Would the world be a better place if we all paused to enjoy a square of sustainably-sourced craft chocolate every day? In honor of the Thanksgiving season, Reid and Aria treat Possible listeners to a discussion about chocolate, flavor, and sustainability. Joining them is Spencer Hyman, whose company, Cocoa Runners, sells craft chocolates from sustainability-minded artisan makers around the world. He gets into the difference between flavor and taste, along with the future of personalized nutrition and the art of savoring everything from chocolate to friendship. 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Topics:

2:33 - Hellos and intros

4:20 - Spencer’s journey into the world of chocolate

6:25 - The language of flavor

8:01 - How AI could impact taste

10:23 - Inflection’s Pi describes flavors in creative ways

13:03 - Leading a sustainable business that combines capital and social good

15:17 - Making chocolate more social

16:08 - Why chocolate is water-intensive 

18:32 - Waves of culinary trends and innovations 

22:17 - Midroll ad break

22:24 - Can technology help us better savor food?

25:14 - The next potential innovations in the food industry

28:07 - Why the order you eat things in matters

30:50 - Building meaningful connection via chocolate 

34:14 - A conversation with Spencer’s daughter about chocolate and relationship-building

38:18 - Rapid-fire questions