Guittard Chocolate Company adds Cultivate Better Cocoa Partner Program to sustainability initiative
Guittard's new Cultivate Better Cocoa Program drives positive, sustainable impact through focus on building premiums for flavor via supply chain innovation
Family-owned Guittard Chocolate Company, the 150+ year old San Francisco-based premium chocolate supplier and maker dedicated to crafting exceptional chocolate and cocoa, has announced the launch of its Cultivate Better Cocoa initiative: a new program that engages with cocoa-growing communities to improve and protect the unique flavor profiles of their cocoa while also developing integrated community initiatives that yield collaborative impact traceable to the farm level.
Guittard has long been committed to investments in flavor, believing that doing so will lead to greater value, higher premiums and longer-term sustainability of the cocoa sector. This belief is further reinforced through Cultivate Better Cocoa’s efforts to drive long-term sustainability for cocoa farmers and their communities. Investing in the cultivation of high-quality cocoa and building market access supports cocoa farmer’s primary income, allowing for more investment back into the farm and the community. Complementing this work by enabling the creation of secondary income streams managed by women during the cocoa off-season enables additional reinvestment into families and local communities. The premiums received as part of Cultivate Better Cocoa are directly allocated to supporting farm-level quality and flavor investments, gender equality, income diversification, health, nutrition, and agroforestry initiatives.