Two Cowboys: Master Chocolat - Bernard Callebaut, Calgary - Alberta

Obsessed With What You Do...

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What will you do if you lose your business of thirty years, your recipes, your trademarks and even the right to use your own name? You do what you've always done. Passionately, you start again and make the things you love. Every time you work on it, you strive to make it even better! With a name such as Callebaut, one cannot help but have chocolate in your veins. 

Chocolaterie Callebut’ was established in 1911 by Octaaf Callebaut in the small Belgian village of Wieze. His chocolate company took up the same factory building his grandfather Eugène Callebaut, which was founded as a family-run brewing and milling company called ‘De Ploeg’ in 1850. Not far from this location, young Bernard grew up into a world of chocolate.

Bernard wanted to explore the world, and Calgary benefitted as a result. The far west of Canada was introduced to the finer art of flavour when he fell in love with the mountains and the prairie. Here at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Bernard Callebaut established his Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut three decades ago.

He was once Calgary’s king of chocolate. He led a small empire of confection retail stores, a vast distribution network and a well-loved brand. As a fifth generation Belgian chocolatier his 53,000 square foot chocolate factory absorbed a full building, and everybody had Callebaut chocolate for weddings, birthdays, and Christmas in western Canada. 

In 2010 things went wrong. Bernard's bids to hold on to his company failed. Not only did he lose recipes, trademarks and a brand he spent most of his life to build, he even lost the right to use his own name. While you can take everything away from a Producer, the one thing no one can take from him is his Passion. 

Bernard still has the same great love for the product than he's been making as a young entrepreneur chocolatier. He still has the same drive to show, tell and inspire people to taste his chocolate creations. Most of all, he still has his knowledge and skill to make chocolate taste great. No one can trademark, copyright, tax, permit, or take this away from him: Passion and knowledge are his, for good.

Bernard Callebaut is a renowned Master Chocolatier, with five generations of experience behind him. He is always focused on the balance of taste and style. Fellow chocolatiers, chefs and gastronomes around the world revere him. Having brought worldwide recognition to his craft, many accolades have been bestowed upon him, such as:

• Winner for ‘Best Milk Chocolate Bar’ – 2013 International Chocolate Salon Awards in Los Angeles.
• Winner for ‘Best Chocolate Boutique’ – 2013 Top Choice Awards in Calgary.
• Silver Award – 2015 International Academy of Chocolate Awards in London.
• Bernard was the first North American to be bestowed the honour of “l’Ordre  Internationale  de la  Gastronomie  Francaise”, recognized by the French Government for outstanding contribution to the culinary arts.
• As the  founder of  Chocolaterie  Bernard  Callebaut,  he ran  the organization  for over  27  years. Today, the company doesn't even credit its heritage, or him as the founder. 

As  Calgary’s very own father of chocolate, Bernard is still proud to present his offerings and newest creations. He does it now as Master Chocolat with a small stall at the market. He is a Producer at heart. He is still driven to make something of value, make it better, and share it with people that are interested in his creations.

Impressions

We find Bernard where he is most comfortable, at the counter of his little chocolate shop at the Calgary Farmers' Market, where he tells his customers about his greatest passion and shares it with anyone willing to stay a moment to listen and taste Bernard's Artisan Chocolate.

"Starting over is a great opportunity to reinvent," Bernard affirmed. "It gives you a chance to try new things. I get to talk to my customers again, and try new recipes." Bernard shared his secret: The pleasure of seeing a person enjoy his chocolate is one of the biggest drivers that motivates Bernard to keep doing what he does."

When we visited his small factory nearby, we found the same passion with his staff. Bernard shared a piece of chocolate with us that is a new recipe he's been working on. "This one is going to a competition in London. Who knows, maybe they'll like it?" Bernard exclaimed.

It is almost unbelievable to meet a person with Bernard's lineage, background and stature in the world of chocolate. His story is even more amazing. To think that you can lose all you've accomplished, but still hang on to your passion and be proud of who you are and what you've accomplished. It is a privilege to know Bernard and tell a little bit of this phenomenal story.

It is even more amazing to get to know a little more of the person of Bernard Callebaut. Not his chocolate, but the man with a passion for making good chocolate.

This opportunity affirmed for us our own goal of why we should tell the world of our makers and the people that are creating our world: Our Producers. Not the Government. Not the Corporation. Not the Bank. But, these are the people that ultimately create our word. Governments come and go. Banks change and disappear. Some of them can even take your rights away to use their own name. But the one thing they can never take from you the producer is passion! This, Bernard has in spades.

Thank you for this amazing opportunity, Bernard.

