Featured chocolate maker, July 2025

After years working in the chocolate industry in the US, Jenny Samaniego realized her place in the industry was supporting the cacao farmers in her home country of Ecuador. Her experience taught her that while Ecuador produces some of the best cacao in the world, Ecuadorian cacao farmers had difficulty finding a reliable and consistent market for their cacao abroad. She founded Conexión Chocolate to be their “conexión”. Working directly with Ecuador’s best producers in various cacao-growing regions around the country, Conexión makes their chocolate in Ecuador, adding value to the local economy.

I had the pleasure of spending time with Jenny in Ecuador, first at a cacao exporters conference in Guayaquil in 2023, followed by a trip to Ecuador with a group of chocolate lovers in 2024. At the conclusion of our 2024 trip, Jenny and her family invited me into their home for a four-day stay in Quito and introduced me to many wonderful Ecuadorian foods and cultural experiences.

Like the most successful chocolate tasters I know, Jenny takes every opportunity to learn from her environment and enhance her sensory capabilities. As she and I hiked along a trail in the town of Tumbaco with her colleague Mario Remanche, Jenny plucked flowers off trees, handing me blossoms to smell and asking me to describe the aromas. She analyzed the scent of each flower and continued to smell it for some time while we walked, noticing how the aromas changed over time.

While visiting a local corner market in her Quito neighborhood, she walked around the store, pointing to individual boxes of produce and asking me if I’d ever tasted the fruits inside. She purchased ones I didn’t recognize and presented them to me to taste, followed by a conversation about how I would describe the taste.

Jenny brings this passion and sensory sensibility to her work as one of the only female cacao and chocolate leaders in Ecuador. She is an impressive force of nature who has made a name for herself as an agent of change in an industry that is traditionally male-dominated.

Our members received a box of five Conexión chocolates in their July box in advance of our live virtual talk and tasting with Jenny.

About the Chocolate in July’s Box

• Manabi 70% – Made with cacao from the Fortaleza del Valle co-op in Manabí, Ecuador, this bar has a distinct aroma of wood with hints of vanilla. Aroma is an important part of your sensory experience, but not every chocolate has a strong or noticeable aroma. I find that this one does, which is surprising to me since cacao from Ecuador is often more delicate in aroma and flavor. The flavors I taste include rum, wood, nuts, a hint of red fruit and a chocolaty finish. Taste is personal, drawing on each of our unique taste memories and experiences, so you may notice different flavors. Even if you can’t put a name to the flavor notes, pay attention to whether the flavor changes as the chocolate melts in your mouth. Is there one prominent flavor, or do you notice many flavors? I particularly enjoy it when the flavors change as the chocolate melts, leading me on a complex tasting journey. The tasting notes on the box say “Exotic Red Fruits & Woody”. The red fruits are not as prominent for me, but I enjoy the subtle complexity of the other notes that shine through. This bar won a Bronze in the America’s round of the International Chocolate Awards.
• Esmeraldas 66% – This chocolate has a less-pronounced aroma and a balanced flavor. I taste notes of chocolate, caramel, nuts and a hint of tropical fruit. If I were judging this as part of the International Chocolate Awards I would give it marks for being “pleasantly bitter”. The bitterness marries well with the higher sugar content of the chocolate, leaving me with a decidedly chocolaty finish and not too much sweetness. Turn over the box and read the inspiring story on the back about Conexión partnering with a new generation of cacao farmers through the UOPROCAE cooperative. One of the challenges cacao farms face is losing the next generation of farmers to other professions. Farming cacao is a difficult venture requiring hard work in the face of many challenges, all for little pay. The recent spike in global cacao prices may help turn this trend in the other direction, but it’s not a sure thing. Conexión’s work contributes to ensuring Ecuador maintains its fine-cacao-growing legacy.
• Pineapple & Pink Salt 70% Manabi – Using the same Manabi 70% chocolate we tasted earlier, Conexión adds chunks of dried pineapple and flecks of pink sea salt to the back of each bar to create a tropical combination celebrating the flavors of Ecuador. While you have permission to chew this inclusion bar, I recommend giving the chocolate a chance to melt first to unleash its full flavor.
• Toasted Coconut Esmeraldas 66% – Another burst of flavor from the tropics, the pleasantly bitter notes of Esmeraldas marry beautifully with this coconut-forward chocolate. Give it a few seconds to melt before you begin to chew to enjoy its full flavors.
• Milk Chocolate & Almonds Esmeraldas 40% – An enjoyable, dessert-like chocolate of creamy, rich milk chocolate with slivers of almonds and a hint of vanilla.