Protecting Flavor

Guittard has been in the chocolate business for five generations and we’re committed to protecting the unique and diverse flavors of cocoa from around the world. As farmers and industry strive for higher yields and disease resistance, we play a critical role in training and empowering cocoa breeders in producing countries to recognize and protect their historic flavor profiles. It’s about a quality end product—but it’s also about income generation for cocoa farmers. We focus on improving yields without compromising flavor. As a result, generating flavor-based premiums and market access, supports farm investments and builds long-term sustainability of the cocoa sector.

FLAVOR LABS

Together with the World Cocoa Foundation, USAID, and USDA, we have led the establishment of “flavor labs” at the National Cocoa Research Institutes in Ghana (CRIG), Ivory Coast (CNRA), Nigeria (CRIN), Cameroon (IRAD), and Indonesia (ICCRI), along with a renewed partnership with INIAP in Ecuador and a collaborative research project with CRC in Trinidad.

GHANA FINE FLAVOR PROJECT

In 2006, a unique project was launched to establish "fine flavor" varieties in Ghana for the first time, offering cocoa farmers the opportunity to access high-value premium markets. Through our long-term partnership with the farmer cooperatives, supply chain partners, and the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), high yielding, grafted fine flavor cocoa planted in diverse agroforestry systems are taking hold.

Heirloom Cacao
Preservation
Initiative (HCP)

Guittard is a founding member of the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund, a partnership between The Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA) and the USDA to recognize and reward the growers who cultivate these important varieties. We support farmers’ capacity to invest in growing unique quality cocoa through heirloom designations and technical programs supported through USDA, private foundations, and individual donors. The research and development lab at Guittard headquarters makes all of the chocolate for the HCP expert tasting panel to identify the finest flavor cacaos, with a goal of preserving and propagating them now and for future generations.

COCOA OF EXCELLENCE (CoEx)

The Cocoa of Excellence Programme provides global recognition for the highest quality cocoa from around the world, celebrating the farmer’s craft and the diversity of cocoa flavor and genetics. Through Guittard’s sponsorship and leadership of the technical committee, rigorous sensory evaluation systems have been developed. CoEx, the Alliance of Bioversity International, and CIAT are leading the establishment of International Cocoa Quality and Flavor Assessment Standards (ISCQF) that aim to unlock value and opportunity across the global cocoa sector.