> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://thechocolatelife.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # April 2025 News & AMA | #PodSaveChocolate Ep 111 - URL: https://thechocolatelife.com/april-2025-news-ama-podsavechocolate-ep-111/ - Published: 2025-04-10T19:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2025-05-08T22:29:25.000Z - Description: Episode 111 of #PodSaveChocolate features chocolate news that’s fit to eat and AMA/Ask me Anything (about chocolate and cocoa) for April 2025. [ Updated ] - Author: Clay Gordon - Tags: PodSaveChocolate, Live Stream **When and Where to Watch** 🗓️ The stream airs LIVE at 11:00 ****PDT/MST** (12:00 MDT, 1:00 CDT, 2:00 EDT), on Friday, April 11th, 2025. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. [April 2025 News & AMA | #PodSaveChocolate Ep 111Episode 111 OverviewEpisode 11 of #PodSaveChocolate features chocolate news that’s fit to eat and AMA/Ask me Anything (about chocolate and cocoa) for April 2…![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/favicon_144x144-17.png)YouTube![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/maxresdefault-15.jpg)](https://youtube.com/live/VdRNfBrH5Zw?ref=thechocolatelife.com) Click on this (shareable) link to watch on YouTube. Please subscribe (free!) to the [@PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@podsavechocolate/featured?ref=thechocolatelife.com), like this video, comment, and ****share** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. [#podsavechocolate #lavidacocoa #thechocolatelife #cacao #cocoa #cacau… | Clay GordonEpisode 111 Overview Episode 11 of #PodSaveChocolate features chocolate news that’s fit to eat and AMA/Ask me Anything (about chocolate and cocoa) for April 2025\. Visit the post on TheChocolateLife for more information and resource links: https://lnkd.in/guxgfbQx 🍫🍫🍫🍫 🍫🍫🍫🍫 🍫🍫🍫🍫 Living #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife one story at a time. Join LIVE to comment and ask questions during the episode. Please like the video, subscribe to the YT PodSaveChocolate channel, comment, and share! #cacao #cocoa #cacau #chocolate #specialtychocolate #craftchocolate Bluesky.app, Twitter/X, Instagram/Threads, Tiktok: @discoverchoc 🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://lnkd.in/dChQXTjA![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/al2o9zrvru7aqj8e1x2rzsrca-19)LinkedInClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/c45fy346jw096z9pbphyyhdz7-17)](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/claygordon%5Fpodsavechocolate-lavidacocoa-thechocolatelife-activity-7316160555512184832-np9n?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAABaLUB44l0lzyoZ9nf9Lg8nfstgzLqxbg) This ****LINKEDIN** link is shareable. [April 2025 News & AMA | #PodSaveChocolate Ep 111Other event by TheChocolateLife on Friday, April 11 2025![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/ay1hV6OlegS-7.ico)#PodSaveChocolate Ep 111![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/media-19)](https://fb.me/e/cuvu6nBCN?ref=thechocolatelife.com) This ****FACEBOOK** link is also shareable. --- ## **Episode 111 Overview** Topics to be covered include: **The Continuing Saga of the Cost of Cocoa** | **MARKETS** | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [Futures](https://www.barchart.com/futures/quotes/CC%2A0/futures-prices?ref=thechocolatelife.com) / [Historical Prices](https://www.barchart.com/futures/quotes/CCZ24/historical-prices?orderBy=contractExpirationDate&orderDir=desc&ref=thechocolatelife.com) / [Moving Average](https://www.barchart.com/futures/quotes/CC%2A0/futures-prices?viewName=movingAverages&ref=thechocolatelife.com) – Barchart.com | | [Graph](https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/cocoa?ref=thechocolatelife.com) – Trading Economics | | **TL;DR** — Confidence is high that production will return to something like “normal” levels so bean prices continue to drift down while derivatives remain expensive and will show a different rate of decline (maybe). US tariff practices are reducing the confidence of major chocolate buyers, resulting in lowered sales projections for major processors. | [La Nina exits after three weak months, leaving Earth in neutral climate stateLa Nina, the natural cooling flip side of the better known and warmer El Nino climate phenomenon, has dwindled away after just three months. The La Nina that appeared in January, months later than forecast, was a weak one, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday. Earth is now in a neutral setting in the El Nino Southern Oscillation cycle, which is generally the most benign of the three states that help influence hurricane formation, droughts, floods and global temperatures.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/favicon-29.ico)Ground News![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/webMetaImg)](https://ground.news/article/la-nina-exits-after-three-weak-months-leaving-earth-in-neutral-climate-state?ref=thechocolatelife.com) **A *De Minimis* Exception Update** [US to do away with de minimis exemption; Trump announces new tariffsAround four million parcels were entering the U.S. via the de minimis route.