Hendrik van Wyk
Producer

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Photos

Master

Passion

Master Chocolat

At the Market

Sweet

Two Cowboys: First Three Months in Review - Motivation, Inspiration and Appeal

The First Three Months

Hendrik van Wyk
Producer

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Two Cowboys on a Journey: Eau Claire Distillery, Turner Valley - Alberta

The Essence of Alberta

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Alberta is well known for its black gold. The Province is loved and loathed for its production of oil. It has been more 100 years since the discovery of oil and gas. Turner Valley was the first place in the province to become well known for the abundance of this valuable resource. 

There is another gold that made Alberta famous or infamous at the turn of the last century. This one came in a glass. During the 1870's there were many independent companies trading whisky to the Native peoples of the south-west part of the North-West Territories. In 1873, the Canadian government formed the North-West Mounted Police to reduce the use of alcohol as a trading currency. Prohibition ensued in 1916 to distill in 1923. However, the commercial production of whisky and beer and any form of liqueur remained under tight control of the Alberta Government, until relatively recently.

Today, the price and production of Oil is under pressure. Thousands of Albertans are forced to find alternative ways to make a living. Sooner or later history usually repeats itself. It is almost inevitable that the resourcefulness of these people brings them right back to the core products that are made possible by a strong agricultural heritage. Alberta's farming gold. Alberta produces some of the worlds best grains and honey. The grains make Alberta beef taste phenomenal. With honey, it is also the backbone and currency that drives a renaissance in the production of the best beer, spirits and mead. 

Alberta exports its honey, barley, malt and wheat without adding much value. It is sent to countries like Scotland where it is made into the world's best Scotch. Germans use their barley and wheat to brew their beer. This is about to change. A few outstanding entrepreneurial Albertans are taking the lead at using Albert's other gold to produce amazing products. 

Impressions

Alberta is slowly getting back into the liqueur business. The history is deep. Many say it is in their Alberta veins. David Farran and his team at Turner Valley's Eau Claire Distillery is one of the Producers that is putting Alberta on the world stage of craft distilling. Their Parlour Gin is delicious. We cannot wait to taste their whisky when it is ready in 2018.

Eau Claire's two young master distillers (one an import from Scotland) use the very best ingredients local Alberta has to offer. "It comes from my farm, fifteen minutes down the road," Farran says. They distil small batches with unique attributes of the terroir. A little bit of Turner Valley, some of Olds, and cacti from the Southern Prairies of Alberta (I will let you discover this one for yourself). 

Farm-fresh ingredients and historic hand-crafted methods define Eau Claire’s artisanal spirits that redefine taste, one ‘grain-to-glass’ experience at a time. When you have a sniff and a snort of Eau Claire's elixirs, you smell and taste the essence of Alberta. 

For now, it is also the only place where you can get it. Right here in Alberta.

Thank you, David, for sharing it with us. We are glad you are one of us.

Hendrik van Wyk

Producer

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All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

Thirsty

Eau Claire

Happiness

Where it began...

Two Cowboys on a Journey: Smithbilt Hats, Calgary - Alberta

The White Hatters of Calgary

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The company Smithbilt Hats Inc. has been crafting hats since 1919. After doing research on what type of business to open, a young entrepreneurial Morris Shumiatcher went to his local bank and borrowed $300 to buy Calgary Hat Works, and Smithbilt Hats was born. This means the company is actually older than the ninety-seven years it had its name.

In 1946 they've made the first white Cowboy Hat. The White Hat would become the internationally recognized symbol of the Calgary Stampede and the City of Calgary. In 1949, Mayor Don Mackay donned a White Smithbilt on a mission to promote Calgary and began handing out the White Hat to visiting dignitaries. The City of Calgary continues this tradition today. 

Most Calgarians know this story already, but do we still remember what it is all about?

Today, not many people wear hats and even fewer wear cowboy hats. This changes in this part of the world during Stampede, which takes place the first weeks of July every year. For this event, everyone in the region dusts off their cowboy hats and for one amazing week they are all Cowboys and Cowgirls again.

Every year, as we put away our hats after the festivities of the Stampede, I cannot help but wonder if there is still a place for a Cowboy in today's world? Is there still significance to the symbol of a Cowboy hat in today's Calgary and western society in general? 

Some may argue the city has lost its heritage in favour of becoming a typical North American metropolis, that it is indistinguishable from places such as Denver or Houston. Just a smaller version. Have we become what many feared may come from the multicultural melting pot, where everyone is somebody and nobody is actually anybody? What happened to the real Cowboys among us?

