until I did it for myself. And when my husband came home and said, did you know they closed their doors? And I went those recipes, that equipment, it can't get lost. So, let's figure out a way to pick up the recipes, pick up the equipment and start from scratch. Cause I didn't have retail, didn't have anything and teach myself pre-YouTube, pre-social media where there was nowhere to turn and ask questions. You just had to figure it out. Sometimes that's what you have to do.

Evergreen, as we're thinking about someone that maybe is considering a career in craft chocolate, what would be some advice that you would give them? 

First, I would say go for it. I would assume that all of us who have made chocolate have had better batches and not so good at batches. Maybe even considered major learning lessons. And so that's going to happen. We're going to have successes and failures and all those failures, they combine to create that education that we're giving ourselves. So, I'd say go for it. Ask questions because people are happy to be there and answer these questions. And it's exciting. Just do what you love and find an avenue that you fit into, whether it's bonbons or vegan chocolates or working with the farms or whatever avenue it is. Just take that first step. Ask yourself, what is the next step? 

And Dr. Berry, what advice would you give? 

From the business side, having somebody to set up your books is definitely essential. It's something that I didn't do until about three years in. That was a big learning experience. I also learned how to make chocolate from library books. There was not even YouTube, really. If you have the passion for making a particular product, especially as chocolate is so finicky and temperamental at times. It does require an enormous amount of patience, but also curiosity and that passion to just keep going back every day. And I would say go for it. 

And Deena, what do you feel in your journey has been the hardest thing to try to get right? 

Man, it depends on what stage in the business it was. In the early, early days, it was learning how to temper, then it was figuring out how to maintain the books, because I still do my own books. And it was also then when social media started, figuring out how to do that. So as the business grows, and as you age with it, you have to figure out at each different stage, what's the next thing, because every stage is different. 

So for those listening, you won't know that Evergreen is wearing a hat. As women in the world of chocolate, we wear many hats, we have many roles, we're having to do social media, we're having to do our books, we're having to promote, we're having to find the next placement for our products. So, what does that look like for you, Evergreen, as you're thinking about the roles and working with chocolate? What's been your favorite role so far? 

Well, other than tasting the chocolate that I make, I would have to say my favorite role so far is working with the community and seeing their faces light up with eating this delicious chocolate. That's the really exciting part. I get to put on more of a comfortable hat when I work with my friends. I live in a town right now that's small and that's where the chocolate factory and the lounge is. So, everybody knows everybody and everybody talks too. And so luckily they like the chocolate. My friends come in through the door and their faces light up with new flavors and chat about goals for the community and what I could offer them in the future, as well as what we want to do with that location and where I want to take it. So that's my favorite part is the people. I love that. love that. 

And Desiree, would ask the same question, even being new to this industry, what has been your favorite hat to wear in all of this? 

Honestly, for me, I mean, I really like the educator role. So two years ago, I figured out that not all chocolate tastes the same and it blew my mind. And I'm just out to do that for other people. So yesterday, the first day of the festival, I did a tasting class with three different origins and then blended them together. And there were some people that were surprised that, you know, a Ghana chocolate tastes wildly different from Peru. So that's, that's my favorite part is really just kind of opening up people's expectation for chocolate. 

Deena, what hat do you wear that feels the most comfortable?

The creative side, whether it's creating a new label, creating a new product flavor wise, creating a new design that goes on the product. That's the creativity part is really where I shine and have the most fun. 

Dr. Berry is also wearing a hat. So this is very fitting and you've had many roles. You're a doctor. Where do you find your place?

I think the most fun for me is being out in the community, being at our farmers markets and just talking to people about what chocolate can be and what allergens are sometimes present in other chocolate and to offer options for people and to really blow their minds with the flavors that you can do. I often say that chocolate is a blank canvas that you can put almost anything in chocolate and the creative aspect. It's why I keep coming back 18 years in and I'm still jazzed about being able to make new flavors and to donate chocolate to the things in our community that we believe in and want to keep coming back for. It’s just really fun to have the ability to do something new and to not just have to be doing the same thing all the time. I think that is what has definitely kept me interested this many years in. 

