ElevAsian Vendor: Colorado Cocoa Pod
We are thrilled to showcase the incredible businesses and performers led by Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) women at the ElevAsian Night Market Fundraiser! Our blog will feature these special owners and performers, allowing you to get to know these amazing women better.
Continue reading to discover more about Liane Pensack-Rinehart (she/her), her products, and what her AAPI identity means to her.
Tell us about your business and the products you offer.
Colorado Cocoa Pod makes handcrafted chocolates and confections with Asian inspired flavors that are beautiful, delicious, but never too pretty to eat!
What inspired you to start your business?
I wanted the make chocolate that had Asian flavors because no one else was really doing that at the time, or if they were, the flavors were too sweet or underwhelming. I wanted to make bonbons with a well balanced flavor, not too sweet, mainly for the Asian palette, and to introduce flavors of Asian desserts that paired well with chocolate.
How do you personally identify with your AAPI heritage and how does that shape your business and products?
I am half Chinese and half Japanese, born and raised in California. I grew up eating Asian desserts, but also a lot of American desserts, with chocolate being one of my favorites. I noticed the chocolate world lacked flavors I grew up with and I wanted to fill that niche and introduce more of my culture into the chocolate community.
What can attendees expect when they visit your booth or experience your offerings at ElevAsian?
They can expect to be blown away by edible art. Most of the time, new customers don't realize what I'm selling is edible much less chocolate, so I love expanding their foodie knowledge and introducing them to artisan chocolates. I, Liane am the owner and chocolatier, I'm pretty introverted, but if you stop by my booth, I am happy to talk to you about chocolate and the 3 day process of creating edible little works of art. I may even have some samples available for you to try if you come early!
Share any upcoming projects, events, or new products that attendees should be excited about.
I will have my Summer Bonbon Collection available at this event, along with my Signature Zodiac Animal Bonbon collection. The Summer one will have 12 bonbon flavors, with a few new ones and a few favorite repeats. This collection is limited and won't be available once they are gone for the summer.
What message or advice would you like to share with AAPI girls and gender-expansive youth in middle and high school?
If there is something you are passionate about and want to pursue, do it. Life is way too short, and you're young enough that even if you make a mistake or feel like you fail, you can still get up a lot easier than if you were older to try again. Also, even if you do pursue a path and decide it's not for you, it's never too late to change. It's your life, and you should live it in a way that you don't have regrets.
How do you like to celebrate your AAPI identity? You can take this opportunity to share your background/story.
I celebrate my AAPI identity through the chocolates I hand paint and make. Through the flavors I am able to share new experiences with people who might never have tasted it before in a little piece of edible art. I love feeding people, so it brings me joy to see people's faces light up when they try my chocolates and realize they are more flavor forward than sweet. Growing up, that is how my grandparents and parents showed their love - through good food. I want to spread flavors not usually associated with chocolate to people who didn't grow up with it, and those who did who might never have had it in chocolate before.
Come meet Liane and check out her desserts at the ElevAsian Night Market Fundraiser! Get your tickets today!