If you ask the older folk, they tell you quickly about the value system of the typical Cowboy. There are many versions, but it usually goes something like this:

• Honour: No one carries honour like a cowboy. To him, it's like breathing. It is who he is.
• Loyalty: He rides for the brand, for his family and for his people.
• Independence: The west and what it stands for is inbred in a cowboy. Some may call him a rebel. The pioneering spirit is what sets him apart.
• Bravery: A cowboy, whether working or rodeo, faces elements and dangerous animals without fear. He perseveres with his conviction and is ready to face the consequences, whether they are good or bad.
• A sense of Self: A cowboy has a unique ability to be himself. As Paul Brandt put it in his song for Alberta: "Independence in their veins." A person identifies himself with Cowboy is a person that knows who he is, and can be.

I reason that these are values that still prevail in today's world. In our travels, we've found them often, and in particular, prevailing amongst the people that make things: The Producers. The people responsible for the foundation of our economy and our society: 

• Honour: Producers realize that you don't take something that doesn't belong to you. You earn what you have through honourable hard work, by building something that provides value to the people around you.
• Loyalty: They are loyal to their identity, family, workers and communities. They are particularly loyal to the people that value who they are and appreciates them for what they do.
• Independence: The Producers are the people that ask: "Why not?". Their independence moves creative innovation and drives us forward to find better ways to live, care and look after ourselves and our world we live in.
• Bravery: Ask anyone that dares to establish a producing and manufacturing business just how hard it is to be successful. While you fight for a place in the market you are confronted with heavy taxes, levies, licenses, legislation and regulations. Every non-producer and service provider out there is determined to milk you as Producer, in every way possible for the very last drop of benefit they can extract from your efforts. Producers are the bravest among us.
• A sense of Self: Every Producer and maker know the satisfaction and value they derive from what they make. Many will tell you, they would be doing it, even if they cannot make a living from it. They have a rare gift of self-worth. Their skills and values cannot easily be taken from them.

For the similar values between that of a Cowboy and a Producer, I wear my Cowboy hat proudly - now a Smithbilt hat. I subscribe to the values of a Cowboy, and I salute the Producers amongst us, who dare to make something and make a difference.

Impressions

We thought we had the wrong building when looking for the Smithbilt shop and factory. We drove by a number of times before we realized that this is in fact where we should be. The Smithbilt branded truck outside confirmed our suspicions. The five-decade-old sign outside the building finally gave up the ghost this winter, which didn't make it any easier to know if we've arrived. You really must know the folks at Smithbilt personally, or be very, very committed to find the home of Calgary's white hat, to get to it.

Brian Hanson, today's proprietor, greeted us at the door in typical Cowboy fashion with a strong straight handshake and a firm look in the eye. We commented about the sign, and he assured us that Smithbilt is finally heading to a new building later this year. They are still debating if the sign should come along. 

When you see the photographs against the wall of this iconic company you realize just how profound a place this is. Even the Dalai Lama has one of Smithbilt's hats, and he wore it (for the photo opportunity at least), which goes against his faith. 

As Brian took us through their manufacturing processes we saw equipment and processes that are decades old. All are still doing the job for which they were originally invented, designed and built. 

I will let the video tell the rest of the story. 

The most pivotal observation of the day is the recognition that Smithbilt Hats is a piece of Calgary and a piece of what remains of the Cowboy values and heritage. Brian and his team of investors are only caretakers of this iconic brand, which will hopefully survive another one hundred years.

One proud part of me want Smithbilt to be the biggest hat business in the world, and for everyone to know about this amazing business, its heritage and its people. The other part wants to keep it a secret and preserve what it is. It is our brand, my Smithbilt. A happy place for a weary Cowboy in need of a new hat, and an opportunity to reminisce over the good times.

Hendrik van Wyk

Smithbilt Cowboy Hat-Wearing Producer

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Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

Quality Control

It Fits Now

The Original

Hatters

For Hats

White Hatters

Profiling Producers: Update 1 - The Real Producer

The past three months has been a rollercoaster ride. We could not have imagined the amazing people we would meet, the amount we would learn, and the awesome experiences that would come our way.

It is only the beginning. We still have a whole nine months ahead of us on our 2016 Two Cowboys Journey. If it works like we think it will, and with your help we have five more years to do what we love. 

This short Blog post is an update to our loyal followers and newcomers, on where we are, our successes, challenges, and what we believe still lies ahead.

Jumping Off

If you review some of my earlier posts you will know by now that I became a maker in 2010. 

