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In today's podcast, I compare music and food.  I  start with Chopin's Prelude #8, in F# Minor and we learn a little about complexity.  I talk about how vibrations are processed via the eardrum, cochlea, auditory nerve, and auditory cortex.  We then transition to food, whose enjoyment is a function of partly flavors, tastes, and. texture.  We learn about perinasal and retronasal flavors, about the four types of papillae on the tongue, and about texture.  We also talk about chocolate, the king of food pleasure, whose quality is a function of crystal types.  Finally, I talk about the three villages where we have built chocolate factories.  I finish the podcast with a foray back into the world of music;  we hear my rendition of Bach's F#minor prelude.  Bach is the father of classical and the contrast with Chopin is considerable.    As always, we are looking to help African cocoa farmers become African chocolate makers.  Join the revolution by donating to the cause! 1.   Go to www.projecthopeandfairness.org and click on the Donate button.     -OR-  2.  Send a check to: Donations, PH&F, 1298 Warren Road, Cambria, CA 93428. LISTEN:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1057903/14435370 Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org

On December 12th, Dr. Peggy Papathakis and I, Tom Neuhaus, did an interview at a local radio station, KVEC, here in San Luis Obispo, California.  The host of the show was Dave Congalton, one of the most popular interviewers on the Central Coast. The interview was entitled, “Learn the Bittersweet Truth About Chocolate.”  This was my third or fourth time on the Dave Congalton Show and Peggy and I did the interview to promote our mini-fundraiser which is taking place tomorrow, Friday, December 15th.  It will be held at the House of Bread, located at 1025 Farmhouse Lane, across from the entrance to the airport on Broad Street.  The event will happen from 4 to 6 PM.  We hope you can join us!  There’s lots of chocolate for sale in exchange for a donation to our worthy cause, which is to help cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire make a decent living. As always, we are looking to help African cocoa farmers become African chocolate makers.  Join the revolution by donating to the cause! 1.   Go to www.projecthopeandfairness.org and click on the Donate button.      -OR-  2.  Send a check to: Donations, PH&F, 1298 Warren Road, Cambria, CA 93428.  LISTEN TO INTERVIEW:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1057903/14148969 Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org

In preparation for this podcast I spent 6 days in the CocoaTown booth at the 2023 Salon du Chocolat in Paris talking chocolate, literally to thousands of people.  I sold our Village Chocolates bars, I sold chocolates from my store in Cordes sur Ciel, and for this podcast I interviewed six leaders in the bean-to-bar business.  These include:   Mrs. Andal Balu of CocoaTown, a pioneer in adapting the Indian wet grinder to small volume chocolate making;  Mr. Maxime Elegbede, a banker turned chocolatier who buys beans from Benin cocoa growers and turns them into beautifully packaged and luscious tasting chocolate bars; Mr. Ndeh Dieudonné, the Managing Director of SOCTRACAO, a Cameroonian company established to help men and women get into the chocolate making business; Mr. Neil Kelsall,  the Director of Marketing for Madagascar Chocolate;  Chef Michael Poole of Hot Chocolat, who makes custom chocolates as corporate gifts; and finally Mr. Alain D’Aboville, author of Cacao Source, a book about the bean-to-bar movement As always, we are looking to help African cocoa farmers become African chocolate makers.  Join the revolution! 1.   Go to www.projecthopeandfairness.org and click on the Donate button.     -OR-  2.  Send a check to: Donations, PH&F, 1298 Warren Road, Cambria, CA 93428.  3.  TO LISTEN TO PODCAST—> https://www.buzzsprout.com/1057903/13912637 Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org

