> ## 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. # Interview and Tasting – Baianí Chocolates, Brazil | #PodSaveChocolate Ep 123 - URL: https://thechocolatelife.com/interview-and-tasting-baiani-chocolates-brazil-podsavechocolate-ep-123/ - Published: 2025-05-24T20:14:51.000Z - Updated: 2025-05-24T20:14:51.000Z - Description: Episode 123 of #PodSaveChocolate features an interview and tasting of Baianí Chocolates (São Paulo)/Vale Potumuju (Sul da Bahia) with Juliana and Tuta Aquino. - Author: Clay Gordon - Tags: PodSaveChocolate, Live Stream, Reviews **When and Where to Watch** 🗓️ The stream airs LIVE at 11:00 ****PDT/MST** (12:00 MDT, 1:00 CDT, 2:00 EDT), on Tuesday, May 27th, 2025. Links below to watch LIVE and to view the archived episode. 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. This ****LINKEDIN** link is shareable. [![CTA Image](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/LinkedInLogo.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/claygordon%5Fpodsavechocolate-lavidacocoa-thechocolatelife-activity-7332134924797272064-Av1p?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAABaLUB44l0lzyoZ9nf9Lg8nfstgzLqxbg) Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. [Watch this episode on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/claygordon%5Fpodsavechocolate-lavidacocoa-thechocolatelife-activity-7332134924797272064-Av1p?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAABaLUB44l0lzyoZ9nf9Lg8nfstgzLqxbg) This ****FACEBOOK** link is shareable [![CTA Image](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/FacebookLogo.png)](https://fb.me/e/2XY7YMZh8?ref=thechocolatelife.com) Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow [TheChocolateLife on Facebook ](https://fb.me/thechocolatelife?ref=thechocolatelife.com)to receive notifications and catch up on other content. [Watch this episode on Facebook ](https://fb.me/e/2XY7YMZh8?ref=thechocolatelife.com) --- ## **Episode 123 Overview** I first met Juliana and Tuta Aquino in person in July 2017 during my trip to Brazil for the *Chocolat Bahia* festival. I flew into Guarulhos International Airport (where I was greeted by Rogerio Kamei of Mestiço) from Lima, Peru (where I had been attending the *Salon del Cacao y Chocolate*). After spending a few days in São Paulo, I flew from Congonhas airport to Ilheus in Bahia with either (both?) Luisa Abram and Arcelia Gallardo (whom I first met while she was working at Dandelion). But let’s jump back a month or three. I had been invited to participate in the Chocolat Bahia festival by Marco Lessa, the organizer. I was able to attend because of the timing of the festival – I was already going to be in Peru, which made cost-sharing possible, but it also made the international travel clogistics a lot harder. As a part of my wider outreach leading up to the trip, I was introduced to Zelia Frangioni, the founder of the website [Chocolatras](https://chocolatrasonline.com.br/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) and the organizer of the *Prêmio Bean to Bar Brasil*. Through Zelia, I was introduced to the Aquinos, Rogerio Kamei and his wife Claudia Gamba, Claudia Schultz, Luisa Abram (I knew her father, Andre Cavalcanti Banks, because he was a member of TheChocolateLife), and others active in the Brazilian chocolate scene. Zelia had asked me to be a judge for the first *Prêmio Bean to Bar Brasil,* and through her, the Aquinos graciously invited me to stay in their home. I judged the *Prêmio* entries on their dining room table, where I also tasted tapioca pancakes for the first time. (And, maybe, fresh jabuticaba.) When I visited São Paulo in 2022 after Chocolat Xingu and Chocolat Bahia, I was also a guest in their home. But enough of that history, for now. In this episode, both Juliana and Tuta will join me to talk about their Bainí journey, their connection to cacau, and what makes Brazilian *cacau e chocolate* special. ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/IMG_0719.JPG) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/IMG_3517.jpg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/Ferment_CutTest_AtDrying1.jpg) Images coutesy Baianí. [Cacao | VALE POTUMUJU | State of BahiaSingle origin cacao beans, directly from Vale Potumuju in Bahia, Brazil. Farmers: Tuta and Juliana Aquino![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/5a388f_19b391016ddf41ad9d7b9b591cf118b2-mv2.png)primecacao![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/634d43_32319114aeb149a9baf2babf73996df0.jpg)](https://www.valepotumuju.com/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) Baianí uses cacao from Vale Potumuju (formerly Fazenda Santa Rita) which has been in Juliana’s family for generations. ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/imgonline-com-ua-compressed-d1tZw8CRwoD12USI_600x600.jpeg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/imgonline-com-ua-compressed-XB383XAtsV_600x600.jpeg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/Tuta_Juliana_VP1_600x600.jpeg) Images coutesy Baianí. [Baianí ChocolatesFrom Bahia to the World. Baiani Chocolates have been constantly recognized internationally for their quality.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-12.png)Baianí Chocolates![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/android-chrome-512x512-1.png)](https://www.baiani.com.br/en?ref=thechocolatelife.com) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/Foto-Ae-rea-VP.PNG) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/Tuta_Smelling_Drying_Cacao1.jpg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/Barra-Baiani--21.jpg) Images coutesy Baianí. ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/bahia_map.jpg) We will be tasting five bars: - Chocolate ao Leite 57% - Chocolate Intenso 70% - Dark 88% - Passionfruit Crunch 65% - Caipirinha 65% ****Places to Purchase Baianí online** ![CTA Image](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/BaianiLogoB.jpg) Baianí Chocolates are available from [****Bar and Cocoa**](https://barandcocoa.com/pages/search-results-page?q=baiani&ref=thechocolatelife.com) in the US and [****Chocolats-De-Luxe**](https://www.chocolats-de-luxe.de/en/search?sSearch=baiani&ref=thechocolatelife.com) in the EU (Germany). --- ### **Related Posts** [Chocolate Purveyors: Tuta and Juliana AquinoChocolate Purveyors is a blog series where we connect and discuss everything chocolate with both makers and enthusiasts. This discussion is with Tuta and Juliana, founders of Baiani Chocolate. Baianí chocolate is a tree-to-bar Brazilian chocolate maker. Baiani bars carry the tradition of the Pinheiro and Aquino familie![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/Kekao100pxlogo-removebg-preview.png)KekaoDino H![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/Chocolate_Purveyors_Tuta_and_Juliana_Aquino.png)](https://kekao.co/blogs/chocolate-purveyors/chocolate-purveyors-29-tuta-and-juliana-aquino?ref=thechocolatelife.com) [Brazil PhotoblogFollowing up on the Clubhouse room “Origins: Brazil” on July 12th with featured guests Arcelia Gallardo and Rogerio Kamei.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-131.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/feetOfACacaoDancerFeaturedImage.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/brazil-photoblog/) There are links to other posts on TheChocolateLife from this one. In this post there are images from my visit to Fazenda Sagarana, accompanied by Julian and Tuta. > More posts about my travels in Brazil: [Tasting cacao on the farmWhen I arrived in São Paulo on Saturday the 15th of July, one of my first tasks was to be a judge in the first Premio of Bean to Bar Brasil, a new organization dedicated to growing the craft chocolate community in Brasil. I tasted twenty-three different samples. Later that![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-130.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/c05a8c10-fd80-49ee-89e6-c0ad7669d753.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/tasting-cacao-on-the-farm/) [Chocolat Xingu - The Adventure BeginsThe culmination of over two years of work with the organizers of the Chocolat festivals in Brazil…![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-135.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/FeaturedImage1920x1080.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/chocolat-xingu-the-adventure-begins/) [Chocolat Xingu - The Adventure BeginsThe culmination of over two years of work with the organizers of the Chocolat festivals in Brazil…![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-136.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/FeaturedImage1920x1080-1.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/chocolat-xingu-the-adventure-begins/) [Chocolat Xingu - The Adventure BeginsThe culmination of over two years of work with the organizers of the Chocolat festivals in Brazil…![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-137.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/FeaturedImage1920x1080-2.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/chocolat-xingu-the-adventure-begins/) --- ### **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** [Baianí](https://www.instagram.com/baianichocolates/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) and [Vale Potumuju](https://www.instagram.com/valepotumuju/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) on Instagram. #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #craftchocolate #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife --- ### **Future Episodes** None scheduled at the time this post 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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