So speaking of, what are the favorite flavor combinations? Some are wanting things savory, salty caramel, more of a bonbon. Is there a specific chocolate that you gravitate towards personally that may not be the best seller, but something that really speaks to your heart and soul? 

My favorite flavor that I've ever made over the years is a curry lemongrass truffle. It had a Madras curry in it and we soaked the lemongrass stocks in coconut milk for a couple of weeks and the depth of layers of flavor. That's just, that's magic. It's alchemy. It's my art form as well. Food has always been my love language and chocolate is my love language. It's an honor to make things that everybody can enjoy. 

Deena, what's your favorite combination? 

Depends on my mood and what my body's needing at the time. So, there's times it's a very classic peanut butter cup, but there's other times that that does not sound good and that's not interesting. The passion fruit with the coconut or really depends on what I'm doing and coming up with new flavors is fun.

Evergreen, what would be your favorite flavor combination? 

I have to agree. It's by mood. One of the first ones that came to mind though that was stunning to me was I used a Carolina Reaper in a chocolate that was grown local. But we spread that so thin and I infused it to where you could taste the pepper without the heat. And then a little bit of spice came at the end. So that was something special that people don't normally get to taste that hot, hot pepper. That was a really fun one. 

And Desiree, the question runs to you now. What's your favorite combination? 

I would have to say I've been playing around a lot with chocolate and then like a golden chocolate. So, you toast the milk powder before you add it in to make the white chocolate. And I really love that because it kind of has like a graham cracker note. So, I made a batch of the golden chocolate and then I actually infused like a turmeric tea. I was going for like a golden milk latte flavor and it's so good. So that's kind of where I'm at. 

And Deena, what's a combination that if you're in a celebratory mood, what's your go to? If you're wanting to gift it to someone, you can't go wrong. Everybody's going to love X. 

So what I would want to gift and what I would probably gift are two different things. 

Okay. 

Simply because not everybody likes fruit in their chocolate. Even though, if it's done right, it's not a funny overpowering fruit. It's just a nice pure fruit. I would want to do like a raspberry or blackberry truffle, but not everybody likes that and more people actually like salted caramels. So, I would probably do a salted caramel because of that. 

Makes sense. As I was leaving to come to the festival, the question that I asked my son was, what do you want us to bring back? It's like chocolate and caramel. Bring me home some chocolate and caramel. Dr. Berry, we're having a celebration. What's your go-to? 

I'm going to give this out as a gift. I know it's going to be well loved. It's very dependent on the person. Obviously, we are known for very bold, bright flavors. The Meyer lemon explosion is the one that I usually win awards for just like today. But I think either the raspberry or the plain dark chocolate are generally just something that is all around safe, just really pure chocolate experience for people. That's usually what I do. 

Evergreen, can you tell me a little bit about your packaging? I see the colors as I pass through the festival and they're very bright. They're very shiny. Can you just give me a little bit of behind how you went about your packaging? 

That's a whole other industry right there. Packaging. That one, I wanted to blend exciting colors with the natural craft aesthetic because we use all natural and organic ingredients in our chocolates. So, the brown paper is what we went with. A lot of the packaging had to do with the cocoa price spikes, actually. And so, what I did was I made the bars smaller and more accessible for people and kept discovering different packaging that would work with that. So that would be what it is, these colorful foils. And eventually I'd like to move into all natural biodegradable glassine paper, which is made out of paper and it can be printed on, but that would be a large batches down the line.

Deena, as you're trying to foster community, how does that play into when you're packaging chocolates for folks? 

