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About Us
Welcome to Good For Chocolate, a Pacific Northwest-based company founded in 2021 by Aliko Weste, a brand designer with a passion for natural foods. Inspired by a transformative trip to Guatemala, Aliko saw a need for accessible, sustainable, and equitable cacao in the Seattle area. Thus, Good For Chocolate was born, with the intention of bringing restoration, healing, and balance to a broken industry.
Together with his friend and Good For Chocolate's CFO Rachel Taylor, Aliko created a new opportunity in the chocolate industry that puts farmers first and corporate profits second. In the current chocolate industry, the average compensation for cacao growers is only 5% of profits. In contrast, GFC creates a 30% revenue stream for all farmers, supporting those who need it most. For us, equitable business starts in the foundation, and our mission lies in the bedrock - people, process, and sustainability.
We are committed to building a brand that not only tastes good but also does good. Our goal is to create distribution processes that make raw cacao accessible to chocolate lovers everywhere. We believe that cacao, in its natural form, is not only delicious but also has the potential to support biodiversity and protect the environment. We work directly with local farmers and producers to ensure that our products are grown and harvested sustainably, and we offer a range of raw, organic, permaculture-grown cacao products that reflect our values and commitment to quality.
Join us on our journey as we build a better chocolate industry, one that puts farmers and sustainability first. We invite you to try our products and to become a part of the Good For Chocolate community. Thank you for your support!
Best regards,
The Good For Chocolate Team
THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU OF AMERICA
We have been recently accredited by the better business Bureau of America as of November 2021! We are so honored to be participating in integrous business and are honored to be taking part in a global conversation to increase business standard for people and the planet.
Check out our Accreditation!
THE PROBLEM
1.
THE CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY
The chocolate industry is the number 1 source of child and slave labor next to coffee. The average chocolate companies pay their farmers in less than 5%.
3.
All major chocolate companies like Mars and Nestle grow their cacao as a mono crop. Like corn, or soy, it is damaging to the soil and ecosystems around them.
CHOCOLATE IS A MONOCROP
Chocolate is refined when you buy it in stores. It has been separated and exstracted from its original form multiple times before it even gets to the chocolate factories.
2.
CHOCOLATE IS REFINED
Our Team
Aliko is the founder and director of U Productions, a company that is dedicated to giving infinite opportunites to creatives in order to live in a world that we are proud to live in. Aliko does this in his every day life through event production, brand development, business coaching and more. Aliko became inspired by holistic cacao on his trip to Guatemala in December, 2020. His life was forever changed when he discovered the damaging effects of the cacao industry on people and nature. When he discovered what these farms were doing in Guatemala he swore to himself that he would make raw, organic, permaculture grown cacao available in the Pacific Northwest. He already knew how to build brands and businesses so he took on the adventure of founding Good for Chocolate. Once it's up and running, he intends to gift the business to someone who needs it more than he does. To learn more about Aliko, visit: www.weareuproductions.com/work-with-me
Kenneth Telesco is happy to be a supporter and Board Member of Good for Chocolate. Originally from New York, he's lived and played in many cities across the United States, with San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Austin and Seattle being some of his favorites. He's worked extensively in theatre as an actor, dancer, director, producer, stage manager, instructor and techie. He also has a long history of working in sales and for the last 15 years has represented the beautiful and locally produced Stickman Leather line of handmade products at Seattle's iconic Pike Place Market. He's recently worked on a multitude of political campaigns and elections across the country and this summer Kenneth will begin an intensive training program to become a Relationship Coach. A chocolate lover through and though, he's delighted to be supporting the vision of, Good for Chocolate.
Born and raised in the PNW, Rachel is an avid designer, writer and organization champion with extensive experience in workplace management. Based in Seattle, Washington, Rachel has made it her mission to bring equity and sustainability to existing industries while partnering with visionaries from around the globe in the pursuit of human equality. Rachel is currently studying to fulfill her lifelong dream of art directorship at The Denver Ad School.
Collaborations
Allison Gee has a Masters Degree in Holistic Business Administration and two Bachelor’s Degrees, in Theatre and in Early Education. She started at Good for Chocolate by volunteering to be the Instagram Wizard and then started selling chocolate at fair booths. She is passionate about getting smart cacao into the hands of the magical lands in the Pacific Northwest and hopes to help GFC grow and blossom with her many admin talents.
Heirloom Wellness
In short, Heirloom is a small pop up operated by a queer, African American femme, Brittani Anglin. Handmade products & genuinely crafted goods are currently the forefront of Heirloom.
Brittani began as an artist and designer making installations, macrame jewelry and home goods. She’s also created ceramic pieces throughout her 20s. Over the course of 8 years she has run an Etsy business, sold crafts at small vending markets, cafes and galleries along the west coast.
Heirloom Wellness is at its beginnings an evolution of her experience in sales and art. The desire and slow growth progression, is a stepping stone to a community wellness center with preventative care practices. In its future it intends to hold space for a retail shop, cafe, garden along with community rooms for workshops and events.
A root with many buds indeed!
Ways to support Heirloom: Follow and share @Heirloom.Wellness Instagram
