EVENT REPORT
directly (or one degree removed) involved in farming activities, you don’t need to explain what it means to be a farmer to them. There is an immediate connection and understanding about farming and farming communities, which means that the conversations between attendees and vendors begin at a different place. Having just completed its second edition,
the MCCF is not a huge, sprawling event, but that is by design. While any successful festival must provide a place where chocolate makers, confectioners, equipment manufacturers, and others can sell their products (balancing the competing, sometimes contradictory, demands of organizers, vendors, and attendees), the MCCF organizers prioritize unique educational and community-building programming for everyone involved, but especially for vendors. Recognizing that it can be expensive to
participate in a festival, especially when traveling internationally (and in 2025, Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, Japan, Liberia, Madagascar, Mexico, and Norway were represented), the organizers expanded a homestay program where members of the community welcome festival participants into their homes. I have twice stayed in the historic Willkie House, which was built in the 1880s. (Wendell Willkie was the Republican presidential candidate in 1940, losing to FDR.) While the homestay program reduces the cost
of participating in the festival, it also enables deep connections to the history of Rushville and between the host family and guests; friendships blossom that would not have happened if the out- of-town visitors stayed in a hotel. Another benefit is that host families became
invested in the success of the chocolate festival. Festival organizers also provided breakfast and lunch to vendors and volunteers on setup day, as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner (after teardown) on the day of the festival. This reduces the cost to participate, of course, but more importantly, it keeps everyone together and energy high, providing many opportunities for networking with other vendors, sponsors, and volunteers. Lunch on Saturday featured a local specialty – Rushville-style chili (which is very different from Cincinnati-style chili) shared by one of the volunteers. Instead of incorporating spaghetti, it is accompanied by a peanut butter and honey sandwich. (I would
top of the educational programming available to attendees. One international participant spent three
MEANINGFUL INNOVATION CAN BE FOUND IN THE
MOST UNEXPECTED PLACES, OFTEN DRIVEN BY PLAYERS NOT BOUND BY FORMAT OR TRADITION OR THE NEED TO MAXIMIZE PROFIT.
days with a local chocolate maker, each making chocolate from the same beans. After roasting and winnowing, each made chocolate according to their process, and on Sunday morning after the festival there was a gathering where the different processes were explained, and the two chocolates were tasted to see how they differed. (Very.) Although not a planned part of the educational programming, this was an excellent, eye-opening exercise for everyone who participated, and organizers are looking to make something similar an integral part of future festivals. One bit of feedback that was taken to heart
after the 2024 festival was that vendors said there was not enough time to taste – and swap or buy – the work of the other vendors. So, time was built into the schedule for this specific activity. All the above is to support my proposition that meaningful innovation can be found in the most unexpected places, often driven by players not bound by format or tradition or the need to maximize profit. (The MCCF is overseen by a 501(c)(3) organization that operates the venue for the festival.) What happens when you create a chocolate
never have thought to try this combination unless it was served up and hyped by locals. It was surprisingly tasty, providing another connection to Rushville culture.) Education is a component of most festivals, but the MCCF places special emphasis on providing educational opportunities to vendors. Friday afternoon, after setup was completed and before the evening VIP reception began, was devoted to presentations with Q&A. Every presenter was directly involved in chocolate or cocoa, and the topics included finance, marketing, quality, genetics, and a tasting. On Saturday, there were one- on-one coaching/consultation sessions where vendors could spend thirty minutes asking questions of experts, at no extra charge. On
festival under those circumstances? The MCFF was first imagined by Dustin Cornett, a craft chocolate maker who moved to Rushville from Kentucky in 2024. Dustin is also the founder of the Craft Chocolat Challenge – a global competition for small chocolate makers. Chocolate acknowledges no boundaries:
Regional chocolate festivals deserve industry support. Your support. Companies – you – need to look beyond
quarterly returns and invest in the success of these efforts – the return over the long run is customers who are loyal and who care, and deeper insight into what is important to key consumer constituencies that drive change.
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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2025/26 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • 39
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