Cedar Street shop aligns chocolate and poetry as ‘change agents’

Joy Thaler is serving chocolate with social impact at ThePod by CocoaCompassion shop in Dobbs Ferry. In addition to selling chocolate produced by, and purchased from, cacao farmers around the world, Thaler curates free events out of the Cedar Street space, including collaborations with Westchester County poet laureate Phylisha Villanueva.

“At ThePod, chocolate isn’t just a treat,” Thaler told the Dispatch. “Whether it’s creating direct markets for cacao farmers or hosting events, chocolate becomes a bridge for meaningful change.”

Before opening ThePod in February 2022, Thaler worked in the quantitative analytics department at Reuters, where she talked with people along the coffee supply chain. Thaler recalled the conversation there that led to the work she does today. It was an exchange in which she expressed happiness over how much cacao farmers must be benefitting from a record-high trade value for their crop, but was told “it makes no difference at all.’”