Before, I was an IT Management Consultant in the trappings of "civilized" life, or what is held up as "the way things should be". I spent my mornings and afternoons in traffic, on my way to contracts, jobs and clients I didn't like. Doing "work" through emails, meetings and more meetings, with nothing to show for it when I am done. All this took place while every month I was trying to escape the trappings of mortgage, car, credit card and other debt, to no avail.

Since becoming a maker, my life changed. First came denial. Then anger and frustration. The best and worse part of it all was realizing just how broken our world and its people really are. By making something, I've found relief, and inspiration. My values, purpose and faith in my fellow men have been restored. Change came in a good way. 

The next step for me was to become an activist, and to share what I've learned with anybody interested in listening. This site was the first step. I realized that there must be other people with the same frustrations and questions. A deteriorating economic and political climate in Alberta served to help me strengthen my resolve.

I exclaimed: "This cannot be IT!" There is another way to live and I can help people to find purpose and meaning in their lives through "making something". I enlisted the help of a great friend in the video business in New Zealand (Braam Compton). I gave my son an opportunity to launch his film career, and we kicked off our 2016 journey. We launched the Two Cowboys and a Camera Channel, the Cowboy News Network. 

We took one giant leap of faith by trusting in the support of our Producers and people like you, through our CrowdFunding site. Our thinking is that if we make an entertaining video product that people like, and we showcase inspirational people and their amazing business, and if we can manage to get support for our cause of inspiring more people to "make something" by showing communities and people that does, then who knows where it will take us? 

We may just help to change the world, for the better. 

Highlights

There is no shortage of inspiring stories to be told. 

At the outset, we wanted to offer an international scope for our message. Our video productions are of the highest quality available. We used the cultural bridge between New Zealand and Canada and the fact that we are Citizen's of both countries. You get stories from Producers in both places. Canada and New Zealand's people are similar. Both are entrepreneurial, community focussed, innovative and hard working.

We cast our net wide and deep. You get stories of food producers, engineering companies, training colleges, clothing manufacturers and artists. More are coming: Distillers, brewers, hat makers, shoe makers, and candy makers. All these people make things. Many of them are alone in their craft. Often they are the last of their kind. They employ family and community members. They support their communities. All of them have inspiring and unique stories we can, and will tell.

How do we know we have real Producer to profile? 

Two things usually happens without fail: When we offer to profile the Producer, we get a commitment and confirmation within hours, if not minutes. They jump at the opportunity to have their story told. Secondly, the real Producer we profile supports our cause.

For us there is a moment that we cherish above all. It is when we get a sincere and heartfelt thank you call from a Producer when their video goes online and they see it for the first time.

If we do nothing else with this whole campaign, then it is collecting these moments that fill us with pride, tears and admiration for the authentic people that are the foundation of our society. They are our Producers. Now they are our friends. It is an honour to tell their stories.

Many of the Producers we profile contribute to our cause. They give something so that we can use to continue to tell inspirational stories. Producers know that nothing is for free. Making something is hard work. They show their appreciation by supporting us in our video making endeavour, and recognize our efforts that benefit them directly through the video and indirectly through championing our (and their) cause. We've had sausages, chocolate, burrito's, cowboy hats, and beer donated, over and above financial contributions. 

We can tell the "real producer" from their willingness and contribution in support of our cause. 

Next Steps

The Cowboy News Network is another step to show how amazing our communities and people are. 

There are some stories we can tell that do not require a day of filming and a week of editing. The aim with the Cowboy News Network is to give these smaller entrepreneurs exposure. 

Where do we find them? We find them at our Farmers Markets and at our festivals. In the restaurant kitchens and sometimes we just find them by the side of the road like Motoburrito.

This summer is going to be full of these snippets with news from our communities, and features of our smaller Producers.

We have to monetize. We don't compromise on our video production. Every video we put out must satisfy broadcast quality video standards. If we make something for our Producers, we better make it as best as we can. The value in this is that our audience online, our Blog and Facebook page is growing with people that enjoy our productions and love our journey. People like you.

Soon we hope we can attract a few sponsors that share our values and that is open to be associated with our cause. This will help us to continue our journey. One would think that with all the people and businesses that benefit from our Producers, that this would not be hard to do. We are of the same opinion. We therefore invite potential sponsors and advertisers to get in touch. We look forward to working with you.

For the rest, please don't hesitate to follow-us, share us, and support us. If you like what we do, tell us. We love hearing from our audience. If you think we should profile a Producer in your area. Let us know. We want to meet more of the people that make our quality of life possible.

