TCHO Source
TCHO Source is our unique program for partnering with cacao producers and research institutions worldwide to create a better cacao bean, because better cacao means better chocolate.
And we're not just talking about the quality and taste of the cacao beans; we're talking about how they're grown, harvested, roasted, and moved along every point along the supply chain. We care about the people behind cacao, from the farmer to the roaster and all the communities in-between. Through TCHO Source, we establish partners at every step to co-create better cacao for the benefit of the entire chocolate industry.
Flavor Lab tech at ABOCFA in Ghana tempering chocolate.
Better beans,
better chocolate
A simple concept but a complex process. When we started out, we discovered quickly that there were many challenges to sourcing great cacao consistently.
• Most cacao farmers have never tasted chocolate, even fewer have tasted chocolate made from their own cacao beans.
• Most cacao farmers aren’t paid enough to make a decent living, let alone invest in their cacao crops and processes such as new drying beds, fermentation boxes, lab equipment, and more.
• The lack of tools, know how, and shortage of price incentives are the main barriers to increasing the quality of cacao.
Like we said, complex. So how do we overcome these challenges? The answer is TCHO Source.
TCHO Source Means Chocolate, Fair & Square
TCHO Source provides our farmer and scientist partners with the right tools to make the best cacao in the world. We also make bold infrastructure investments at origin, from flavor labs, fermentation centers, and raised drying beds to entire buildings where cocoa research can occur. And the proof is in the pudding; when we began sourcing cacao, we found only around 20% of the beans were up to our quality standards. Today that number is approximately 80%.
TCHO Source is what makes our chocolate special. It's why TCHO is Chocolate. Fair & Square.
Flavor Labs
Loading a guillotine to cut fifty beans at once for a cut test, a vital step in physical analysis of cacao beans.
A highlight of the TCHO Source program is the TCHO Flavor Lab, a mini bean-to-bar chocolate-making lab where farmers can take cacao beans they grow and make chocolate from them on the spot. We then provide sensory analysis training and work with our partners to develop a shared language to communicate and analyze cacao flavor. And when a partner farmer hits our high marks on quality, we pay them a TCHO Quality Premium on top of the fair trade and organic premiums we already pay.
FARMING PARTNERS
Florence
Technical Officer & Lab Technician
Florence was recruited to work at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) in 2016 as a result of the TCHO Source initiative. Her role is vital to accurately measuring the flavor and quality of the cacao beans grown in the region.
Emmanuel (T.T.)
Documentation Officer & Farmer
T.T. was introduced to TCHO when they began sourcing organic cocoa in Ghana. His dad and brothers are all farmers as well. "Farming means everything to me." He says TCHO premiums allow farmers to produce better quality cacao at a faster rate. This is because they can afford to hire people and one single farmer doesn't have to do everything themselves.
Stephen
Senior Research Scientist
Stephen has worked at CRIG since 2006, and helped launch the TCHO Flavor Lab in 2013. "At the time, it was unheard of in Ghana," Stephen told us, going on to say TCHO Source has created jobs at CRIG which enable them to track the quality of the cocoa farmers produce.
Florence
Technical Officer & Lab Technician
Florence was recruited to work at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) in 2016 as a result of the TCHO Source initiative. Her role is vital to accurately measuring the flavor and quality of the cacao beans grown in the region.
Emmanuel (T.T.)
Documentation Officer & Farmer
T.T. was introduced to TCHO when they began sourcing organic cocoa in Ghana. His dad and brothers are all farmers as well. "Farming means everything to me." He says TCHO premiums allow farmers to produce better quality cacao at a faster rate. This is because they can afford to hire people and one single farmer doesn't have to do everything themselves.
Stephen
Senior Research Scientist
Stephen has worked at CRIG since 2006, and helped launch the TCHO Flavor Lab in 2013. "At the time, it was unheard of in Ghana," Stephen told us, going on to say TCHO Source has created jobs at CRIG which enable them to track the quality of the cocoa farmers produce.
Florence
Technical Officer & Lab Technician
Florence was recruited to work at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) in 2016 as a result of the TCHO Source initiative. Her role is vital to accurately measuring the flavor and quality of the cacao beans grown in the region.
Emmanuel (T.T.)
Documentation Officer & Farmer
T.T. was introduced to TCHO when they began sourcing organic cocoa in Ghana. His dad and brothers are all farmers as well. "Farming means everything to me." He says TCHO premiums allow farmers to produce better quality cacao at a faster rate. This is because they can afford to hire people and one single farmer doesn't have to do everything themselves.
Stephen
Senior Research Scientist
Stephen has worked at CRIG since 2006, and helped launch the TCHO Flavor Lab in 2013. "At the time, it was unheard of in Ghana," Stephen told us, going on to say TCHO Source has created jobs at CRIG which enable them to track the quality of the cocoa farmers produce.
Improved Infrastructure
We make bold infrastructure investments at origin, from fermentation centers and raised drying beds to entire buildings dedicated to cocoa quality research.