In this podcast, we learn about the history of our relationship with a town of 2,000 inhabitants, Pezoan.  I interview Evariste, who introduced me to the village back in 2005.   I interview Bob Peak, who has an amusing anecdote on our relationship with the Pezoan’s chief.  I talk with Anna and Katie Nakayama.  Anna,  a former student of mine, raised over $2,000 in her church to help us purchase dryness meters for four villages;  Pezoan got one of them.  I finish the podcast with an interview of Servando, the president of SCAP, the cooperative that he founded thanks to the support of Project Hope and Fairness.  SCAP has produced over 1,400 African ChocoFudgeBars, which have sold well in three cities as well as surrounding villages. We need to raise $50,000 to expand Servando’s project so that he can produce chocolate from cooperative members’ own beans.  The money will pay for a second building to house a roaster, a cracker/winnower, and a melangeur.  Thanks so much for your past generosity.  I hope you enjoy the podcast and feel open to helping us accomplish our mission, which is to make cocoa farmers chocolate producers.  To donate,      1.   Go to www.projecthopeandfairness.org and click on the Donate button.     -OR-  2.  Send a check to: Donations, PH&F, 1298 Warren Road, Cambria, CA 93428.  Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org

In this podcast, Peggie Bates, a PH&F board member, and I visit the three PH&F villages.  In the first, N'Douci, we establish our third chocolate-producing mini-factory.  This includes hooking up and troubleshooting all the machinery.  And we make a batch of about 35 pounds of chocolate and mold and wrap a few dozen bars and disks. We also visit the two other already established cooperatives in Depa and Pezoan and exchange news with them as well as work with them on filling out financial forms that will make our job ensuring accountability easier. We agreed to sign an MOU with TechnoServe, a worldwide non-profit to present "Chocolat des Villages" or Village Chocolates, and we agreed to return in September or October to present our plan to the CCC, the branch of the Ivoirian government that oversees the sales of coffee and cocoa.  The goal is also to partner with a large chocolate company that would help develop the village chocolate brand and solve some of the big problems that a small non-profit cannot solve--cost of transportation and import of finished product.   As you listen, I believe you will recognize that we have made remarkable progress and that the donations we have received have gone a long way toward accomplishing our goal or bringing Ivoirian cocoa farmers up the value chain so they can live better lives.     Thanks so much for your past generosity.  To help us make progress, please donate...     1.   Go to www.projecthopeandfairness.org and click on the Donate button.     -OR-  2.  Send a check to: Donations, PH&F, 1298 Warren Road, Cambria, CA 93428.  Tom Neuhaus, [email protected] TO LISTEN TO PODCAST—> Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org

In this podcast, I describe Le Comptoir du Cacao, a chocolate café that features products made with the chocolate we are importing into France.  These include chocolate bars, crystallized cocoa beans , truffle assortments.  On the comptoir or counter are displayed pastries, one of which, palmiers, I describe in some detail. I finish by mentioning the upcoming trip to Côte d'Ivoire where we will set up our third mini chocolate factory.  In fact, podcast #46 will be audio clips from our trip!  Very exciting! Please remember that changing the chocolate industry takes considerable effort and that effort is propelled forward with money.  We have just purchased $45,000 worth of machinery and we're going to spend about $10,000 just going there. Thanks so much for your past generosity.  To help us make progress, please donate... TO DONATE:   1.  Go to www.projecthopeandfairness.org and click on the Donate button.    -OR-  2.  Send a check to: Donations, PH&F, 1298 Warren Road,   Cambria, CA 93428.  Tom Neuhaus, [email protected]  Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org

