手工艺创业者

    很多手工巧克力作坊的创始人，包括米米•维勒在内，最初的动力都是出于对巧克力，而不是对商业的热爱。维勒辞掉干了25年的社工工作，在密歇根州艾姆派尔创办了一家巧克力店，名字叫杂货商老板的女儿（Grocer's Daughter）。她有很多定期光顾的老客户，有些人来免费帮忙，也有些人成了店里的雇员。

    她说：“很多人不求回报，慷慨相助。”她把这些朋友编成“巧克力品尝团”，其中有个人说服她将这家租来的铺子涂成亮绿色。这些朋友还帮助她联系到了第一个批发客户——Zingerman's Delicatessen。

    维勒的店一周营业七天。去年，店里的销售额增长了40%。维勒在店里种了很多花草，有薰衣草、罗勒、迷迭香和薄荷，这些都会成为巧克力中的配料。维勒说，杂货商的女儿会雇佣一些“非常有创意的巧克力制造者”，其中有些只有十几岁。他们最初只是店里的顾客，后来却变成了员工。他们发明了一种香辣巧克力包裹的腌肉，还在巧克力中尝试加入茶叶。维勒说：“人们通常来店里都会问：‘这个星期又有什么新花样？’”

    Artisanal entrepreneur

    Many of those who launch artisanal chocolate shops, including Mimi Wheeler, are inspired by a love for chocolate, not business. Wheeler left her 25-year career as a social worker to create Grocer's Daughter, a shop in Empire, Mich. Customers come by regularly, some have turned into unpaid helpers and some joined her staff.

    "I saw an immense spirit of helpfulness and generosity," she says. She enlisted friends to join "tasting teams," and one of them convinced her to paint the leased shop a brilliant green. Her friendships also helped her land her first wholesale account: Zingerman's Delicatessen.

    Her shop is open seven days a week, and sales increased 40% last year. Wheeler grows herbs there, which show up in the chocolates: lavender, basil, rosemary, and mint. Grocer's Daughter employs some "very creative chocolatiers," Wheeler says, including some teens who started visiting the shop and ended up working there. They've developed a chocolate chili rub meat marinade and started using teas in chocolate. "People come and say, 'What's new this week?' says Wheeler.

    巧克力品鉴师

    高迪瓦巧克力（Godiva）雇佣了数百名员工生产、销售巧克力。但公司最难招聘到合适人才的岗位是感官技术专家（sensory technologists）——也就是“那些能够区分不错的巧克力和极好的巧克力之间的差别的人，”高迪瓦全球资深研究和品质副总裁韦恩•普格利亚说。这些技术专家需要能察言观色，从消费者试吃巧克力的反应中捕捉信息。他们需要掌握消费者对一款新巧克力的外观感受、包装拆开的难易、在口中多快融化。他们同时还要了解不同地区之间的偏好差异，普格利亚指出，例如欧洲人吃的巧克力必须更醇厚，甜度较低，比美国的巧克力有更丰满的可可口感。“这份工作需要很高的天分，”他补充说。“高迪瓦认为巧克力是‘食品和时尚的综合体’。”

    The tester

    Godiva hires hundreds of people to make and sell chocolates. But the hardest jobs to fill are sensory technologists, "people who can distinguish between really good and really great," says Wayne Puglia, Godiva's senior vice president of global research and quality. Such professionals need to read between the lines as they watch consumers take taste tests. They need to understand the reaction to a new chocolate's appearance, ease of opening, how quickly it melts in the mouth. They also need to know regional preferences, says Puglia, noting that European chocolates must be richer, less sweet, and have more pronounced cocoa notes than American chocolates. "It requires a high degree of intuition," he says. Godiva considers chocolate "a hybrid of food and fashion."

    可可种植农夫

    大部分的可可农夫都在第三世界国家，例如多米尼加、厄瓜多尔、巴西、加纳和马来西亚。不过在过去15年里，有一些可可种植园也进入了夏威夷，还有专家认为在波多黎各也能种植可可。可可种植是一项劳动力密集型的工作，可可果必须逐一采摘，因为它们不是同时成熟的。不过，对于巧克力爱好者来说，在可可庄园里工作几个月，是职业生涯很好的一个开端。资深巧克力从业人士称，这项工作能让人了解到巧克力制造的最源头，也能将你引向巧克力制造的其他环节。

    Cacao farmer

    Most cacao farmers work outside the U.S. in countries like the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Brazil, Ghana, and Malaysia. But over the past 15 years, a few cacao orchards have been springing up in Hawaii, and experts say they are viable in Puerto Rico, too. Cacao farming is a labor-intensive process, and the cacao pods must be harvested individually because they do not all ripen at once. Yet for someone who's interested in chocolate, spending a few months at a "chocolate farm" could be an excellent career starter. The job brings people to the very beginnings of the chocolate-making process, and that can lead to opportunities elsewhere, veteran chocolatiers say.