Hendrik van Wyk

Producer and Cowboy

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o-CNN: Cowboy News Network - Farmers Market, Calgary

Calgary Farmers Market - This is a Food Town

Located just off of Blackfoot Trail and Heritage Drive, the Calgary Farmers’ Market was built to be a family friendly, dynamic place for community engagement. Big words for a lot of good food and fun!

Over eighty vendors supply fresh local produce, art, meat, poultry, international food, organic goods, jewelry and more. Yes, they are local. We've checked.

Vancouver has its Granville Island, and Cowtown has its Farmers' Market. Granted, the name is not as fancy, neither is the setting, but at this market you get a solid dose of Alberta production and produce. It appears simple and underwhelming at first until you start talking to some of the vendors. You quickly realize that this market is local market. It is Alberta Producers and their products are on sale.

The market has an amazing array of food vendors. It also caters for the budding entrepreneur and aspiring chef through events such as "Cooking with Your Kids", "Meet the Markers", and "Vino Value Tasting". Sign me up!

Calgary, you have a gem. It is called the Calgary Farmers Market. This town is not only about oil. It is a food town. It is our town.

You should be at the market!

Hendrik van Wyk
Cowboy News Network and Market Enthusiast

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All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

Our Market

Hand Crafted Chocolate

The Wall

Them Too

Two Cowboys: Customers are the Custodians of the Brand - Swazi, Levin, New Zealand

Outdoor Clothing Made in New Zealand - Swazi, New Zealand

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Levin was New Zealand's fabric and garment manufacturing epicentre until the industry was decimated by companies moving their operations overseas. Headlines such as: "A New Zealand clothing company goes 'global' and shuts all local factories." became too familiar in this part of the world over the last decade.

"Swazi will never manufacture overseas!" Davey Hughes, the founder of Swazi, New Zealand stands proudly behind this statement and his commitment to making their products in the market, where they are the most recognised and respected. We’d get an ‘I LOVE MILEY’ tattoo before we’d manufacture in China!

Swazi is an outdoor clothing and niche garment manufacturer that is proudly making its products in Levin, New Zealand.  Swazi produce innovative and practical agricultural, hunting and outdoor leisure clothing, hand in hand with an assurance to make the voice of the outdoors heard by promoting adventure, hunting, conservation and a sense of responsibility among young people.

It’s made by a passionate bunch of people who live close by. So close, that many of them walk to work every day. For Davey and his team, it’s about community, something that’s easy to forget about if you have your product made on the other side of the world. Creating jobs for people who live in their town is pretty much the best community oriented thing they can do. It’s awesome to see people develop pride in what they do every day. It’s awesome to watch that pride spread through their families and whanau (family).

Impressions

It is initially hard to place Davey in his garment business.

Here is a hunter and trapper in a country of possums. Let's face it. Regardless of the country's breathtaking beauty (which everyone knows, thanks to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings), New Zealand is not really known for its animal wildlife, is it? What is a big game hunter doing there?

Davey is a rough outdoorsman, world traveller, and television personality, but with an unwavering commitment to the success of everyday people in an age-old and very competitive industry. He is in an industry that seems to have departed from New Zealand some time ago. That he makes garments and design clothes in Levin, is not something that comes to mind when you watch the fella trying to spear a Grizzly in the Canadian outback.

Not even the name "Swazi" fits. It is the name of an African people and tribe from Southern Africa, thousands of kilometres removed in the distance and in culture from Kiwiland.

Maybe, it is just this initial confusion and contrast that makes the Swazi story and its values so attractive and intriguing. There is a surprise around every corner!

Here is what stood out for us:

• Patriotism: While from Scottish lineage, Davey has an unwavering commitment to his country, New Zealand and its people. He demonstrates this with the loyalty to his workers and town, by continuing to manufacture in Levin even though the country's own Government decided to pass its production over in favour of manufacturing in China.
• Niche Product Innovation: Swazi's clothes stand out because it keeps people alive. Davey found a niche in outdoor garments because of the harsh climates people face working in the rain, snow, and wind. It is not only recreation clothes, but safety gear, high visibility gear, and even speciality suits that keep helicopter pilots from getting hypothermia. 
• Global Online Business: The majority of Swazi's products is sold online. This was bold, and some would consider risky move they made five years ago. It is paying off for the business. Products are shipped all over the world. It is no longer a local success story. It is a global one. More so, because five years ago there were still a lot of scepticism about selling apparel over the Internet. Today, people on every continent wear and love their Swazi gear they ordered online.
• The Brand: Davey's personal brand is probably the strongest selling point for Swazi. Not because of the hunter, adventurer and traveller persona. It is because of his down-to-earth honest and practical approach to overcoming life's obstacles, and the changes were thrown at him and his team. "Every change has an opportunity" is Davey's motto. He is the person you want to know when "chips are down". Because, when you have to rely on someone like many individuals rely on Swazi's clothes to keep them alive, you want to count on Davey. As we say in Canada: "He's got your back."

