2026 AVPA Chocolates Processed at Origin Awards Preview | #PSC 239
OVERVIEW: Episode 239 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look at the upcoming announcement of the winners of the 2026 AVPA Chocolates Processed at Origin Contest.
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Episode 239
Anyone who has been following me for any length of time knows that I am an advocate for more diversity and inclusion, not less.
The specialty chocolate sector needs more different approaches to competitions – how they are organized, how they are judged, who they serve: and AVPA’s (the Agence pour la Valorisation des Produits Agricoles) is very different from the International Chocolate Awards, the Academy of Chocolate Awards.
And the differences are important – and valuable – for many reasons.
One very significant difference is that entrants in this competition (there are ones for coffee, tea, and edible oils) must be member of AVPA. Another is that jurors “must be French.” (We’ll discuss what that means in practice in the episode.)
In this episode I will be joined by three people who were intimately involved in AVPA’s 2026 Chocolates Processed at Origin competition, in advance of the awards announcement at the upcoming Salon du Chocolat in Paris.
From the AVPA website:
The Chocolates processed at Origin contest is organized by the AVPA in order to recognize that cocoa-producing countries know how to develop chocolates of quality, equal and sometimes better than those made by major brands in consumer countries.
This international contest reserved for chocolatiers or their groups (cooperatives, Denominations of Origin) for which AVPA proposes a classification that allows the expression of all the traditional tastes encountered among chocolatiers in cocoa-producing countries.
My guests include:
- Maria Castro is an International Project Manager at AVPA. With an academic background in political science, economics and finance, she contributes to the development of AVPA’s international activities, promoting exceptional agricultural products and the producers behind them.Her work focuses on international development, cross-cultural collaboration and building partnerships that connect agricultural producers with global markets
- Elena Kalmykova is a Paris-based pastry chef and R&D consultant, trained at Ferrandi Paris, with experience in leading kitchens including Café Pouchkine, Le Pavillon Ledoyen (three Michelin stars) and Trianon Palace. Since 2020, she has been helping cafés, hotels, restaurants and food brands develop new products, refine recipes and optimize costs. Her work bridges pastry craftsmanship, product development and business strategy, with a particular interest in the future of desserts and the evolving demands of the food industry. Since 2023, she has been involved in several AVPA contests as a jury member, evaluating products in categories such as oils, teas and chocolate.
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