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/favicon-30.ico)The STAT Trade TimesSTAT Times![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/80634-cbp03.jpg)](https://www.stattimes.com/air-cargo/us-to-do-away-with-de-minimis-exemption-trump-announces-new-tariffs-1354898?ref=thechocolatelife.com) ***Other News*** [Google Alerts - Monitor the Web for interesting new content![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/favicon-28.ico)Monitor the Web for interesting new content](https://www.google.com/alerts?ref=thechocolatelife.com#2:0) The state of chocolate news in the media --- ***Open Opportunity*** [Unique Chocolate Retail Opportunity in Harvard SquareSublet move-in ready space within a historic retail storefront steps from Harvard Square. Utilities, fixtures, and a dedicated storefront window display space are included. \[Updated March 31.\]![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-81.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/LeavittPeirceFeatured1920x1080-d0bf1ee87a8c7471-2.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/unique-chocolate-retail-opportunity-in-harvard-square/) --- **Festival Updates** [Le Marché du Chocolat![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/favicon-1.ico)Le Marché du Chocolat0![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/Chocolate.jpg)](https://www.lemarcheduchocolat.com/home?ref=thechocolatelife.com) Formerly the Craft Chocolate Experience, now scheduled for May 10-11 (Mother’s Day weekend) at the Hilton SF Union Square. [Salon du Chocolat![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/cropped-salondu-fav-1-270x270.png)![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/salon-talk-580x378.jpg)](https://www.salonduchocolatistanbul.com/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) ****Istanbul** – April 18th-19th. (B2B) [EAT MORE CHOCOLATEDC Chocolate Festival![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/favicon-27.ico)EAT MORE CHOCOLATE![](https://www.dcchocolatefestival.com/uploads/6/4/7/8/64782737/logoamb-etats-unis_orig.jpg)](http://www.dcchocolatefestival.com/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) ****Washington, DC** – April 25th-26th [Chocolate Events + Holidays CalendarA calendar of Chocolate Festivals, Conferences, Exhibitions, Trade Fairs, and Food (& other) Holidays. This is a work in progress. Is there something missing or wrong? Please scroll down for instructions and let us know so it can be added or corrected. \[ Updated January 20, 2025\. \]![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-17.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/pramuk-perera-2kiZCJeVxqM-unsplash-Featured1920x1080-1.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/chocolate-events-holidays-calendar/) Updated through April with confirmed dates for the 2025 Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival in November – and more – are now on the calendar. --- **Some Thoughts on Using Beanstalkr after Judging the Craft Chocolat Challenge** [Beanstalkr | Craft chocolate directory and reviews – Somewhere to talk beans and find your next chocolate bar![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Beanstalkr-Logo![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/Beanstalkr-Logo.png)](https://beanstalkr.com/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) Adding value for all entrants and entries via a new platform. --- ### **AMA Topic Resource Links** Links to stories and resources mentioned in the AMA will be added after the episode. [Geographic and Genetic Population Differentiation of the Amazonian Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao L)Numerous collecting expeditions of Theobroma cacao L. germplasm have been undertaken in Latin-America. However, most of this germplasm has not contributed to cacao improvement because its relationship to cultivated selections was poorly understood. Germplasm labeling errors have impeded breeding and confounded the interpretation of diversity analyses. To improve the understanding of the origin, classification, and population differentiation within the species, 1241 accessions covering a large geographic sampling were genotyped with 106 microsatellite markers. After discarding mislabeled samples, 10 genetic clusters, as opposed to the two genetic groups traditionally recognized within T. cacao, were found by applying Bayesian statistics. This leads us to propose a new classification of the cacao germplasm that will enhance its management. The results also provide new insights into the diversification of Amazon species in general, with the pattern of differentiation of the populations studied supporting the palaeoarches hypothesis of species diversification. The origin of the traditional cacao cultivars is also enlightened in this study.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/favicon-31.ico)PLOS OneJuan C. Motamayor ,![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/image)](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0003311&ref=thechocolatelife.com) Following up to questions posed by Jim Kim. While the basic differentiation between criollo and forastero structure groups (which can be seen by the difference in the number of base pairs in their genomes), the number of forastero varieties has increased since 2008 when this report was published. [Genetic Characterization of the Cacao Cultivar CCN 51: Its Impact and Significance on Global Cacao Improvement and ProductionCacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is an important cash crop in tropical growing regions of the world and particularly for small cacao farmers. Over the