The most notable comment in the conversation with Davey is his acknowledgement that Swazi's brand is no longer his brand. "We are merely custodians now for our customers," Davey says that the customers of Swazi own the brand. They get married in it. Buried in it. All he and his team can do is not disappoint the loyal and the faithful.

It was an excellent adventure to spend a day with Swazi in Levin. We hope to be back for much more soon.

Hendrik van Wyk
Producer

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

The Original

Making Something

Missing Canada

Focus

Safety First

Creating Something New

Two Cowboys on a Journey: Ocho, Dunedin - New Zealand

Bean-to-Bar Chocolate - Otago Chocolate Company

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It is a bit of a closed society, the people that make chocolate. There is a lot of secrecy involved. A key factor in this secrecy is that it is too hot to make chocolate where the cacao beans are grown, so you have to really want to make chocolate to give it a go. While cacao is grown and harvested near the equator, it is not the ideal place for chocolate to be made. It is too hot and humid. The right temperature, knowledge, climate and commitment is required at a totally different location in the world. A place like Dunedin, New Zealand. Only the really motivated Producer can succeed in this business. If you do, it is a delicious business to have.

"If there is a fork in the road, take it. You never know where it will take you..." Liz Rowe, Ocho, NZ

Ocho is a craft bean-to-bar chocolate maker based in Dunedin, New Zealand. Yes, it is the other chocolate company you will find in Dunedin, next to Cadbury New Zealand. I would venture that it is the "real chocolate" company in the beautiful city of Dunedin.

Being a craft chocolate maker means that Ocho imports the fermented and dried beans and make the chocolate from scratch. This includes roasting, grinding, conching and tempering the chocolate before moulding it into bars. Unlike big industrial chocolate makers they use simple equipment and their processes are very hands-on because none of their equipment is automated.

It's a bit like craft beer compared to mainstream beer companies. The beans are roasted and processed in small batches so some variations are possible from batch to batch. They don’t blend any of their chocolate, so each batch is fully traceable back to the farmer co-operative where the beans were grown.

Impressions

Ocho is a real gem of a business that Liz and her two assistants established. We arrived the morning to find a tiny little-shared kitchen and three passionate chocoholics, in the industrial area of Dunedin.

"You should have waited until we are in our new place." is the first words we heard from Liz, as we unpacked our camera gear. Unfortunately, our time in Dunedin was limited. We couldn't wait to do the profile at another date after a scheduled visit with a Producer in Alexandra fell through at short notice.

After meeting Liz and her team, we really were happy that we didn't delay this profile. It is one of the most surprising profiles we've done to-date.

Three things stood out from our visit with Ocho:

• Unbelievable Story: Why trek ten hours into the jungles of Papua Neuguinea for cacao? "Because it makes for special and unique chocolate." according to Liz, a Journalist, Artist and now avid Chocolate Maker Producer. Yes, you've heard it right. Liz hikes into the back country bush to source her ingredients in one of the most inhospitable and primitive locations in the Pacific. Because of this commitment, Ocho's cacao beans and unique flavour of chocolate is something you are unlikely to find anywhere else in the world. She had to tell me the story twice, so unrealistic it sounded the first time I heard it. We were treated to something amazing and groundbreaking in this tiny little kitchen, far away from most of the world. How can something this amazing remain a secret? It cannot! Because Liz is committed to only using cacao that is sourced in the Pacific, her chocolate is unique in many ways. It tastes phenomenal, and it is unique in her commitment to the people that farm the beans. Many of them live in absolute poverty as subsistence farmers.
• Ingenuity: Liz contracted a local engineering student to help her build the equipment for processing the cacao. The beans are cracked with the help of a Bosch drill that cranks the machine. It is winnowed by a vacuum cleaner and a plastic funnel held together with duct tape and fed by a food processing meat grinder. Pure Kiwi ingenuity! It all works to keep the process as simple as possible for capturing the true flavour of what the beans have on offer. Only two ingredients go into the majority of the Ocho chocolate. Cacao and Sugar. That's it! The way it used to be. It leaves you with a range of flavours that work its way through your palate by letting it linger for longer. Truly amazing.
• Nothing Like It: Liz spoiled our taste in chocolate for good. Chocolate will never be the same again! After working your way through 88% PNG, no chocolate can ever be as good as we've had from Liz. During our days in Canada we will be reminiscing about the flavours of Ocho and its uniquely flavoured Pacific cacao beans, and remember the passionate ladies that keep it simple, yet amazing.

