Hitting our stride

Have you ever met someone - professionally, I mean - who helped you become more than you were before?

I have had the great fortune to experience that feeling with not one, but two of our industry leaders: the profoundly inspiring Kate Cavallin and Sarah M Bharath .

In March last year, Kate brought the three of us together to teach in the Cocoa Masterclass , in the Dominican Republic.

Kate and I had collaborated virtually for more than a year on the Chocolate Glossary, and had met in person once. Sarah I had only met on Zoom once or twice, though I had long followed her incredible Instagram account.

After the student meet and greet, it was just me, Kate, and Sarah, tidying up, getting our materials and minds organized for a week of intensive teaching.

We looked at one another and suddenly, somehow, saw who we were: three women who had charted separate courses in the cocoa world, but now were there together, and together we could bring the Cocoa Masterclass to life.

Kate said it first: it was a moment of sheer validation.

Before then, I would hardly say I had had a difficult time getting recognized for my work. That wasn't the case at all.

But there was magic in being there in common purpose with Kate and Sarah. I felt I was standing two inches taller than I had a moment before.

Thank you, my friends. It is great to be with you here in Ghana, getting ready for the inaugural Masterclass in West Africa. With you both, I feel ready for anything, and ready to be more than I was before.

#womenincocoa #womeninchocolate