Many people in the chocolate-making world—especially in North America—are familiar with John Nanci of Chocolate Alchemy. In one of his 2025 newsletters, he shared two ideas that deeply resonated with me.
The first is a quotation from Constantin Brancusi:
“Simplicity is complexity resolved.”
The second reframes that idea more plainly:
“Simplicity isn’t a shortcut—it’s a strategy.”
John was writing in the context of roasting coffee, explaining that a simple approach respects the natural complexity of the coffee bean and preserves control over the process, rather than obscuring it with unnecessary variables. It’s a philosophy that applies just as clearly to chocolate making.
At the end of 2023 and heading into 2024, we saw the cost of cacao skyrocket. So when The Toronto Star reported in 2024 that coffee prices were “jolting consumers,” it struck a familiar chord. Through conversations with coffee-slinging members of Canadian Women in Food, I recognized myself in their experiences.
The obvious response to rising costs—driven by climate disruption, tariffs, and supply shortages—is straightforward: raise prices. But for these women, the story wasn’t just about price. It was about how you respond.
What stood out to me wasn’t clever pricing strategies or flashy pivots. It was restraint. Transparency. Long-term thinking. In other words: simplicity as a strategy.
Coffee—and cacao—are already complex. Every bean carries its own story: terroir, processing, climate, labour, logistics. When you pile on too many variables—too many reactions, too many “fixes”—you don’t gain control. You lose it.
Instead of chasing margins at all costs, these women chose transparency. Instead of reacting impulsively, they focused on fundamentals: relationships, sourcing, experience, and trust. For some, that meant emphasizing ritual and connection—coffee as an act of care, not just consumption. For others, it meant innovating within a lean framework, diversifying thoughtfully rather than dramatically. For others still, it meant prioritizing growers first, even when that choice made things harder in the short term.
None of this is flashy.
None of it is fast.
All of it is deliberate.
Get the fundamentals right, and everything else becomes quieter.
As I’ve moved through my culinary career, I’ve made deliberate choices about where I worked—guided by values, and by the skills I wanted to learn so that I could master my craft. Working and getting direction from someone who’s already made the mistakes helps build competence. And practice leads to clarity.
Longevity isn’t built on shortcuts.
It’s built on fundamentals, values, and trust.
Simplicity isn’t less knowledge.
It’s knowledge that’s been earned, tested, and distilled.
Complexity is easy.
Simplicity takes work.
Thanks to the following women for their insights:
Jenna Goodhand, founder of Cafézia Coffee
Tara Duncan, President of Urban Calm Coffee
Kara Isert, founder of Sparkplug Coffee
Valeria Fiallos-Soliman of Las Chicas del Café
Cheryl Appleton, founder, Canadian Women In Food