    巧克力雕刻家

    他们将成堆的巧克力变成沙滩上的感恩节兔子、美丽的白巧克力兰花、微缩的巧克力房子和摩天大楼。他们的作品点缀着婚礼蛋糕、慈善晚宴和奢华的商业活动。有些巧克力艺术家建立起了自己的品牌和声誉，还有一些则默默无闻地工作着。他们大部分为糕饼店或巧克力店工作。因为市场对巧克力雕刻的需求不是很旺盛，也并非必须，所以他们很多只是兼职工作。不过，最顶尖的巧克力雕刻家可以去全球参加竞赛，出席各种重大典礼，他们的职业道路和明星厨师差不多。

    Chocolate sculptors

    Out of hunks of chocolate, they fashion Easter bunnies on the beach, beautiful white chocolate orchids, miniature houses, and skyscrapers. Their work graces wedding cakes, charity parties, and luxurious corporate events. Some chocolate artists have developed brands and reputations while others work in obscurity. Many of them work for pastry or chocolate shops. And because demand isn't necessarily high for chocolate sculpture, many spend only a portion of their time sculpting. Yet the very best chocolate sculptors compete internationally, are flown in for major events, and carve out careers akin to celebrity chefs.

    侍酒师

    传统的侍酒师是帮助食客挑选合适的葡萄酒来佐餐。而一名巧克力侍酒师则专为葡萄酒挑选合适的巧克力来满足人们的味蕾。图中这位女士名叫洛葛仙妮•勃朗宁，她是美国酒吧协会（American Bar Association）的巧克力侍酒师，在长岛和其他一些地方的酒庄服务。

    勃朗宁2010年在长岛创办了异国巧克力品尝公司（Exotic Chocolate Tasting），部分是因为她希望帮助美国本土的可可农场，阻止热带可可农场对雨林的破坏。创办公司之前，她曾经从事过广告行业，还当过长岛一个小镇的镇长。现在，她同全球14家不同的巧克力公司打交道。虽然现在她还是个体户，但随着业务扩张，她也开始寻找另一个既懂葡萄酒也懂巧克力的人来和她一起工作。勃朗宁说：“这是我干过的最有意思的工作。”

    Sommelier

    Typically, a sommelier assists diners in choosing the right wine to pair with their dinner. A chocolate sommelier matches chocolates to wines and to people's tastes. Roxanne Browning (right) has served as a chocolate sommelier to the American Bar Association, at wineries on Long Island, and more.

    Browning founded Exotic Chocolate Tasting on Long Island in 2010 in part because she hopes to help indigenous cacao farmers and stop rainforest erosion. She started the company after a career in advertising and a stint as mayor of a small town on Long Island. She works with 14 different chocolate companies from around the world. Right now, she's a solo act, but as the business expands, she's starting to look for another person who knows wine and chocolate to work with her. "This is the most fun I've ever had," says Browning.

    巧克力历史学家

    有些大学教授的工作就是整天追溯巧克力4,000多年的历史。历史学家马克•西森提会按古代中美洲玛雅人的方式来喝热巧克力，也会和讲座听众一起分享古代的可可味道。这种饮料包含100%的纯可可、水、草药、若干种鲜花和香料、坚果，还有一点点蜂蜜。

    西森提研究了巧克力饮料的历史，还希望能开一家古典的巧克力吧，按这种饮料的原始形态来制作销售。他目前的工作是独立巧克力历史学家，为团体或博物馆做讲座，也在巧克力论坛上参加私人品尝会，开展巧克力历史讲座。西森提还在圣达菲社区学院（Santa Fe Community College）讲授巧克力历史和基础制作方法，同时兼职担任苹果电脑技师。西森提常常喜欢将历史与现在的事件关联起来，特别是将奴隶贸易和巧克力相结合。他说：“这里面有惊人丰富的资料，我可以讲上几小时。”

    Chocolate historian

    A handful of professionals spend their days tracing the 4,000 years of chocolate history. Chocolate historian Mark Sciscenti shares old-school cocoa's taste with his lecture audiences, who sip hot chocolate the way it was made by Mayans during the Mesoamerican era. The drink contains 100% cacao chocolate, water, herbs, several flowers, spices, nuts, and a little honey.

