I. BEING YOU
What is your name? My name is Oscar Garcia.
Where do you live? I live in Barcelona.
What do you do for a living? I am the owner of Kina Chocolates, a bean to bar shop located in Barcelona.
Where people can reach you or follow your work (contact, social media…)
Instagram: @kina_chocolates
Website: www.kinachocolates.com
II. BEING CHOCOLATE TASTER
How did you decide to become chocolate taster?
I decided to become a chocolate taster because when I was living in Peru managing the Chocolate Museum I tasted different chocolates coming from different areas of the country and each of them tasted completely different to me, so I was always interested in unveiling those aromatic mysteries that I couldn’t understand.
What do you love the most about being chocolate taster? What attracts me most about working with chocolate is the pedagogical part, that is, transmitting to my clients all the cultural and chocolate knowledge I have acquired so that they can better appreciate cacao and chocolate.
What themes do you pursue in your work as chocolate taster? I really pay a lot of attention to the refinement and aromatic profiles. I love not only to be able to try different and new origins but also to see how local cuisine can be fused with chocolate.
What are your biggest challenges regarding being chocolate taster? Finding good cacao origins with interesting profiles at good prices.
What do you love the most about being chocolate taster? Taste new origins, especially those coming from a single farm.
What is the one thing you want people to learn and remember about chocolate? That chocolate can have very particular natural flavours without the addition of partial flavourings. And to obtain this high quality cocoa, it is necessary to work hand in hand with the farmers, who make a great effort in the fields.
What would be your advice for new chocolate tasters? My advice would be to never stop practising and learning, to go beyond the chocolates that we usually like the most. You can learn a lot from other chocolatiers, and especially not to be afraid to try everything from chocolates made with defective cocoa to new origins or unique gastronomic flavours.
III. BEING CHOCOLATE MAKER
How did you start producing chocolate? I studied tourism and, as a student, visited Peru. I fell in love with the country and decided to return after finishing my studies. When I returned, I was looking for a job in Quito and I found a museum that needed multilingual staff—turns out, it was a chocolate museum. That’s how it all began, almost by accident. I spent five years in Peru, learning about cacao, farms, and chocolate production. I also participated in the International Chocolate Awards in Peru, where I was introduced to IICCT.
After returning to Barcelona, I decided to teach people about cacao and enrolled in the IICCT course. Soon after, I realized I wanted to start making chocolate myself—despite never having done it before. Production began in 2023. The biggest challenge was finding the right equipment, but for me especially challenging was tempering, which is tricky without expensive machines. We started adding cacao butter from Callebaut to help, and now we buy cacao butter from Venezuela.
How do you see your business developing in the future?
I started alone, but now I have a team of five with plans to grow. I want to become a reference for a quality chocolate in Barcelona. We’re upgrading equipment step-by-step, especially with the high cacao prices, it is challenging. Workshops and tastings are also a big part of my business—they help educate customers about chocolate and the cacao supply chain, so they understand the value of what they’re buying. There’s still a lot to do, especially in explaining why bean-to-bar chocolates cost more, but once customers see the quality and understand the difference, they accept it as justified.
How does tourism in Barcelona impact your business?
Tourism is huge here, Barcelona has a bit over a million residents and more than 20 million tourists annually. In summer, locals leave, and sales drop. Tourists buy chocolates as souvenirs or gifts, join workshops, and look for chocolate-related activities. In winter, locals are the main customers; in summer, tourists take over. Barcelona has a strong chocolate culture, with many artisans passionate about bean-to-bar. Promoting this story helps customers appreciate the craftsmanship behind the chocolates they enjoy.
III. BEING IICCT ALUMNI
How long have you been an IICCT member? Since 2022.
What do you like the best about IICCT Alumni group? I love the way knowledge and experiences are exchanged in order to support each other.
How did completing the IICCT course help you start your chocolate business?
Answer: IICCT gave me confidence and useful knowledge. In Peru, I learned that origin alone isn’t enough, but I still needed to understand how to select, and communicate about cacao, explaining why different beans taste different and how to share that with customers.
The support from the IICCT community and other chocolate makers was invaluable. Monica Meschini advised me to send my chocolates to the International Chocolate Awards—not just for the medals, but for the feedback from judges. That was priceless for a beginner. I won silver and bronze medals in my first year, which was a great boost.
How do you see IICCT being part of your future?
Building a community is essential. There is an initiative to create a Spanish IICCT alumni group to connect makers, tasters, and industry professionals. There’s also a Spanish alliance of bean-to-bar producers, and I believe supporting each other is key to growth and innovate.
IV. BEING CHOCOLATE LOVER
What was the latest chocolate you tasted that really delighted you?
One of the last chocolates that I liked the most was one made with apple and millefeuille, not only because it fused pastry and chocolate, but also because of the explosion of flavours.
Is there some small, still not globally known chocolate-maker you would like more people to know about? Of course, Oscar Rodolfo in Mexico makes great chocolates, he has won medals in Mexico and globally at the Chocolate Awards and he is practically working on his own. He produces chocolates from Monday to Friday and then sells them on weekends. He works very hard and deserves people to know about his work.
What is your favorite cacao origin? I love the cacao of Cusco, the Chuncho. Not only because of its great aromas and buttery taste, but also because Cusco is the land where I lived for 5 years and where I learned so much about cacao. So I have a great love and affection for the cacao grown in this area.
What is your favorite chocolate or cacao related quote? The secret of good chocolate is good cacao and you cannot have good cacao without the work of the farmers.
