Steve DeVries, Independent Chocolate & Cacao Consultant

I bought my first cacao in 1998 while in Costa Rica for a Spanish immersion. Returning home to Colorado I could find no books, either in libraries or bookstores, on how to make chocolate from the beans. All of them started, “buy chocolate and melt…”.  I used my oven and a grain grinder to make my first chocolate, and though admittedly crude, it had a complexity of flavor that I had never tasted in chocolate before. I was hooked and have spent the last 25 years working to understand those flavors.

In 2000 and 2002 I visited Chuao to see from where all the legends came. It was clear that along with their genetics, their method of intermittent drying is what distinguished their cacao. By the time I opened DeVries Chocolate in 2005, I was drying my own cacao using that method in both Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

Over the years I have made some improvements and last February gave a 10-day training on the technique at the University of Southern Mindanao in the Philippines for 40 food scientists from state universities all around the country. Those procedures are the subject of comparative research there. That research is ongoing, but early results have shown the conventional methods produced beans with a pH of 5.4, while with my approach the beans were 6.9 pH. Alkylpyrazines were also more than double from the conventional method.

Gabe Eaton, Russell Stover

Gabe Eaton is a senior food technologist working in product development for Russell Stover Chocolates. Gabe earned his bachelor’s degree in food science from Brigham Young University and his master’s degree in food science from Kansas State University. He has more than 10 years of experience working in product development and has a passion for being creative. While he started his career working in the development of frozen snacks and appetizers, chocolate has become his new focus. He loves all things candy and enjoys being able to create new and exciting flavor combinations. Over the past four years he has had the opportunity to work with multiple candy types and chocolates. While at Russell Stover he has worked to help develop and commercialize multiple products and most recently achieved a Guinness World Record along with his team for the World’s Largest Box of Chocolates.

Wayne Houde, Russell Stover

Wayne Houde has more than 45 years of experience in candy making and manufacturing. He currently works as the director of product creation in innovation and development for Russell Stover Chocolates. He began his career working at the historic Hebert Candy Mansion in Shrewsbury, MA. There, he learned many of the ins-and outs of chocolate and candy production and gained a wealth of knowledge. Additionally, he has worked for Rocky Mountain Chocolate where he continued to deepen his knowledge of chocolate manufacturing. Wayne has personally been responsible for many new and innovative products that have come out of Russell Stover over the last 24 years, and most recently achieved a Guinness World Record along with his team at Russell Stover for the World’s Largest Box of Chocolates. Wayne continues to mentor and provide knowledge and support to those in his product development group and the candy industry.

Christina Jenkins, Barry Callebaut

Christina Jenkins is customer cocoa R&D manager for the West Coast at Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest chocolate manufacturer. She holds degrees in culinary arts and food science and has worked in research and development for chocolate and cocoa at Barry Callebaut for the past 9 years. She lives in Napa, California and enjoys cooking, baking, yoga and spending time with family.

Rebecca Kuehn, Guittard Chocolate Company

Rebecca Kuehn is the R&D director at Guittard Chocolate Company where she is responsible for realizing innovations and managing technical projects in chocolate products and processing. Coming up on 15 years in the chocolate industry, she has led and contributed to new product launches, product and process improvements and production line startups, both domestically and internationally.

Introduced to the industry as part of the PMCA Student Outreach Program and while researching chocolate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Rebecca continued on, earning her MS in food science and technology from University of California, Davis, where her studies contributed to fundamentals of chocolate bloom and oil migration through support from PMCA’s research grant. Now PMCA’s Western Region Committee Chair and a member of the Board of Directors, Rebecca is engaged in building the industry’s future, bringing people and organizations together.

Charles Quinto, Blommer Chocolate Company

Charles Quinto is a R&D corporate manager of product development with Blommer Chocolate and has been with the company for five years. He is a passionate food scientist with 10 years of product development and commercialization experience across multiple brands focused on consumer packaged goods, food service and ingredient supply. Charles earned his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology at the University of California, San Diego and his master’s degree in food science at Chapman University. Combining his technical background with his desire to educate the community, Charles taught food chemistry and food safety and current issues at Cal Poly Pomona in addition to an introduction to food science at Chapman University. Outside of work Charles enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, hiking and going on walks with his Siberian Husky!

Camille Woods, Blommer Chocolate Company

Camille Woods serves as the sustainability manager at Blommer Chocolate Company and has been a valuable member of the team for five years. With a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and a master’s degree in supply chain and sustainability management, Camille brings expertise in sustainable sourcing and a strong commitment to environmental responsibility to her role.

As sustainability manager, Camille is responsible for developing and implementing Blommer’s sustainability strategy, encompassing both ingredient sourcing and manufacturing. She actively collaborates on sustainable cocoa and chocolate solutions for Blommer’s customers.

Camille is dedicated to assisting businesses in integrating social and environmental considerations into their business models, ensuring a positive impact on the world and future-proofing their operations.