I just stumbled across a pretty cool chocolate company called TCHO. Apparently TCHO (from San Francisco…where else!) is leveraging the web to create chocolate with its consumers by asking them to provide direct feedback on their chocolate as they launch limited “beta editions”.
TCHO, founded by Wired magazine cofounder Louis Rossetto, seems to be starting-up the venture in a smart/eco, very silicon valley-esque way as well by using recycled and refurbished legacy chocolate equipment and then “mating it with the latest process control, information, and communications systems”.
TCHO’s touts their “m-cause” as: “the next step beyond Fair Trade - helping farmers by transferring knowledge of how to grow and ferment better beans so they can escape commodity production to become premium producers”. I did not see more on this program within the site, but I am giving TCHO the benefit of the doubt…I assume that TCHO already has, or will have, a very cool program around their next generation Fair Trade concept to show off at some point.
TCHO’s product packaging is cool and minimalist. And, the consumer co-development idea is a fun way to drive interest in an age-old product. Good luck TCHO!
P.S. I would love to get my hands on one of the Beta versions, but sadly I am in Geneva, Switzerland and they don’t seem to deliver over here just yet… 
Ryan Jones is interested in marketing and good causes. He currently works in Global Brand Management at Procter & Gamble and resides in Geneva, Switzerland.
3 Comments
Very cool concept! Would love to get me some of that - let’s investigate how we can import a friend pack when you’re back from vacation
Judging by the number of responses on their web site, it looks like the concept will work. You also really get the passion these people feel about their product. And the web site has such a nice community feel. Like you’re all part of one big chocolate loving family. Makes you want to buy from them for that reason alone. The testing feels like someone you know, who knows how to make chocolate, inviting you into the kitchen to try it out tell them what you think. Very good social media marketing. (Hmmm — probably worth a comment on my blog.)
As a chocoholic, I love this. Thanks for the tip, Ryan.
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