We start with Chopin's Prelude #16 in B-flat minor. The first day, we visited three lovely towns and eat our way through them.  These include:  Tricase Porto, where we ate really delicate seafood and a wonderful fennel cream soup.  The second day, we stayed in Lecce and visited a couple stores including a cheese store where we tasted squeaky nodoni.  That afternoon, we had an altercation with a local pigeon, who claimed rights to our pasticciotto.  On the third day, we visited Ostuni, the white city, and in the afternoon we drove back south to Gallipoli, a port with real character.  We had a fantastic seafood lunch and then witnessed thousand bemoaning the loss of one of the city's finest warriors who died in his mother's arms after choking on a meatball.  That was the theme of Gallipolli's Carnevale. I then talk about progress starting our new store, established and run by Projet Espoir et Equite, our French version of Project Hope and Fairness, whose goal is to build chocolate factories in villages and then develop markets for the chocolate.  The podcast finished with Bach's Prelude #22 in B-Flat Minor. Our successes are financially dependent.  Your donations ensure future success.  To donate, send a check to: Project Hope and Fairness 1298 Warren Road Cambria, CA 93428.  -OR-  go to projecthopeandfairness.org, pull down to Donate and follow the instructions Thank You!  Tom Neuhaus, CEO of Project Hope and Fairness Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org

My podcast #42 starts with Chopin's Prelude No. 8 in F#Minor.  This is a tricky thing that takes quite a lot of practice to get it sounding halfway decent.  But it's really gorgeous. Today's podcast is about our first three days in Lecce, a town of 150,000 on the southern portion of the Salento peninsula, the heel of Italy's boot.  The first day, Thursday, is spent just walking around Lecce, visiting the Roman amphitheater--actually only half as the other half remains buried under a church. On Friday, we visit one of the three doors to the city, built in the 16th century--Porta Rudiae, named after the people who lived in the town before Lecce.  There we shop for lunch ingredients--Frutti di Mare. And on Saturday, we rented a car and drove into the countryside--to visit a lighthouse near Otranto, Santa Cesarea Terme, a small port with sulfurous waters, then we had lunch in a farmhouse Maseria le Stanzie.  After dessert, we visited a church, Santa Catarina d'Alessandra, known for its magnificent freschi and for the secret hidden in the altar. We are making progress!  2023 will be a spectacular year for Project Hope and Fairness.  Not only are we starting a small business in Cordes sur Ciel that will be selling pastries, cakes, and chocolates, but we will be establishing a center for learning the ins and outs of chocolate production--in N'Douci, Côte d'Ivoire.  I finish the podcast with Bach's Prelude in F#Minor--same key as the Chopin.  You'll appreciate the profound difference in tone between a prelude written by the father of Classical Music (Bach) and the father of Romantic Music (Chopin).   I played the Bach on the organ and the Chopin on the piano.  Bach had no piano as it had not yet been invented. Our successes are financially dependent.  Your donations ensure future success.  To donate, send a check to: Project Hope and Fairness 1298 Warren Road Cambria, CA 93428.  -OR-  go to projecthopeandfairness.org, pull down to Donate and follow the instructions Thank You!  Tom Neuhaus, CEO of Project Hope and Fairness LISTEN TO PODCAST --> https://www.buzzsprout.com/1057903/12419532 Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org

This is the first of four podcast about Eve's and my trip to the Salento peninsula, the tip of the boot of Italy.   This podcast is about a three-day train trip to get there.  As usual, there's lots about food and history. The podcast begins with Chopin's Prelude Number 3 in G Major and finished with Bach's Prelude Number 15 in the same key.  It's a fun academic exercise to hold one variable (the key the piece is written in) constant and compare the music by style--Classical vs Romantic. I finish the podcast with a description of our latest progress in Côte d'Ivoire.  We have received two big grants totalling over $62,000 and we are excited about the future!  So join the podcast!  And donate if you can and help us make big progress helping the West African Cocoa Farmer. To Donate either send a check to: Project Hope and Fairness 1298 Warren Road Cambria, CA 93428. -OR- go to projecthopeandfairness.org, pull down to Donate and follow the instructions Thank You!  Tom Neuhaus, CEO of Project Hope and Fairness Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org

