April 1, 2014 Who We Are: The Super Premium Brand at the Right - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

April 1, 2014

Who We Are: The Super Premium Brand at the Right Price

The Chocolate for Experts • Guittard is the family-owned chocolate maker that is passionate about crafting the highest-quality chocolate, providing the best service and setting new standards for the industry. • We offer bakers and chocolate aficionados high-quality chocolate for all of their baking needs. Crafted from recipes passed down for five-generations and made from the best beans sourced from around the world. Our Values • Quality | Credible, Authentic, Uncompromising • Exploration | Discovery, Artistry, Innovation • Integrity | Trust, Reliability, Partnership • Tradition | Heritage, Responsibility, Sustainability

Key Attributes • NON GMO – Non GMO Project Certification In Process • All Natural • Kosher Certified • Peanut and Gluten Free • Licensed by Fairtrade Labeling Organization • Source cocoa beans that are Rainforest Alliance Certified • SQF-Level 2 Certified

Sustainability and Community Involvement

Our Local and Global Communities • At Guittard, we believe that what we make and how we make it affects the social, economic and environment landscape within our global and local communities. • We are committed to global efforts toward sustainability. Preserving the environment and the well being of the people within cocoa-growing regions is a top priority. • In addition to our active involvement in the global community, we are also committed to giving back to our local community through in-kind donations and service.

Supply Chain • Guittard Chocolate products are created from cocoa beans that are sourced from around the world for their quality and their sustainability. • We pay a premium well over the market value for high quality cocoa beans, often double the US Cocoa Market, to ensure greater profit to the farmer and sustainability of the environment. • We purchase our beans through direct relationships with cocoa bean farmers and cooperatives, sometimes sourcing through agents that the farmers choose to represent their products. Through our direct relationships, our beans are fairly traded and fully traceable to farms committed to sustainable and fair farming practices.

Commitment on the Ground • We take several trips to origin a year; these trips give us an opportunity to connect with the cacao growers and discuss the quality of their beans. This direct relationship is key to finding ways to create a positive impact in the lives of our farmers. • Guittard works closely with cacao growers to develop premium-quality and fine-flavor beans . We continue this dialogue even when we’re back at home, educating farmers on how to continually improve their pre and post harvest techniques by making small-batches from sample lots and sharing with them so they can learn.

Clark Guittard and Gary Guittard along with Gary Guittard collaborating on a study Guittard Chocolate’s Plant Manager Rich on fermenting and drying at the Terhell and Sri Artham from Fair Trade USA University of the West Indies at CONACADO (Domincan Republic).

Plant Manager Rich Terhell, Clark, Gary Gary and Amy Guittard collaborating on and Amy Guittard, Assistant Manager Quality Control Dave Ward along with the fermentation and drying methods being used on a farm in the West Indies. members of the CONACADO COOP (Dominican Republic).

Gary, Jesse and Amy Guittard on a Amy visiting a school in the Dominican Republic. Fair Trade USA premiums have sourcing trip in Venezuela. contributed to the construction and operation of the school.

Gary assessing cacao Gary extracting beans Amy on a sourcing trip in pods on a farm in South during harvest in Ecuador. America. Venezuela.

World Cocoa Foundation We are a founding member of the World Cocoa Foundation and help fund several projects, including: Empowering Cocoa Households with Opportunities and Education Solutions (ECHOES) • Strengthens cocoa-growing communities by expanding opportunities for youth and young adults through education. Cocoa Livelihoods Program (CLP) • Increases farmer income while strengthening local service capacity, through three main objectives: Improve market efficiency and build capacity of farmers and farmer organizations; improve production and quality of cocoa at the farm level; improve farmers’ competitiveness on diversified farms.

Heirloom Cocoa Preservation Initiative • Founding member of the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Initiative. • Partnership between The FCIA and The USDA/ARS. • The HCPI Seeks to identify the finest flavor cacaos, linking their flavor to genetics for natural reproduction, preserving and propagating them now and for future generations all the while recognizing and rewarding the growers who cultivate them so they are not lost to high-yielding and disease- resistant clones and instead can preserve the diversity of cocoa flavor.

Certifications • Fair Trade • Increasing our partnership with Fair Trade USA • Certifying an expanded list of retail and foodservice items • Rainforest Alliance • Continue to certify items based on customer demand • Organic Certification of select items • Non GMO Project certification in process • Pursuing third-party certification of retail and foodservice items