Also joining Brad for our tour was Laura Sweitzer, Director of the TCHO Source Program, who had just returned from Ghana literally hours before our group arrived at the TCHO facility. Laura’s work centers on reimagining the chocolate industry through deep engagement with cacao-growing communities. She travels extensively to TCHO’s primary sourcing regions, including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, and Peru.
TCHO’s focus goes beyond flavor and bean quality. The company is committed to improving the entire growing and production process: how beans are harvested, fermented, dried, roasted, and moved through the supply chain. They place equal emphasis on supporting the people and communities involved in every step. Through TCHO Source, the company has established long-term partnerships designed to co-create better cacao that benefits producers, the chocolate industry, and consumers alike.
During the interactive tour of the factory floor, the group learned not only about cacao but also about how TCHO is working to reimagine the world of chocolate from the ground up. Unlike the coffee industry, the chocolate sector has been slower to adopt technology and modern best practices. Over the past decade, TCHO has drawn inspiration from coffee innovators and developed its own program, TCHO Source, to partner with cacao producers and research institutions worldwide in pursuit of a better cacao bean and, ultimately, better chocolate.
As our group navigated through the TCHO factory floor, attendees could readily see the attention to detail that the company and its employees place upon maintaining a clean and safe work environment. The production line was well organized and efficient, as workers attended to machines churning out chocolate squares at a steady cadence, ultimately dropping them from trays into bags where they would be packaged and ready for consumption.
East Bay EDA is excited for TCHO’s upcoming expansion and move to a new Berkeley location at the end of the year. The space will allow for a more seamless blend of retail and production, including a storefront near an active existing business corridor. We know that we won’t be the only ones looking forward to visiting their new facility in Spring 2027 once the transition is complete!
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