Debra Music and Joe Whinney – Doing Well While Doing Good; The Sweet Story of Theo Chocolate
Can something as simple as a bar of chocolate make a tangible difference in the world? Theo founder Joe Whinney, along with Vice President of Sales and Marketing Debra Music, channeled his long-standing love of chocolate to launch the county’s only organic, fair-trade chocolate factory in 2006. The two discussed what it takes to build a successful, ethical brand. And they passed out chocolate– to which the audience broke out in applause.
Healthy planet and thriving farmers + delicious chocolate + happy chocolate lovers = Theo
Joe served as a conservation volunteer in Central America in his early 20s. On his first day on the job, the foundation sent him into the forest with local farmers (and a shotgun, in case of snakes) to harvest cocoa. His job was to run after the pods of cocoa beans after the locals cut them off the tree. After harvesting the pods, they savored the seeds, and was at this point that his realization of chocolate’s potential was born.
Theo buys only 0.01% of the global cocoa but has still managed to be a disruptive force in the industry. Most chocolate eaters do not realize that there are chocolate makers and chocolate melters: only about 15 companies actually make the chocolate — most of the others just melt it and shape it. Theo, as both a maker and a melter, is the only organic, fair trade certified company in the country–to which the audience broke out in applause. “We’ve set a whole new standard for behavior,” says Debra.
The average cocoa farmer is malnourished and earns less than $1 a day; Theo’s practices illuminate their competitor’s exploitation of both the planet and the workers. Theo works closely with the farmers at origin, giving them the tools and education they need to grow quality pods. Most chocolate farmers have never tasted a chocolate bar and do not even know happens to the beans when they leave the farm. “Chocolate should be the kind of luxury that all of us should enjoy, but not so rare that the farmers can’t enjoy it,” Joe states.
Theo’s practices are both the ethical thing to do and a smart business move, as the farmers are happy and understand the company’s goals. This hands-on also approach means that the company knows the value of every supplier in the chain, allowing them to ensure both quality and integrity– to which the audience broke out in applause.
However, Debra and Joe recognize that while an organic label is great, consumers won’t buy again if they don’t love the product. Smart business moves are key in any business: knowing what your audience likes. This audience clearly enjoys chocolate.
–Helen Pitlick
Joe, you inspire me to be a better person.
Theo- A wonderful company with great people at the helm. The world needs more companies like this.
[...] show closed on a sweet note. Theo Chocolate’s Debra Music and Joe Whinney provided free chocolate for the audience to munch on while they talked about being the only [...]