We are counting the days until we are back in New Zealand to order and enjoy a delicious Ocho chocolate bar.

We also recommend the Beekeeper's Bar: New Zealand Manuka Honey, Bee Pollen and Puffed Amaranth are added to OCHO's 70% single origin dark chocolate in this bar. The amaranth and bee pollen combine to give a soft crunch to the chocolate and bring a mild toasted flavour, while the Manuka honey adds a strong honey flavour for a lingering finish reminiscent of summer in a beech forest. You can get it here (ocho.co.nz).

Now tell me if this isn't amazing!!

Hendrik van Wyk
Producer and Second Cowboy

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Photos

Ready for More...

Kiwi Ingenuity

Every Bean

Too Many Choices

By Hand

o-CNN: Cowboy News Network - Motoburrito, Turner Valley

Wheel on Over Mexico!

(Learn: * Inspire: ** Amaze: *** Live: ****)
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The sun is out and the snow is gone. It is Spring in the Canadian Rockies of Canada. If you are a rider, horse, steal or otherwise, you have to point your nose to Turner Valley this Summer. It's a lot closer than Mexico, but with authentic Mexican burritos and cyan coffee. You heard it right. Little Mexico on the Prairie. I couldn't resist ;-).

You are guaranteed by the ladies at Motoburrito to wake up, or warm up. The choice is yours.

Sleepy Turner Valley always gives the impression of a half dead one horse town, until you realize: There are a few gems tucked away, that only requires the down to earth friendly cowboy handshake to be let into the secret.

Say "Hi" to them from the Two Cowboys, and be sure to sign-up for the Dirty Sanchez. It will have you come back for more!!

Hendrik van Wyk
Cowboy News Network

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

For Your Eyes Only...

Blue Blue Bayou

Motoburrito!

Burrito Coming Up

Little Mexico on the Prairie

Hatless Cowboy!

Two Cowboys on a Journey: Dalene Meiring, Auckland - New Zealand

Artist: Dalene Meiring

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"If you think you can do it, you can. Give it a try. You may just surprise yourself". Dalene Meiring

An ultimate Producer is a person that makes for utility, for meaning, and purpose. These are people that create useful articles that also communicate messages and emotions. Articles that inherit and exhibit an anthropomorphic essence. We call these people "Artists". They express themselves through mediums, and through production.  

Why strive for art and utility? Because art causes people to look a little closer at ourselves and our everyday. It offers an opportunity to look at social issues, people and their emotions, the environment, and everyday objects, life forms. The artist has the ability to bring out that which cannot be seen or felt easily, or which is often missed. They have the ability to express emotion through inanimate objects.

When a society sees and feels clearly, it has the opportunity for reflection, change in thought, and appreciation. It can cause people to re-examine themselves and their relation to life, people, and circumstances. The artists often feel a duty to unlock this meaning.

Articles with meaning are more likely to take on the identity of an owner. The maker makes the item with passion and soul. But it is the owner and user that fuses their mana or spirit with the creation when they use and appreciate its value. That leather bag, hat, or the character of a pair of well-worn boots, over time, becomes indistinguishable from its owner. The Producer and Artists set the table for this meaning. But, it is the consumer that unlocks the true value of expression and purpose. The one cannot exist without the other. 

When this perspective is appreciated, it is likely that we will carefully consider, seek and choose articles of quality, by Artists and Producers with exceptional ability and dedication. If we own articles with the potential to define us, we should choose more carefully.

Impressions

It was a sticky afternoon on Thursday the 11th of February when we met Dalene and Pieter Meiring at their house. February in Auckland, New Zealand is hot and humid. The cicadas were drilling through our microphones, as we sat down at the Meiring dining room table for the interview. 

Immediately, it became clear that Dalene as an individual is the same warm, welcoming, golden glow of a person, than she lays down with paint and her palette knife, on her canvases. “I paint for the love of expression and the passion of life and all the beauty in it,” says Dalene. When looking at her work, it is obvious that the emotions and sensations of serenity and tranquillity are what distinguishes her work. Dalene's art communicates with and grows on you. The more you look at it, the more personal it becomes.

What stood out in the conversation is her encouragement for people to give things a try. Make something. Make it until it feels right. Don't pay too much attention to convention. "Only you will know if it communicates what you want it to say."

