It’s The Crumbliest, Flakiest ENSO Newsletter

Well, here we are in the middle of several heat waves. I suppose it makes a change from the relentless rain, but are we built for this kind of weather in the UK? I’m not so sure.

It’s also not ideal conditions for chocolate eating, which I absolutely love. But at the moment, no sooner have you unwrapped a bar; it’s melted quicker than that bloke’s face in Raiders of the Lost Ark. 

But why am I segueing into talking about chocolate at all, you may wonder? In previous newsletters, I’ve spoken extensively about the growing importance of sustainability and corporate responsibility, and the story of Oro Chocolate takes these issues to heart. 

So I want to offer you an inspiring case study about how fantastic chocolate is made using ethical principles that benefits everyone in the supply chain. And in the interests of full transparency, this is a business owned by my Chicago-based brother-in-law Muffadal 

Dark Chocolate

I once worked with a person who told me they didn’t feel right unless they knew there was some chocolate in the house. They might not eat it, but the chocolate’s presence was enough to reduce any anxiety. 

This benign addiction shows why chocolate is a big business. But like similar comestibles such as avocados or coffee, chocolate has a dark side that includes financial exploitation, the use of child labour and a host of environmental impacts, not least of which is deforestation. ‘Big chocolate’ has a lot to answer for despite the millions they make. The journey from raw cacao to the pleasurable product we so readily wolf down is far from pretty. 

The Oro Chocolate team is determined to avoid these issues at all costs.

Chocolate Done Right

Unlike most narratives, we’ll start at the end when my bro’-in-law decided to open Oro Chocolate, a coffee and chocolate shop in downtown Chicago due to launch in summer this year. This was no mere post-pandemic whim but the culmination of a journey that started a decade earlier. 

Before returning to the US, Muffadal lived in Nicaragua for ten years, running various hostels, restaurants and hotels. While there, he invested in sustainable cacao farming. Cacao has grown in Nicaragua for generations as the climate is ideally suited to cultivating fine cacao. Today, the country is one of the primary producers of this sought-after crop. 

Combining his skills and interests, Muffadal began his journey to become one of only a few bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers making its chocolate in the origin country. 

As easy as that sounds, it’s a challenging business model, especially when marinated in a value-driven commitment to making chocolate ethically. 

First and foremost was Muffadal’s commitment to making a life-affirming, transformative contribution to Nicaraguan cacao farmers. This has many advantages : 

• Fostering mutually beneficial relationships with the farming communities. Ensuring cacao tree cultivation is sustainable.
• The ability to source ingredients directly and seasonally.
• Ethically employing more people in cacao-origin countries helps to ensure we treat them with dignity and respect.
• Acting as an ambassador for the expanding chocolate industry in Nicaragua.

It’s an excellent example of a firm setting its non-negotiable values before getting to the nuts and bolts of running the business.

Good With Chocolate

Focussing on a direct, farm-to-bar supply chain offers other added benefits. 

Single-origin means all the beans are sourced from the same country within the same region. This means the cacao beans used to make Oro Chocolate, in a similar way to wine and coffee production, have a distinctive ‘terroir’ that comes from the regional soil and climate conditions where they are grown. As a bonus, all the beans are grown and harvested organically, free from pesticides and other chemicals. Adding traditional fermentation and drying practices ensures the base ingredients will always be high-quality.

This melange of nature and time-served human innovation gives the resulting chocolate its unique character. And in the bean-to-bar chocolate industry, strengthening the link between exceptional harvesting practices and end-product consistency is what makes Oro single-source chocolate so delicious.

The company sources all their cacao in Nicaragua from Ingemann Fine Cacao and Cosecha Partners, who work with over 1500 farmers, helping them develop their businesses and strike a fair price for their harvests.

In short, traceability, transparency, and a commitment to reforestation, community development, and economic uplift throughout the supply chain are central to Oro’s business operations.

On a more frivolous note, Muffadal also organises farm and kitchen tours. The firm is based in a sunny resort called San Juan del Sur, and visitors can see and taste first-hand how Oro creates delicious chocolate in their kitchen at the Dentro El Pacifico Hotel. Then, assuming visitors aren’t too stuffed after eating a ton of choccy, they can have (optional) surf lessons. It’s an unusual combination, but it works!

A Business With Purpose

So we come full circle. The Casa Oro Group and the soon-to-be-launched Chicago cafe were born from Muffadal’s understanding that paying lip service to sustainability is insufficient. It takes time and energy to create a business that sources organic food, uses recycled/natural materials and connects directly with farmers. Oro Group’s entire ecosystem is about regenerating the planet, respecting Mother Nature, helping farming communities, growing local economies, and, most importantly, refreshing the human spirit. 

I hope you found that inspiring. It shows it’s possible to do great business while ensuring everyone involved gets a fair share. Oro’s values-driven business ethics have certainly contributed to my thinking about the kind of company I want Enso to be. I hope we can soon enjoy some Oro products in the UK as Muffadal’s business goes from strength to strength.

Fun Facts About Chocolate

Because this is an undeniably chocolate-coated newsletter, let’s keep up the theme with a few fun facts about this delicious product…

Chocolate dates back at least 4,000 years. The Mayans and Aztecs were among the first civilisations to cultivate cacao beans to eat and drink.

Chocolate contains a small amount of caffeine. A typical chocolate bar contains about 5-20 milligrams of caffeine. Not a lot, but stimulating nonetheless.

The Swiss eat more chocolate than any other country, with an average of 8.8 kilograms consumed per person yearly. Phew!

Yay, at last, a finance-related factoid! Chocolate was a form of currency for the Aztecs and Mayans. They used cacao to pay their taxes and tributes.

Chocolate in moderation can be beneficial for your health. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants called flavonoids, which have various health benefits, including improved heart health.

The largest chocolate bar ever made weighed 5,792.50 kilograms. It was made in Armenia in 2010.

The melting point of chocolate is around 34°C, the same temperature as human metabolism. This is why chocolate readily melts in the mouth (or liquefies in hot weather).

Chocolate has been to space! NASA has included chocolate in the menu for astronauts. However, the chocolate is specially processed to withstand the unique conditions of space.

The first recognisable chocolate bar was made in 1847 by Joseph Fry in England. Before that, it came in liquid or paste form.

The world’s oldest known chocolate bar dates back over 100 years and was discovered in 2001 in a museum in Cambridge.

Chocolate can affect the brain. It stimulates the release of endorphins, which are natural mood-lifting compounds.

Onwards & Upwards

You may have seen my notes about staffing changes at Enso. Josh has moved on to pastures new, and I’d like to thank him for all his hard work and wish him all the best for the future. 

On a related note, Enso has recently achieved ACCA Approved Employer status. This industry award proves our commitment to improving professionalism and excellence in the accounting and finance sector, especially in how we develop our staff.

Enso is now the perfect platform for a talented and ambitious accounting or finance professional seeking a rewarding career path with enormous scope for career growth and development.

Do you know anyone ready to take the next step in their accounting or finance career and embark on an exciting journey with a forward-thinking organisation? Maybe recommend they get in touch about joining my team to help shape the future of the accounting and finance industry.

OK, that’s it for this month. I hope you found the content inspiring. I suspect many will now be heading to the shop for a high-quality choccy bar, and I, for one, wouldn’t blame you!

All the best

Adam