    Sciscenti has researched the drinks and hopes to begin producing a chocolate bar for sale that would be similar to the early cocoa. He works as a freelance chocolate historian, speaking to groups and museums, and doing private tastings and history lessons at conferences. Sciscenti also teaches chocolate history and basic cooking methods at Santa Fe Community College and works part-time as an Apple computer technician. Sciscenti often ties the history to current events, particularly around the connections between the slave trade and chocolate. "There's an unbelievable amount of information. I could talk for hours," he says.

    巧克力制作师

    “巧克力制作师”是一个很宽泛的工作头衔，从确定配方和生产计划的公司领导，到负责切碎水果、混合巧克力原浆和其它配料的生产助理。他们有些人同时也是酒店或高级餐厅的糕点师，也有些为小型巧克力店服务。跨国企业嘉吉可可和巧克力公司（Cargill Cocoa & Chocolates）的发言人说，他们公司巧克力制作师的工作是开发新的配方，为客户和企业主提供培训，为包括一些大型食品生产商在内的客户答疑解难。嘉吉的巧克力制作师也可能会去海外参加交易会等活动，做一些现场展示。

    Chocolatier

    Chocolatier is a catchall job title that could mean many things, from the head person who creates recipes and directs plans for production, to the assistant who chops fruits and measures raw chocolate and other ingredients. Some work as part of a team of pastry chefs in a hotel or major restaurant, others work for small shops. At multinational Cargill Cocoa & Chocolates, the chocolatier develops new recipes, teaches classes to clients, including business owners, and troubleshoots with customers, which include major food makers. A Cargill chocolatier may also oversee demonstrations at trade shows and events, a spokeswoman says.

    导游

    从巴塞罗那到巴黎，从波士顿到旧金山，巧克力商店随处可见。这给巧克力主题旅行社带来了成熟的商机。有些线路全程步行，不过达拉斯的巧克力之旅（Dallas by Chocolate）提供加长版豪华车全程接送的选项，费用是每人75美元。普通的达拉斯巧克力之旅费用在30到45美元之间，游客乘坐一辆小巴，一路经过公司老板珍妮•史蒂文斯精心挑选的巧克力商店。史蒂文斯在2011年夏天创办了这家旅行社。

    她的第一笔生意是招待自己的同学姐妹们，获得的成功令她大受鼓舞，尽管她回忆那天“几乎有华氏107度（摄氏42度）”。后来业务不断增长，但也遇到过挫折。有时候，很难说服独立的巧克力商店提供免费试吃。但史蒂文斯说，通常几乎每个参加活动的游客都会买上一些，而且会成为回头客。

    史蒂文斯说：“人们喜欢美食，也喜欢逃离现实。”她最近新增了两条巧克力旅游线路，还有一系列其它美食的旅游线，包括一条主打熏肉的线路。她把这块新增的业务叫做“饕餮达拉斯”。不过巧克力仍然是她的主业。她说：“巧克力永远不会错。”（财富中文网）

    译者：周详

    The tour guide

    From Barcelona and Paris to Boston and San Francisco, chocolate shops abound. This offers a ripe opportunity for chocolate tour companies. Some are walking tours, but Dallas by Chocolate offers stretch limousine tours for $75 a person. Most of Dallas by Chocolate tours, though, cost $30 to $45, and guests travel on a small bus to shops carefully selected by owner Jeanine Stevens. She started the business in the summer of 2011.

    Stevens's first tour, for some of her sorority sisters, gave her encouragement, though "it was 107 [degrees] that day," she recalls. The business has grown but not without some sour moments. Sometimes it's difficult to convince independent chocolate shops to give away samples. Yet often, almost everyone on the chocolate tours buys sweets before they leave, and, she says, they return to the shops later.

    "People love to eat, and they love to escape," says Stevens. She's added two new tour guides and a line of food tours including one based on bacon. She calls that part of her business Dallas Bites. Yet chocolate is her mainstay. "How can you go wrong with chocolates?"