As Tomoya Yamashiki points to the three chocolate muffins before him, his eyes light up as he describes in turn their rich, umami and fruity flavors.
Though the muffins all contain the same two ingredients — cocoa beans and cane sugar — each one has a completely different taste. The secret, he explains, is the origin of the beans used to make them. And Yamashiki, quite the expert, can pinpoint whether the beans were sourced from Ecuador, Madagascar or the Dominican Republic after a mere mouthful.
Chocolate is a new industry for Yamashiki, the chief strategist of bean-to-bar maker Dandelion Chocolate Japan, Inc., but, like every other business in which the serial entrepreneur is involved, he is approaching it with gusto. Since joining the venture with business partner Seiji Horibuchi and Dandelion Chocolate co-founder and CEO Todd Masonis in 2015, he has traveled the Americas and Africa to meet cocoa farmers and has supported the opening of four stores across Japan where the Instagram-worthy selection of chocolate treats has earned the company a small yet loyal following.