November News & AMA | #PSC 243
OVERVIEW: Episode 243 of #PodSaveChocolate features chocolate and cocoa news fit to eat, as well as the monthly live AMA (Ask Me Anything about chocolate or cocoa) for November 2026.
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Episode 243 Overview
In this episode: Chocolate News thatās Fit to Eatā¢ for November 2026.
Sad News
Remembering Terry Collingsworth (1956ā2026)
Terry Collingsworth was scheduled to join our conversation about the Harkin-Engel Protocol at 25. He wasnāt well enough, and that was the first sign for many of us that something was wrong. Terry rarely missed a chance to talk about the cause he devoted his professional life to.
Now he is gone, and the global conversation is poorer for it.
Terry began his working life far from any courtroom. Born into a working-class family in Cleveland, he spent five years operating an overhead crane in a copper mill. He earned his degree part-time, graduated summa cum laude, and went on to Duke University School of Law.
That start shaped everything after it. He knew what a bad job could do to a person, and he never forgot it.
Terry went on to become one of the worldās most respected human rights attorneys. He led the International Labor Rights Fund, then founded International Rights Advocates in 2007. He took on corporations that most lawyers would not touch, including Unocal, Coca-Cola, Exxon Mobil, Drummond, and Del Monte. He also helped create the RUGMARK program, which certifies hand-knotted carpets as free of child labor.
Those of us in chocolate knew him best for his cases against NestlĆ©, Cargill, and other āBig Chocolateā companies.
He represented Malian plaintiffs who said they were trafficked as children to work on cocoa farms in CĆ“te d'Ivoire. He pursued the case for years against some of the best-funded legal teams in the world. In 2021 it reached the US Supreme Court, which ruled against the plaintiffs on narrow jurisdictional grounds.
That was a hard loss. But Terry, and those of us who supported his work, never stopped believing the underlying questions deserved answers.
Miki Mistratiās documentary The Chocolate War followed Terry for five years. It showed what that fight looked like up close: the trips to Mali and CĆ“te d'Ivoire, the evidence gathering, and the odds. Variety said you would āthink twice before buying your next chocolate bar.ā
Companies sometimes dreaded hearing from Terry. Friend and colleague Marika van Santvoort wrote (in Cocoa Radar) that Terry āspent his career forcing the door from the outside.ā Yet he was generous with those of us who wanted to understand the issues. He supported TheChocolateLife and was a guest on TheChocolateLife:LIVE and PodSaveChocolate more than once. He answered hard questions plainly and never lost his patience for the people asking them.
I also had the privilege of hosting a preview of The Chocolate War followed by audience Q&A, around the time of its release. The film showed what many of us already knew, and the questions and answers reinforced: Terry was relentless, kind, and generous with his time, candid about the challenges he was facing, but he was never cynical.
He is survived by his wife, the artist Sufie Berger, and their two children.
The industry has changed because of Terry, and not always willingly. The best tribute we can pay him is to keep the door he forced open from closing.
Thank you, Terry.
Market News
TheChocolateWire
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More Topics That Some May Call News
Candy Industry Staff
The original press release from Barry Callebaut.
I was in Shanghai for the global launch event for Ruby in 2017 and in Venice for the 2022 global launch event for ā2nd Generation Chocolate,ā in addition to two other launch events.
TheChocolateWire
I will be taking some time to first-look decode Flavourcode and the press coverage surrounding it. I am reaching out to BC to see if I can get an interview with a member of the team who worked on the project. But until then ...
How Do You Save the Worldās Chocolate Supply?
You Reinvent Chocolate.
Candy prices are up 44% since 2021, but two groups of innovators are striving to solve the growing cocoa-bean shortage
Clay Gordon
Clay Gordon
And Finally:
There will not be a Salon du Chocolat NYC in early 2027 ā and maybe not at all.
The organizers of the Salon du Chocolat NYC in 2025 and 2026, Messe Frankfurt USA, have told me they are not going to continue to oversee the show in 2027. While I was not privy to their decision-making, my best guess is that they (Messe Frankfurt USA) were unable turn a profit, let alone break even.
This news follows reports I have heard that the recent Salon in Paris was ādisappointing,ā without many details. I hope to be talking with someone who was there presently and learn more about what did (and did not) happen.
I began my career as a professional chocolate critic, journalist, consultant, and educator in mid-May 2001. That means I am celebrating my 25th anniversary as a professional chocolate critic, journalist, consultant, and educator in 2026. To help me celebrate, I hope you will consider becoming a Lifetime Member!
This updated special offer is available through December 31, 2026.
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Clay Gordon
Clay Gordon