“Flavorless, high-yielding trees are not the only option in the fight against the global degradation of cacao. Numerous specialty chocolate manufacturers and chocolatiers whose livelihood depends on fine-flavored cocoa have come together to work with local farmers on every continent to preserve heirloom cacao. That’s what the HCP supports.”
​– Gary Guittard, President of the Guittard Chocolate Company

​The HCP’s success is not possible without the relentless commitment of many extraordinary people and agencies.  We want to recognize the work of the scientists, farmers, chocolate makers, industry experts, businesses, and chocolate enthusiasts who make this initiative possible.

HCP Tasting Panel

The HCP's rigorous evaluation process begins with anonymous cacao bean samples, uniformly transformed into chocolate at the historic Guittard Chocolate Company.

​A highly skilled international tasting panel, composed of ten experts with over 15 years of experience each, conducts a blind flavor analysis. These connoisseurs, collectively possessing over 250 years of expertise, meticulously assess each sample for exceptional flavor profiles.

The objective of our tasting panel is to identify cacao with specific genetics or combined genetics and terroir that has complex and distinctive positive flavors that do not normally exist in cacao found in the world.

Current HCP Tasting Panel Members

Rest in Peace to a Cacao Legend

EDWARD SEGUINE
​Seguine Cacao, Cocoa, and Chocolate Advisors (US), Tasting Panel Lead

​Photo: Cacao of Excellence

Guittard Chocolate

The research and development lab at Guittard headquarters makes all of the chocolate for the HCP expert tasting panel to identify the finest flavor cacaos, with a goal of preserving and propagating them now and for future generations.

USDA-ARS

The idea for the HCP emerged in 2010 when Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA) representatives met with the USDA-ARS, which thought its lab could help the FCIA identify fine flavor cacao using the samples in the existing worldwide database. Shared concern led to instant action: in December 2011, the FCIA established a specific cooperative agreement with the USDA-ARS. Today, the USDA-ARS plays a key role in profiling the genetic flavor components of the bean samples we receive.  Using gas chromatography they measure and record the beans’ flavor profiles. Click here to learn more about the USDA-ARS.

HCP Founding Circle

Twenty-five chocolate companies and industry stakeholders, the vast majority of which were artisan and small independents, stepped up to provide funding in 2012 as Founding Circle members, allowing the HCP to officially launch in June 2012 and move forward.

Agostoni Chocolate	Chocodiem	Ecole Chocolat	Guittard Chocolate	Soma Chocolatemaker
Amano Chocolate	Chocolates El Rey	Flying Noir	Manufacturing Confectioner	SPAGnVOLA
Beth Tully	Dandelion Chocolate	Fran’s Chocolates	Marañón Chocolate	TCHO
Blommer Chocolate Company	​De Vries Chocolate	Glacier Confection	Mars, Inc.	The Art of Chocolate
Choclatique	​Dessert Professional	Gnosis Chocolate	Mary Jo Stojak	​the C-spot