Kiran Grewal sits down with Amy Guittard, CMO of Guittard & Co, who tells Kennedy’s Confection of the responsibilities of a family-owned business, its interconnected sustainability initiatives and the developing ingredient innovation that is keeping Guittard ahead of the curve.
Tell us a little about Guittard’s origins and its company ethos.
Founded in San Francisco in 1868, Guittard & Co. remains the oldest continuously family-owned and operated chocolate-making business in the United States, but we describe ourselves as a 150-year-old start-up. Today, it’s run by 4th generation Guittard, my father Gary, as CEO and ‘Chocolate Maker.’ I join him alongside my brother Jesse and our cousin Clark. Guittard continues to raise the bar with our passion for honourable sourcing, crafting the highest quality chocolate, providing the best service, and setting new standards for the industry, an approach that is best illustrated by our mission to Cultivate Better™.
Our heritage is built on close relationships with farmers, suppliers and customers; our family of employees is comprised of multiple generations whose passion for crafting chocolate makes its way into the products that we offer our customers. As a family-owned company, working closely with the communities and families from whom Guittard purchase our beans is one of our top priorities. It’s about cultivating relationships and fair income generation for cocoa farmers. We focus on improving yields without compromising on flavour.
Consumers are looking for healthier options in confectionery – how is there a place for chocolate in this?
Lower sugar options are certainly top of mind for consumers. That said, there’s certainly a place for indulgence and chocolate; giving consumers and chefs the tools to strike that balance is certainly the goal, particularly given the vastness of dietary preferences that are out there. Our Beyond Sugar line was designed to marry the artistry of chocolate-making with evolving dietary awareness, all the while providing tools from which one’s palate and creativity can dictate the approach. Thinking about novel ways of integrating chocolate with naturally lower sugar content is one way that confectioners and pastry chefs can approach the lower-sugar trend. Enrobing a ganache in 100% unsweetened chocolate or even using fibre in a recipe to offset sugar in a traditional confection can all provide healthier options for clientele – with chocolate still serving as the centrepiece. The space is certainly ready for healthier options while still celebrating and appreciating the tradition of pastry and confection.
How has people’s need for chocolate changed? Are they taking more time to appreciate the flavour and origin?
People’s appreciation of flavour and origin is certainly increasing; however, this has always been at the fore of Guittard’s approach to crafting chocolate. We source beans from all over the growing regions for their flavour and sustainability; our long-lasting relationships with growers enable a collaboration where flavour is prioritized. Much of the cocoa we source is grown on small farms where generations of farmers have carried on the long tradition. We believe that flavour holds value and by investing in protecting that flavour profile, those premiums can be reinvested into the farming communities for long-term sustainability. We collaborate with cacao farmers to develop desired flavours in the beans, from managing the health of the delicate trees and harvesting techniques to ideal and consistent fermentation and drying processes. Together with the World Cocoa Foundation, USAID, and USDA, we have led the establishment of “flavour 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. It’s about a quality end product—but it’s also about income generation for cocoa farmers. Guittard focuses on improving yields without compromising flavour.
Is sustainability important to the business? What do you do in order to remain sustainable?
Sustainability and transparency are hugely important to our business, and over the past decade, we’ve noticed consumer interest in these topics has risen significantly. Guittard & Co. believe sustainability is the key to better chocolate – both in flavour and in function. Our Cultivate Better program is built on four pillars all of which encompass our efforts across our organisation – at origin, in our communities and our operations – Protecting Flavour, Supporting People & Communities, Honourable Sourcing and Preserving the Environment. Our initiatives are interconnected, one part cannot flourish without the other, creating an integrated ecosystem designed for the long-lasting sustainability of the global cocoa and chocolate community. For example, at origin, we focus on improving yields without compromising flavour. As a result, generating flavour-based premiums and market access supports farm investments and builds long-term sustainability of the cocoa sector. Beyond sourcing, we’re continuing to push ourselves to be more sustainable in our operations, too. At our new production location in Fairfield we’ve installed solar panels and made the move to using 24% PCR materials in our film for packaging. But sustainability begins long before production, the finest chocolate begins with cocoa beans that are sourced for their quality and sustainability. Building a better business is our goal and that means continuing to self-reflect on what we can do better to be better.
What does a day in the life of your job role look like?
As a family business, we all wear lots of different hats. As Chief Marketing Officer, that’s a certain set of hats. Whether it’s calls with origin partners to discuss new programmes or production meetings with the internal team, finding time to review the latest trends, reading through the media and catching up with our chefs to run over any chocolate studio programming, events or demos. I’m in communication with our PR teams across the states and in Europe, bringing them up to speed on the latest product launch or media event we’re working together on. I also try to maintain our social community, engaging with comments and reposting interesting content. My day is always filled with lots of meetings and welcomed organic discussions that occur from being in the office with colleagues and being able to walk into the factory, which is just a few steps from my desk. We’re always open to new ideas and looking to see how we can continue to achieve the quality and ethos of our brand. Collaboration is key to making that happen.
What is the best advice you have received in your career and from whom?
Best advice: never be afraid to ask questions, always be willing to learn and seek inspiration from unassuming places.
Where do you see Guittard in the next 5 years?
I see us continuing to lead the industry by providing an array of sustainably-sourced and crafted premium and super-premium chocolate products that inspire our customers to think outside the box and take their offerings to the next level. I see us continuing to be an engaged member of the community and continuing to push ourselves to be a better business in all that we do. It’s our responsibility as a business and a family-run one at that.
Editorial contact:
Editor: Kiran Grewal kgrewal@kennedys.co.uk