Groundbreaking Research Center
Dr. Emmanuel Dwomoh, Deputy Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board, breaking ground on the Cocoa Quality Center at CRIG.
Better Drying Beds
Cacao beans drying in ideal conditions on a raised and covered bed.
Fermentation Centers
Fresh, wet cacao being poured into a TCHO Source installed fermentation box at Oro Verde Coop in Peru.
Groundbreaking Research Center
Dr. Emmanuel Dwomoh, Deputy Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board, breaking ground on the Cocoa Quality Center at CRIG.
Better Drying Beds
Cacao beans drying in ideal conditions on a raised and covered bed.
Fermentation Centers
Fresh, wet cacao being poured into a TCHO Source installed fermentation box at Oro Verde Coop in Peru.
Groundbreaking Research Center
Dr. Emmanuel Dwomoh, Deputy Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board, breaking ground on the Cocoa Quality Center at CRIG.
Better Drying Beds
Cacao beans drying in ideal conditions on a raised and covered bed.
Fermentation Centers
Fresh, wet cacao being poured into a TCHO Source installed fermentation box at Oro Verde Coop in Peru.
Sensory Training
We provide sensory analysis training and work with our producer partners to develop a shared language to communicate about cacao flavor.
Sensory Analysis
As part of the sensory panel at Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, Daniel smells a sample before tasting.
Cocoa Bean Sample
A lot of cocoa at a TCHO Flavor Lab ready for analysis.
Shared Analysis Methodology
Pamela Esquivel, Commercial Manager for ACOPAGRO Cooperative recording sensory analysis results. We work with each origin partner the same way, creating consistency in cocoa analysis across the globe.
Sensory Analysis
As part of the sensory panel at Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, Daniel smells a sample before tasting.
Cocoa Bean Sample
A lot of cocoa at a TCHO Flavor Lab ready for analysis.
Shared Analysis Methodology
Pamela Esquivel, Commercial Manager for ACOPAGRO Cooperative recording sensory analysis results. We work with each origin partner the same way, creating consistency in cocoa analysis across the globe.
Sensory Analysis
As part of the sensory panel at Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, Daniel smells a sample before tasting.
Cocoa Bean Sample
A lot of cocoa at a TCHO Flavor Lab ready for analysis.
Shared Analysis Methodology
Pamela Esquivel, Commercial Manager for ACOPAGRO Cooperative recording sensory analysis results. We work with each origin partner the same way, creating consistency in cocoa analysis across the globe.
Transparency
TCHO cannot be chocolate, fair & square without being transparent.
As a B Corp™ Certified company, our efforts towards meeting the highest social and environmental performance standards are verified by a third party and very public.
The fact is TCHO's been an open book for years. We have long let anyone inside our chocolate factory, sharing with them exactly how we ethically source cacao beans and make high-quality chocolate. We share the blueprint for TCHO Flavor Labs and are proud that we built a concept replicated many times worldwide. We also list where we source our cacao, sharing exactly how we trace every bean used to make our chocolate.
Through our TCHO Source program, we partner with cooperatives at origins worldwide to find the flavors that make our chocolate so elevated and original. Each cacao origin has its unique genetics of the cacao plant (fancy people call this varietals). The soil, atmosphere, fermentation, and drying processes are different from origin to origin, all of which highly impact the flavor of the origin's cacao beans. Roasting also has a very high impact on the final taste, as just like in coffee, we have light to dark roasting levels across the board. Read more about how origins affect flavor over at Origin & Flavor.
What makes TCHO unique is how we have gone beyond simply purchasing cacao from origins, by partnering with cooperatives and investing in their resources. The key pillar of the TCHO Source program are our Flavor Labs, which allow us to co-create better cacao. And better cacao makes better chocolate.
- Flavor Lab
- Region
- Installed
TCHO Factory
Berkeley, CA, USA
2007
Norandino Cooperative
Piura, Peru
2008
Acopagro Cooperative
Juanjui, San Martin, Peru
2009
Ecuador National Agriculture Research Institute
Quevodo, Los Rios, Ecuador
2010
Oro Verde Cooperative
Lamas, San Martin, Peru
2011
Conacado Cooperative
San Francisco de Macoris, Cibao, Dominican Republic
2012
Fortaleza del Valle Cooperative
Calceta, Manabi, Ecuador
2012
Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana
New Tafo, Eastern Region, Ghana
2013
UOPROCAE Cooperative
Atacames, Esmereldas, Ecuador
2014
Cacao Association Abrabopa
Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana
2015
Chocolate is just beginning its journey to understand how all the steps affect the final experience. TCHO is about bringing a curious mind to the entire process and asking how to make each step even better.
— Brad Kintzer, Chief Chocolate Maker
2022 Impact Report
Everything we do at TCHO is the result of incredible partnerships. As a proud B-Corp, we’re committed to continuous improvement in governance, the employee experience, our community, the environment, and the customer experience.
By transparently tracking our progress, this report helps us take stock of everything we've accomplished and all of the good work ahead to better our company and maximize our impact.