Twenty cacao professionals from around the world came together at the Cacao of Excellence laboratory, located within the Città del Cioccolato in Perugia, for the first Core Training in Sensory Evaluation held at the lab.
They now join our growing community of certified CoEx Trained Tasters.
From 19 to 23 October 2026, participants working at different stages of the cacao value chain spent five days developing their sensory skills, exchanging knowledge and exploring a shared approach to cacao quality assessment. The week marked an important milestone in the newly launched Cacao of Excellence Training and Certification initiative.
From a common framework to shared practice
The initiative builds on the Guide for the Assessment of Cacao Quality and Flavour, which establishes a shared, scientifically grounded framework for assessing and communicating cacao quality. Turning this framework into a practical tool requires professionals to understand and apply it consistently in their work.
Through structured training and the recognition of demonstrated competency, the initiative brings the Guide into practice. It aims to build a global community of professionals able to assess and communicate cacao quality in a reliable and aligned way, strengthening understanding across origins and throughout the value chain. Greater consistency helps create the conditions for quality to be better recognised and rewarded.
The certification pathway supports progressive learning and development. Achieving CoEx Trained Taster status is the first step towards full certification as a CoEx Certified Taster, with continued practice and refinement of sensory skills central to that progression.
Learning through sensory experience
The CoEx Core Training develops participants’ understanding of the methodology and common sensory language established in the Guide, with direct sensory experience at the heart of the course.
Throughout the week, participants worked with carefully selected cacao mass samples illustrating the range and diversity of attributes described in the CoEx flavour wheel and glossary. Guided tasting sessions helped them recognise, differentiate and describe these attributes with increasing precision, while calibrating their perceptions against shared references.
All twenty participants achieved the CoEx Trained Taster certification. Their next step is to build on this foundation through continued practice, applying the methodology and strengthening their sensory skills as they work towards CoEx Certified Taster status.
A meeting place for the cacao community
Alongside the sensory learning, the week brought the laboratory to life as a meeting place for people from different countries, professional backgrounds and parts of the cacao value chain.
Participants shared their experiences, exchanged perspectives and learned from professionals whose paths they might otherwise never have crossed. These conversations enriched the training, connecting the shared methodology with the diverse realities in which cacao quality is assessed and communicated.
As this first laboratory cohort returns home, its members take with them new skills, knowledge and professional connections, united by a common language for cacao quality and flavour.
