Bean to Barstool

David Nilsen

A podcast exploring the intersections of craft beer and craft chocolate.

  1. 5 MAY

    Collaboration Case Study: Estelle Tracy on Educators Partnering with Craft Chocolate Makers

    We recently wrapped up our four-episode series called Collaboration for Chocolate Makers, which looked at different collaboration ideas for craft chocolate companies. Today, we’re looking at a case study of a specific kind of creative collaboration within the industry to pick apart how it worked, and how you can apply it at your own chocolate operation. Estelle Tracy of 37 Chocolates is a chocolate educator whose has been a guest on Bean to Barstool numerous times (you can find links to those episodes below). She reached out to me a few weeks back to let me know about a unique collaboration she was involved in in 2025.  Estelle worked with Castronovo, a popular craft chocolate maker, to release a limited chocolate bar, and then led a virtual event to tell the story of the bar. In our conversation today, Estelle talks about how she approached the pairing, how it worked, what the advantages were on both sides, and what you need to know if you want to pursue a similar collab as either a craft chocolate maker or an educator or enthusiast. Episode timeline: 1:00 - Narrated introduction 3:35 - Beginning of interview 6:50 - Summary of Estelle's collab with Castronovo 12:05 - How she pitched the collab idea 14:10 - Exclusivity of collab bar 21:05- Business advantage for the maker 22:50 - Developing the collab bar 26:20 - Collaborations between enthusiasts and makers 32:15 - Things she's do differently next time 36:10 - End of interview, closing thoughts on conversation Mentioned in this episode: Moka Origins Amazon Conservation Team J.Street Chocolate World Beer Cup 2026 winners Craft Chocolat Challenge 2026 winners Rhyme & Reason Chocolate Indulgence Chocolatiers Beato Chocolates DC Chocolate Society's Ultimate Chocolate Festival Survival Guide Lucid Chocolatier Past episodes mentioned: Brewing Pastry Stouts Thoughtfully with Wandering Monsters Brewing Hi Wire Brewing's 10W-40 Chocolate Imperial Stouts Wolves, Sons, and Ethereal Confections Brad Kintzer of TCHO Chocolate Elmer Pineda of Yojoa Chocolate in Honduras Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.

    49 min
  2. 21 ABR

    Collaboration for Chocolate Makers, Part 4: Creative Collaborations To Consider

    This is the fourth and final part in a series called Collaboration for Chocolate Makers. In the series, we walk through different types of possible collaborations and how craft chocolate makers should go about them. In this episode, we talk about ideas for creative, outside-the-box collaborations—Partnerships with businesses or community entities that you might not think about as options but can really lead to some cool storytelling and visibility. I fully expect I’ve missed more ideas than I’ve come up with here, so please share others as you think of them! Collaboration for Chocolate Makers series: Podcast Episodes Why Do It, and General Considerations Collaborating with Beverage Alcohol Producers Collaborating with Other Craft Chocolate Makers Creative Collaborations to Consider (you're listening to it!) Blog Posts Why It’s Worth It, and Things To Consider Collaborating with Beverage Alcohol Producers, and Drinks-Based Collabs Chocolate-Based Collabs with Beverage Alcohol Producers Collaborating with Other Craft Chocolate Makers Creative Collaborations to Consider (coming soon) Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.

    22 min
  3. 7 ABR

    Collaboration for Chocolate Makers, part 3: Working with Other Craft Chocolate Makers

    This is the third in a four-part bonus series called Collaborations for Chocolate Makers. In the series, we'll walk through different types of possible collaborations and how craft chocolate makers should go about them. Today we’re going to talk about an opportunity for collaboration that I think is wildly underutilized in craft chocolate: Craft chocolate makers collaborating on products with other craft chocolate makers.  In this episode, we talk about the untapped potential of collaborations within craft chocolate. We discuss the unique advantages of these collabs, examples of how these chocolate collaborations can work, how to approach them, occasions for collabs, and particular things to consider before embarking on one. Collaboration for Chocolate Makers series: Podcast Episodes Why Do It, and General Considerations Collaborating with Beverage Alcohol Producers Collaborating with Other Craft Chocolate Makers (you're listening to it) Creative Collaborations to Consider (coming soon) Blog Posts Why It’s Worth It, and Things To Consider Collaborating with Beverage Alcohol Producers, and Drinks-Based Collabs Chocolate-Based Collabs with Beverage Alcohol Producers Collaborating with Other Craft Chocolate Makers (coming soon) Creative Collaborations to Consider (coming soon) Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.

    20 min

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A podcast exploring the intersections of craft beer and craft chocolate.

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