- Story by Chelsea Foreman Photographs by Don Denton

Much like the yuletide season, chocolate has a special way of bringing people together.

One of the most beloved foods all over the world, it dates back some 5,000 years through Mesoamerican history. The journey of a single chocolate bar might begin with an ancient tree in a remote jungle, and then travel through the hands of the farmer who harvests the cacao fruit, and on to the chocolatier, who imagines its unique flavour profile.

When you first begin to examine chocolate, the process can be overwhelming, as David Mincey and Paige Robinson discovered in the late 1980s. At the time, the couple owned a fine dining restaurant named Camille含羞草研究社檚 in Victoria含羞草研究社檚 Bastion Square. In 1989, Camille含羞草研究社檚 was one of the originators of the farm-to-table movement in Victoria. David, a professional chef, and Paige had just one ingredient key that was next to impossible to source.

含羞草研究社淎t our restaurant, we wanted everything we cooked with to be traceable, but the one thing we couldn含羞草研究社檛 source was chocolate. In 1989, we could not buy a single piece of chocolate that didn含羞草研究社檛 come from a slave trade plantation in West Africa,含羞草研究社� David explains.

The couple began to research chocolate and travel to where cacao was growing to meet with chocolate-makers.

含羞草研究社淲ith a bit of time and persistence, we discovered this whole underground world of ethical chocolate that was developing called 含羞草研究社榖ean to bar含羞草研究社� or 含羞草研究社榮ingle-origin chocolate.含羞草研究社� And then I became obsessed,含羞草研究社� says David with a smile.

David and Paige began offering after-hours chocolate lessons at Camille含羞草研究社檚. These lessons covered everything from the history of the cacao fruit and the unethical side of the industry to tasting and exploring chocolate from around the world.

含羞草研究社淧eople wanted to purchase the bars they tasted, and know that they were eating ethical chocolate. We brought bars in to sell at the restaurant and had satellite stores in local businesses all over Victoria. This slowly morphed into our permanent residence at the Victoria Public Market in 2012,含羞草研究社� explains David.

Now known to the public as The Chocolate Project, David and Paige含羞草研究社檚 passion project has transformed into a major staple in the Victoria food scene.

含羞草研究社淐hocolate is just now on the same trajectory as micro-breweries or fair-trade coffee. Fifteen years ago I couldn含羞草研究社檛 do this, but now there are hundreds of people out there making small-batch, sustainable bean-to-bar chocolate,含羞草研究社� says David.

With the top 400 ethical chocolate bars in the world, The Chocolate Project has an endless selection that can be a bit daunting to the first-time shopper. Luckily, David, now a renowned international chocolate judge, is there to walk you through the selection process. As someone with an intimate knowledge of each bar in the shop, David can含羞草研究社檛 stress enough that this store is so much more than a place to buy great chocolate 含羞草研究社� it含羞草研究社檚 an educational facility.

含羞草研究社淭his is not just a store, this is a school, and we really want to focus on that. It含羞草研究社檚 a place for both chocolate lovers and people who are curious about chocolate and want to know what含羞草研究社檚 happening in the industry,含羞草研究社� he says.

The Chocolate Project offers full chocolate-tasting parties, which can be self-guided or led by David at the shop or a private residence. Tasting packages are custom-created by David based on the customers含羞草研究社� requests and come with the same scoring sheet used in the international chocolate awards.

含羞草研究社淭his is a fun way for people to taste chocolate, rate it and review it, just like we do as judges. When people go through chocolate this way, they really start thinking about what they含羞草研究社檙e tasting. It含羞草研究社檚 amazing how much you can learn about chocolate when you pay attention to it,含羞草研究社� says David.

The first step in any chocolate-tasting party is understanding just how to taste it.

含羞草研究社淲hen you taste chocolate, you never chew it because your teeth destroy the flavour profile. You put a piece on your tongue and let it slowly melt with your body heat. Chocolate bars, like the ones we sell, are like a fine wine in a solid form and that含羞草研究社檚 how you should think of it. You need to make it into a liquid to really taste it,含羞草研究社� David explains.

Whether ending a dinner party with a new dessert experience or simply showing guests a different kind of holiday celebration, a chocolate-tasting party offers people a new way to bond and spend time together this season. While every bar will offer a different flavour and story of origin, one thing promises to remain true: your appreciation for chocolate will be forever changed.

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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