What is TCHOSource™
Great chocolate begins with great beans. And a modern company needs to be an agent of positive social change. TCHOSource is our response to both challenges.
TCHOSource is the name of TCHO’s program to obtain the best beans in the world while enabling the producers of those beans to earn a better living. We do this by embracing as valued partners the farmers who grow our cacao—the way Napa Valley winemakers work closely with partner growers to foster best practices, and then buy their premium grapes at premium prices.
Much like our counterparts in the California wine community revolutionized the industry, TCHOSource works with farmers and cooperatives to improve fermentation and bean drying methods, which is where making good chocolate actually starts—in the field. TCHOSource also partners with leading research organizations in cacao producing countries to deploy “Flavor Labs,” allowing farmers to make small batches of chocolate with their own cacao beans to better understand the core principle of TCHO chocolate: flavor.
Coop managers and lab technicians can then move beyond fermentation and drying procedures, and work together with us on new roasting procedures to bring out different flavors from their beans. The roasted samples are sent to TCHO, where we provide feedback and choose the very best beans.
Sourcing our own beans is such an important part of TCHO that, unlike many other artisan chocolate makers, we have our own Sourcing Director, John Kehoe, who brings 17 years of experience working with cacao and cacao farmers. One of the reasons John joined TCHO was the vision and commitment to build programs with farmer partners and to carry our commitment to innovation from our lab in Pier 17 all the way to the farmers.
TCHOSource intelligently blends modern technology and field practice to help raise farmer income. Rather than simply paying for certifications, TCHO empowers farmers with the tools they can use to make a better product: technology, knowledge transfer, and the motivation to innovate. TCHO firmly believes that the best, longest lasting change rests on the win-win of mutual self-interest—we get better beans, the farmer gets better prices.
As TCHOSource progresses, we will continue to communicate this wonderful adventure from pod to palate that brings farmers and consumers closer together, turning our cacao supply chain into a transparent interactive loop.
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