The second annual Portland Craft Chocolate Festival opens October 2–4 at the Olympic Mills Building in Portland, Oregon, bringing together more than 45 local makers, a debut cookie competition, and free educational tastings in what organizers describe as a neighborhood gathering rather than a trade show.
Produced by Ranger Chocolate Co., the festival runs Friday through Sunday, with a VIP Meet and Greet on October 2 (5–7 p.m.) followed by a full Maker Market on Saturday and Sunday (11 a.m.–5 p.m.).
The Cookie Competition
The festival's biggest new draw is the C4 Chocolate Chip Cookie Competition, which drew hundreds of entries across Youth, Home Baker, and Professional divisions — a volume that exceeded organizers' expectations. Judging takes place Saturday and includes Portland Mayor Keith Wilson on the panel. "We knew Portland loved a good chocolate chip cookie, but the response to C4 has been incredible," said festival founder George Domurot. "People took this seriously, but they also had a lot of fun with it. That's exactly what we hoped would happen." For food and beverage professionals, the competition signals how participatory formats — rather than passive tastings — can drive consumer engagement around specialty categories like craft chocolate.
Neighborhood Activation and a New Collaboration
Saturday's programming extends beyond the festival walls. Steven Smith Teamaker and Ranger Chocolate Co. will activate the surrounding block, while Stumptown Coffee Roasters provides coffee service throughout the weekend. The day also marks the public launch of a new collaborative bonbon collection pairing Steven Smith Teamaker's teas with Ranger Chocolate Co.'s craft chocolate — a project developed just blocks apart, illustrating how Portland's densely networked specialty food and beverage community continues to produce cross-category products that resonate with consumers seeking local provenance.
On Sunday, Domurot will host two free mini bean-to-bar tastings, walking small groups through the chocolate-making process from raw cacao beans and nibs through finished bars made from different harvests of the same origin. The sessions are included with festival admission and are designed to make craft chocolate's flavor development accessible to curious general audiences — a format that specialty food retailers and hospitality operators increasingly use to build category loyalty.
Community and Industry Support
The festival has secured backing from Prosper Portland and New Seasons Market, with additional participation from Portland institutions including restaurant KANN, the Oregon Zoo, and OMSI. That breadth of civic and culinary support underscores the event's positioning as a community anchor rather than a niche trade event.
For industry observers, the festival's growth trajectory — more makers, more programming, and a cookie competition that drew mass participation in its first year — reflects broader momentum in the bean-to-bar and craft confectionery segment, which has found receptive audiences in cities with strong independent food cultures. Food & Beverage Magazine has tracked similar grassroots festival models as effective platforms for emerging producers to build direct consumer relationships outside traditional retail channels.
Tickets and full schedule details are available at pdxccf.com.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
