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The Chocolate Pod

The Chocolate Pod

By: Zack Gallinger-Long
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About this listen

Ever wonder what it really takes to turn cacao beans into incredible chocolate? The Chocolate Pod takes you behind the scenes with the passionate chocolatiers, makers, and innovators who are crafting some of the world's best small-batch chocolate. In every episode, you'll hear the real stories—the aha moments, the expensive mistakes, the late nights perfecting a recipe, and the pure joy of creating something people love. Whether you're a chocolate superfan curious about what makes craft chocolate special, an aspiring maker wondering if you could do this too, or just someone who appreciates a good origin story, you'll walk away inspired, informed, and probably craving chocolate.


I'm Zack Gallinger-Long, and if you've been to a craft chocolate festival, you might know me as "the Golden Ticket guy" (yes, I wear a shiny gold suit while my wife rocks a Chocolate Queen costume). We're not industry insiders—we're enthusiastic fans who fell in love with this community and wanted to share these incredible stories. I bring my background in business consulting and small business ownership to ask research-informed questions that matter: How do you scale? What does "bean-to-bar" actually mean in practice? What factors influence the chocolate industry? This is a show for anyone who believes that the best stories are found in the passion, craft, and people behind what we love.

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Episodes
  • Branson's Chocolates: Deena Branson

    Branson's Chocolates: Deena Branson
    Mar 2 2026

    When a long-standing chocolate shop in Ashland, Oregon closed its doors, Deena Branson saw a craft worth carrying forward.

    After purchasing the equipment from the store, she founded Branson’s Chocolates and drew on her experience in craft chocolate industry to guide her as she refined recipes and continued learning.

    Unwrap the story of Branson's Chocolate in this episode of The Chocolate Pod. 🍫🎙️🎧

    Discover more at www.TheChocolatePodcast.com
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    24 mins
  • AhHome Chocolate: Evergreen Love

    AhHome Chocolate: Evergreen Love
    Feb 13 2026

    It all began with the Chocolate Team. A love cultivated since childhood…

    AhHome Chocolate is the brand founded by Evergreen Love, built on that early devotion and shaped by years of persistence. Today, that vision lives inside a chocolate factory and chocolate lounge in Trinity County, California, where Evergreen crafts superfood chocolate from scratch and creates a space designed to uplift her community.

    From kitchen experiments to a fully realized gathering place, her journey reflects steady determination, creative problem solving, and a belief that chocolate can nourish connection as much as it satisfies appetite.

    Listen to her story in the latest episode of The Chocolate Pod. 🍫🎙️🎧

    Discover more at www.TheChocolatePodcast.com
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    19 mins
  • Arcay Chocolates: Anabella Arcay

    Arcay Chocolates: Anabella Arcay
    Feb 5 2026

    Arcay Chocolates is a family-owned chocolate business in Washington D.C. The founder, Annabella Arcay, started making chocolates in her home country of Venezuela in her kitchen in 2006. Over the years, Annabella became a master chocolatier and gained international notoriety after receiving 42 medals at the International Chocolate Awards! Listen to her story and the challenges she overcame along the way, in the latest episode of The Chocolate Pod. 🍫🎙️🎧

    Discover more at www.TheChocolatePodcast.com
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    15 mins
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