The printed boxes I source locally, but the non-printed ones, the ones that are just more generic, those come from a box supplier back east. There's not a lot of suppliers in Oregon for packaging. You have to end up sourcing from somewhere else. And if you want really good custom, it's cost money and if you want lower cost, you actually have to source it from overseas. And I don't know if I want to ever go that way. I want to keep it as much local and as much in the US as possible. Just simply to support those that are here, trying to keep everybody going. 

Dr. Berry, I see you nodding along. What comments do you have there? 

I mean, 18 years ago, all of my first packaging came from the Dollar Tree store. Eli and I used to go and look at all the bags and be like, “again, mom?”. That was what my driving factor was, is that I didn't have any money going in and I also want to keep my products as accessible as possible. I'm so highly aware. My mom has always been vegan and very health oriented and the cost of natural products is so incredibly prohibitive. After being in business this long, I pick things up and I'm like, how much of this cost is actually the super fancy box? And what about what's inside of it? I think about what goes in my body all the time and what goes into my patients' bodies. I think the packaging is really a challenging game because you want it to be bright. You want it to be interesting. You want it to tell something about your story if somebody picks up your stuff and looks at it, but it cannot be something that prices it beyond the average person. And that's just my driving factor. Does it represent me? Does it give somebody the idea of what we do? That's what's important.

I appreciate you saying that it's what's inside that counts. It's what's inside our products. We're pouring a lot of ourselves into what we want this to be. As I think about this session, I appreciate you all coming to chat with us, but is there something that you would want the platform to be able to get out there to lovers of chocolate? 

[Evergreen] I want to talk about cacao because it has a ton of health benefits. It's been, research has shown it has antioxidants. It has this cool chemical called anandamide. It translates to the ‘bliss molecule’. It's so amazing how it regulates our body and boosts our mood. That's why we actually do feel good when we eat a little bit of chocolate, good chocolate. And the list goes on. It goes on and on. So, I would encourage people to see how chocolate can help themselves. 

Love it. And Deena, what would you give as a lasting message? 

To go for it. Truly, if someone is wanting to get into the industry, go for it. Find other makers, other chocolatiers, other people and ask them questions. Don't assume that we're going to blow you off because we don't want to share. Nowadays, I'd rather share and help somebody and help them grow. I think that's what more and more of the people in the chocolate industry are doing. But go for it and we'll help each other all grow. 

And Dr. Berry?

Well, I think what we all do is so incredibly different. I never feel a sense of competition with other people that make chocolate because it's so niche. There's so many health benefits. It's comfort, it's joy. And I think, especially for me being a mom of now three boys, I would encourage any woman to pursue a business in food, whether it's chocolate or otherwise, because I feel like it gives us the ability to have our independence and the ability to just have that control over our lives and our schedule. And ultimately that's mental and emotional health for us. And that creates a more stable community overall. 

Desiree, what's your lasting message that you would like to leave for our panel? 

I would say support your local chocolate maker slash chocolatier. It has been a rough couple of years with Cocoa Spikes. So, the ones that have made it through are strong and they need your support. You should go to the shop or go to their online store and support with your dollars.

Great message to leave for our podcast listeners. I want to thank you all so much for taking the time to sit with us, chat with us, and thank you all for attending the Oregon Chocolate Festival 2026. 

That was Darlene Gallinger-Long interviewing the live panel of women and chocolate at the Oregon Chocolate Festival in Ashland, Oregon. Special thanks to each of the panelists.

Dr. Melissa Berry of Missionary Chocolates, Deena Branson of Branson's Chocolates, Evergreen Love of AhHome Chocolate, and Desiree Marca of Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker. Thank you so much for listening to the show this week. Please make sure to click the follow or subscribe button on your podcast app so you never miss an episode of The Chocolate Pod. If you're interested in joining us for an upcoming chocolate event, be sure to visit thechocolatepodcast.com to see where we're headed next. From facilitating chocolate-themed interviews, to attending chocolate festivals, we love connecting with chocolate fans around the world, and we hope to see you soon. I'm Zack Gallinger-Long, and you've been listening to The Chocolate Pod.