past two decades, ‘CCN 51’ has become one of the most planted cultivars in Ecuador, mainly as a result of its high productivity and disease resistance. Intermixing of Nacional fine flavor Ecuadorian beans with beans of ‘CCN 51’ has become common practice, reducing overall bean quality and decreasing value. The primary goals of this study were to determine the genetic identity, structure, and allelic richness of ‘CCN 51’, its maternal origin and to compare ‘CCN 51’s’ agronomic characteristics against a composite group of Nacional cultivars. To investigate the complex genetic background of this cultivar, 70 simple sequence repeat loci were used. The high heterozygosity observed (56 of 70 loci) for ‘CCN 51’ is not characteristic of traditional Nacional cultivars. Comparison of agronomic characteristics between ‘CCN 51’ and several Nacional cultivars indicates significant differences in cacao dry bean weight, yield potential, production efficiency, percent healthy pods, and witches’ broom \[Moniliophthora perniciosa (Stahel) Aime & Phillips-Mora\] disease incidence. Additionally, physical, chemical, and organoleptic characteristics suggest that ‘CCN 51’ is different from those of Nacional lineage. Based on population structure analysis, the predominant ancestries for ‘CCN 51’ are Iquitos (45.4%), Criollo (22.2%), and Amelonado (21.5%) genetic groups. A lesser proportion of its genome was accounted for by genetic groups Contamana (3.9%), Purús (2.5%), Marañon (2.1%), and Nacional (1.1%) admixtures. Results of phylogenetic analyses using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean yielding high bootstrap values strongly support the relatedness of ‘CCN 51’ with Iquitos, Criollo, and Amelonado genetic groups. Moreover, seven mitochondrial simple sequence repeat loci revealed that ‘CCN 51’ maternally inherited the ‘IMC 67’ cytotype. ‘CCN 51’ constitutes a valuable cacao genetic resource that is currently used not only in its country of origin, but also in many other national breeding and selection programs worldwide.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/favicon-32.ico)jashsEdward J. Boza![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/cover.jpg)](https://journals.ashs.org/jashs/view/journals/jashs/139/2/article-p219.xml?ref=thechocolatelife.com) Genetic parentage of CCN-51, also asked by Jin. [Theobroma cacao L. cultivar CCN 51: a comprehensive review on origin, genetics, sensory properties, production dynamics, and physiological aspects - PMCMany decades of improvement in cacao have aided to obtain cultivars with characteristics of tolerance to diseases, adaptability to different edaphoclimatic conditions, and higher yields. In Ecuador, as a result of several breeding programs, the…![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-9.png)NCBI home page✉Corresponding author.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/peerj-10-12676-g001.jpg)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8742540/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) [Publication : USDA ARS![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/favicon-33.ico)Agricultural Research Service U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/favicon-57.png)](https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=297873&ref=thechocolatelife.com) ****Title:** Genetic characterization of the cacao cultivar CCN 51: its impact and significance on global cacao improvement and production --- ### **Questions?** If you have questions or want to comment, you can do so during the episode or, if you are a ChocolateLife member, you can add them in the Comments below at ***any*** time. --- ### **Episode Hashtags and Socials** #News #AMA #Trends #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #craftchocolate #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife --- ### **Future Episodes** None were scheduled at the time the post for this episode was published. --- ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards, below. [Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2020/12/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2023/11/TagImageBanner-PodSaveChocTagFinal_1920x1080-5.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/pod-save-chocolate-calendar-and-archive/) [#TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2020/12/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2023/03/solen-feyissa-WG7v_wYZW4Q-unsplash-CalendarFeatured1920x1080.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/thechocolatelife-live-calendar/) [PodSaveChocolateHosted by Clay Gordon, the creator and moderator of TheChocolateLife.com, #PodSaveChocolate covers a wide variety of topics in the worlds of cocoa and chocolate. The video versions of this podcast are hosted and archived on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Click on the PodSaveChocolate link in the top nav on TheChocolateLife for the links to the post accompanying each episode.![](https://pnc.st/static/img/256x256.png)Pinecast![](https://social.pinecast.net/preview_card/podcasts/covers/d3730dca-0711-4720-9ef3-3b18918c1f0d/TagImageBanner-PodSaveChocTagFinal_1920x1080.jpg?title=PodSaveChocolate)](https://pnc.st/s/podsavechocolate?ref=thechocolatelife.com) Audio-only podcasts --- ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for Free to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. 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