When people ask me why I care so much about the social justice issues surrounding chocolate, particularly issues of child slavery and worst forms of child labor as well as environmental issues associated with the destruction of virgin forests throughout West Africa, my usual answer has been associated with a course that I taught as a professor at California State Polytechnic University.  However, recently I have re-thought that answer and decided that my mother Dorothy accounts for at least 50% of the reason for my passions.  This podcast is a conversation with my mother. And as always,  just four news items regarding our progress.  Item 1:  SOCOPLAN, the agricultural cooperative in Depa, will export its first shipment of peeled cocoa beans and unsweetened chocolate to The Chocolate Chamber, a  chocolate business located in Cebu City, Philippines.  Item 2:  Project Hope and Fairness is also sending samples of chocolate, cocoa powder, and cocoa butter to eight major donors connected to Project Redwood, which supported the purchase of machinery for both cooperatives.   Item 3:  Our second partnering cooperative, SCAP, located in Pezoan, has received the tempering machine purchased with Project Redwood money, and is working on sending me a box of 50 wrapped bars in five different flavors, the first step toward selling village-produced chocolate bars in Europe.  And Item 4:  The website for European sales is espoir-equite.fr;  by the end of this year, it is my plan that 90% of the items sold on espoir-equite website will be made and wrapped for sale by these two cooperatives.   Please consider donating to the cause.  We are making progress!  We expect 2023 to be a grand year.  But we can't do it without you.  Sending machinery, paying customs, and traveling to West Africa to make cooperatives succeed costs money.  Our mission is succeeding, thanks to your donations. To donate, go to www.projecthopeandfairness.org and scroll down to Donate at the bottom, then click on any of the donate buttons.  It all goes into the same kitty.  Or, send a check to: DONATIONS, PH&F 1298 Warren road 93428 Cambria, CA Thank You! Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org

As promised,  this podcast is about my trip to Paris, where I spent 5 days in the Ivoirian CCC (Conseil du Café Cacao) booth with David Logbo Zigro talking about our joint project to establish village-based chocolate making. I begin the project with a lovely Ivoirian song to which people were dancing a sort of napkin dance (waving napkins in the air).  Then I talk about the history of the bean-to-bar movement and then about SOCOPLAN, the cooperative that David and I founded.  I also talk about the French non-profit, Projet Espoir et Equité which I founded in order to sell village-made chocolates. Thursday, December 1 marks our umpteenth fundraiser!  It's going to be more exciting than ever.  Check out the details at:  projecthopeandfairness.org.  To reserve tickets, just go to the website and click on the donate button.  The first donate button is for reserving tickets.  Your name will be recorded and put on a list.  When you arrive at the front door, we will know that you have donated. See you there!  Tom Neuhaus Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org

The title of this podcast is a pun on doors and on the future.  I start by playing "Light My Fire" written by the Doors, and truly one of the greatest pieces in the history of Rock and Roll.  Then I talk about how Project Hope and Fairness represents a door to the future of the chocolate business.  And then I mention two big events:  my being part of the Ivoirian exhibit at the Salon du Chocolat, the world's biggest annual chocolate event, which happens in Paris and the second event is our upcoming fundraiser on Thursday, December 1 at the Monday Club in San Luis Obispo, CA, 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM. And the next pun is on the future because I review the book, "Ministry for the Future," which has to do with our collective future here on planet Earth.  I finish the podcast with another Doors work of genius:  "Riders on the Storm." I mention in the podcast that you can visit YouTube to see videos of cocoa and chocolate production in the mini-factory of SOCOPLAN, an agricultural cooperative in the village of Depa, Côte d'Ivoire.   To watch cocoa videos, ---> https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtOMzkAdojOV_bfgZA-8p87Z5F9oST31B To watch chocolate videos --->  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtOMzkAdojOXOgrHuYGKlpcKegPtEGzJC And as always, please consider helping us help the cocoa farmer!  You can send a check to: DONATIONS, PROJECT HOPE AND FAIRNESS 1298 Warren Road Cambria, CA 93428 -OR-  go to www.projecthopeandfairness.org, scroll down to Donate and click!  Et Merci! Write to me at [email protected] To learn more, visit www.projecthopeandfairness.org