Bean-to-Bar Chocolate with Jinji Fraser: Ethical Cacao Sourcing & Chocolate Storytelling

Join Rob Lee on 'The Truth in This Art' as we delve into the art world, exploring its impact on culture and society with our guest, Jinji Fraser. The co-owner and founder of Pure Chocolate by Jinji, a family-owned business in Baltimore. Founded in 2012 by Jinji and her father, Guy, the company prioritizes sensitivity to cacao farmers and the environment. Using local, seasonal ingredients and ancient storytelling techniques, they create complex and memorable flavor profiles in their chocolates. All their chocolates are dairy and gluten-free, allowing the full flavor of hand-harvested cacao to shine. With a background in nutrition counseling and a passion for herbal remedies, Jinji's journey into chocolate-making has led her to work with family-owned and women-owned farms to source the finest cacao beans for her creations.

For this segment:

• Pure Chocolate by Jinji takes pride in crafting bean-to-bar chocolate, ethically sourcing cacao beans from family-owned and women-owned farms, ensuring a sustainable and responsible supply chain.
• Explore how the flavor of chocolate becomes a conduit for powerful storytelling, evoking nostalgic memories and unique experiences with every bite.
• Discover how the quality of chocolate goes beyond taste, as Jinji emphasizes transparency and ethical practices throughout the entire supply chain, from farmers to makers.
• Delve into Jinji's palate as she shares her favorite chocolate pairings, from the unexpected combination of corn soup and tempered chocolate to the delightful blend of mezcal and chocolate.
• Learn why Baltimore's supportive and diverse community creates an ideal environment for entrepreneurs and artists to flourish, inspiring creativity and innovation in the city's chocolate-making scene.

Get ready to be inspired as Jinji shares her journey into the world of chocolate-making and the unique process of creating bean-to-bar chocolate. She emphasizes the importance of building relationships with farmers and understanding the labor and dedication that goes into producing high-quality cacao beans. Jinji also discusses the storytelling aspect of her chocolate, where each flavor has a story behind it, creating an authentic and meaningful experience for customers. She highlights the significance of transparency in the chocolate industry and the need to know where the beans come from and how the people involved are treated. Jinji shares her love for numerology and the role it plays in her life. She concludes by offering advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and artists, emphasizing the importance of hard work, community support, and leaving the door open for others to succeed.

Mentioned in this episode:

Pure Chocolate By Jinji

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Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

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