Analysis of Theo Chocolate’s Strategy
Name: Quynh Ho
CWID: 893 735 829
Professor: Yuna Kim
Class: Marketing 351
Date: May 21, 2013
Class Time: Tuesday 7:00pm-9:50pmIntroduction
Theo Chocolate was first established in March 2006 by Debra Music and Joe Whinney in the Fremont- neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (theochocolate.com, our story). For Theo, they want to do more than just chocolate. It is about the land, the people, the dedication, and the interconnected relationships that bind all of them together. That is why Joe Whinney- Theo’s founder- first pioneered the supply of organic cocoa beans into the United Strates in 1994. Traveling and working in the tropics of Central America and Africa, Joe fell in love with the land and
In 2013, Theo Chocolate together with ECI, is launching its first-ever series of chocolate bars made entirely from Congolese cocoa (easterncongo.org, Theo). The cocoa, vanilla and spicy peppers in these chocolate bars are all grown in eastern Congo by dedicated organic farmers focused on quality and sustainability. A portion of the proceeds from these chocolate bars will be donated to ECI, so that Congolese cocoa farmers can continue to improve their crops and strengthen their businesses, ultimately helping to lift thousands of Congolese people out of poverty, giving farming families the opportunity to send their kids to school, and improving their access to healthcare.
Moreover, Theo Chocolate also teamed up with Registered Dietitian Nichole Dandrea to create organic, fair trade 100% vegan dark chocolate confections. According to World Cocoa Foundation, people around the world enjoy chocolate in thousands of different forms, consuming more than 3 million tons of cocoa. The number proves that there is a large amount of chocolate lovers. However, most people know that eating chocolate will cause some side effects such as diabetes, overstimulation, calories, headache, and other serious illnesses because of sugars added to the cocoa. Therefore, consumers are seeking for healthier organic vegan chocolate. Knowing the customers’ worry, Theo’s founder wanted to create