Description: Deanna Dick is a licensed midwife, mom to three, and founding family member of Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate in Eureka, California. Partners in life and business, Deanna is chief confidant and strategic consultant to husband Adam Dick (1/2 of the founding duo of DT), as well as head of hiring and employee happiness. For almost a decade Dick Taylor Chocolate has pushed the craft boundaries, hacking vintage machines to custom outfit their ever-growing chocolate factory and serve ever-loyal and new customers on the California coast and beyond. As part of the ‘Class of 2010’ the company has strived to create a framework for craft chocolate utilizing their woodworking past as motivation for intuitively turning raw materials into masterpieces.
For sensitive ears, this episode touches on themes of anatomy, biological events, and Mary J.
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Midwife and chocolate mom Deanna. Photo credit: Deanna Dick
Themes discussed in the show:
Chocolate and women; pregnancy and breastfeeding and cacao and dark chocolate being a part of your diet
Minimizing preeclampsia (reducing blood pressure), stabilizing blood sugar levels and evading cortisol spikes
Deanna’s ever-changing roles within Dick Taylor, and juggling part-time work and full-time family alongside chocolate brand and factory growth
How a video from Mast Brothers catapulted Adam and Dustin from carpenter life to chocolate
The craft and sense of woodworking and chocolate making collide to form a business in the Redwoods, along the coast of California
The ongoing question of “who will buy this?” and pushing forward
Arriving at the caliber of chocolate they wanted to build the business upon and tweaking machinery to get that final outcome
Unique geography and past and present industries of Humboldt County, CA
The launch of a retail store after years of wholesale attention and investment
Focus on marketing, strategic thinking of how and when to announce product, how to get people through the door — seeing the strength in local support
Introducing farmer partners to new confidence after Big Industry has torn that down
Related links from the podcast episode:
The Meadow - specialty chocolate, salt, and bitters - in Portland and New York City
Jael Rattigan of French Broad Chocolate on the Well Tempered Podcast
Dave Elliott & Nat Bletter of Madre Chocolate in Hawaii
Proof Podcast from America’s Test Kitchen; ‘Cravings’ episode
3 chocolates Deanna would take to the Cosmos:
Zokoko in Australia Chale Milk 45%
Gianduia (any, it’s her chocolate weakness); Hogarth Chocolate is a favorite of hers
Dick Taylor limited edition Bolivia, Alto Beni; 2016 Good Food Award Winner
Where to find more from Deanna and Dick Taylor Chocolate:
Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate website
Instagram @dicktaylorchocolate
Facebook @dicktaylorchocolate
Where to find Lauren, host of Well Tempered and chocolate maker at WKND Chocolate:
Instagram: @wkndchocolate
Twitter: @wkndchocolate
Articles, podcasts, chocolate recipes, and Conversations in Cocoa at laurenonthewknd.substack.com