The Chocolate Conversation I Still Think About

When I connected with José Camilo from Camilo Chocolat, I expected our conversation to revolve around chocolate. Instead, he told me something I wasn't expecting.

Chocolate had changed his relationship with his father.

José described his father as quiet and reserved. He smiled as he explained that they had never shared many interests. Then cacao became part of their lives.

What began as growing cacao gradually became something they could build together. They found themselves talking for hours about fermentation, machinery, chocolate making, and the future of their family farm.

As I listened, I realized I had been thinking about chocolate too narrowly. I had been thinking about flavor.

José was talking about family.

That conversation has stayed with me ever since.

Now, whenever I unwrap a chocolate bar, I sometimes wonder about the people whose relationships, hopes, and histories exist long before the finished chocolate reaches my hands.

Sometimes chocolate carries more than flavor. Sometimes it carries a family's story.

The next time you enjoy a piece of chocolate, ask yourself:

What stories and relationships helped bring it to me?

You may discover there's much more behind the bar than you ever imagined.

Continue the Journey

José's story is one of many shared in Stories Behind the Bar: The Dominican Republic.

If you're curious about the people, families, and experiences behind Dominican cacao, I'd love to invite you to continue the journey.

→ Explore the Book