We then met her husband Pieter downstairs in the garage where he was assembling their custom crafted jewellery for an order that just came in. They say that behind every successful artist, there is a driven and committed business person (or husband). Pieter is this entrepreneurial inspiration in the Meiring household. After 16 years and a successful career, he realized the value of spending more time with Dalene, of making something himself, and thus threw his weight behind a fledgeling jewellery brand - Jewellery with Soul - that is growing in leaps and bounds.

While Pieter was threading a necklace he kept his message simple: "You don't need a lot of money to start. Make something. If people like it, make more."

In this visit with Dalene and Pieter we found two inspirational people, with a clear passion for living life to its fullest, and who produces beautiful art. We've also realized again, the value of a garage. As with so many Producers, makers and creators, their garage is also the Meiring's sanctuary, factory and the heart of their operation. 

We cherish the moments we got to spend with Dalene and Pieter, and hope you will enjoy some of it captured in our photos and video above.

Hendrik van Wyk

Producer

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

Serenity

Africa Somewhere?

Maker

Stand Out

Yes dear...

Two Cowboys on a Journey: Etco*, Auckland - New Zealand

etco* 

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When do you become a maker?

Many producers will tell you that they've always been making things and continues to do so regardless of their achievements in business or career. It may be the way they were brought up, the access to tools and materials, or just the inspiration they had from their parents or grandparents.

Some people become makers out of necessity. They couldn't afford a new bicycle and had to make do with an old one that needed fixing. As we've seen in some of our previously profiled Producers, some had to earn a living under difficult circumstances, to provide for their family.

There comes a time in the life of every maker, fixer or creators when their interest has the potential to go beyond a personal value, and become their career or their business. Many are natural entrepreneurs. Even more, makers seek out opportunities to work with others in a trade. Trade schools are available that will educate anyone with the commitment and interest to succeed. There are not many of these organizations thought, that will go beyond teaching the qualification of the trade and skill. Very few are also prepared to invest in the person that becomes the tradesman or woman of the future.

In Auckland, we've found an inspiring approach to qualifying electrical apprentices for their entry into the job market. The company is called etco*. They train electricians, place apprentices and put young people on the road to becoming successful people.

Impressions

Etco* embarks on a three-year journey with the student, to help him or her become a successful person. It starts with simple personal values and disciplines like personal hygiene, dress, respect, consistency, and teamwork. It goes further by teaching students life-skills in managing their money, motivation, tools, and how to grow their careers.

Peter Rushworth, one of the founders of the initiative puts it well: "At etco*, students don't only learn how to make things, but they learn how to make things work." Most importantly, they are showed, taught and coached towards making their lives work. For many unsure and insecure school leavers, this provides an amazing hand up. This sets them onto a path of becoming a successful Producer. Their maker interests are given a chance to let them earn their livelihood. They get qualified for a trade, and earn along the way while doing so. Above all, they learn what it takes to be a successful human being.

More than three thousand of them have had this hand up already, and the results and feedback are phenomenal. It is so sought after that student compete for a chance to be part of this program. New Zealand electricians, especially the ones that came through the etco* system, can be found the world over. They are recognized and valued for their skills, but more so for being good, solid and contributing members of their respective communities. Many go on to have their own successful businesses that in turn, provide opportunities to a new group of apprentices that etco* sets on a path to future success.

Etco* is a wholly owned subsidiary of ECANZ (Electrical Contractors Association of New Zealand). The business was established to provide employment and training for the electrical industry in New Zealand. Since their beginnings in 1991, their commitment to producing the best has helped thousands of Etco apprentices and students achieve outstanding results and successes, in industry competitions, national examinations, and the industry itself (http://www.etco.co.nz/).

Their two main areas of activity are the employment and placement of electrical apprentices via their group apprenticeship scheme, the provision of training courses for apprentices and tradespeople.

Come with us, as we meet some of the Producers of tomorrow while being inspired by people that are committed to making other people successful.

Our Apprentice

This video was edited by our very own apprentice Video Producer: Henry van Wyk. It is his first Producer profile video.

Yes, he has the same name as I do - just an improved version, I guess. Henry has an exciting career ahead of him in the film and video industry, and we are privileged that he is starting it with us.

Henry joined Profiled Productions in March 2016. He will be accompanying us on our journey, as we travel the world looking for inspirational Producers and their stories. 

Please welcome Henry into the fold - he is more than the camera in "Two Cowboys and a Camera". We have high expectations of him, and we are excited to have him on the team!

Hendrik van Wyk
Producer

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.
Please help us to bring you more of these programs by supporting us on Patreon: www.forwardthefavour.com. 

Photos

Training - Old School ;-)

Right, Lesson 1...

Never get stuck behind the 8-ball.

if it doesn't switch on, then we always have some firewood.