Corporate Social Responsibility
Montanos’ Chocolate Company has been instrumental in contributing to the income of our local cocoa producing communities by recognizing their essential role in the supply chain. Through the Machel Montano Foundation for Greatness, we provide cocoa producing communties with the tools they need to make chocolate from the cocoa that they grow.
The foundation supplies them with soft loans for machinery and training, helping them to develop the skills to chart a path the local retail market. Women form the majority of our workforce. Each community emerges from the process able to own and operate a sustainable business which immediately contributes to their families. This method allows for more income and employment to be generated within the community, making them more independent.
The young people from our cocoa communities really know the story of the bean and they are the best ambassadors for our promising futures. Look for their smiling faces at Montanos’ Chocolate Company samplings, taste tours and other activities.
With every purchase you support our joint effort to transform our cocoa sector. The possibilities are endless
Networks
We are keen to raise the profile of our product, spread the word about our bold flavors and to encourage and nurture our supportive community.
Since 2014 we have worked in partnership with the Alliance of Rural Communities (ARC) to transform the cocoa producing communities, to build connections between cocoa producers and cocoa lovers. We have conducted workshops and samplings together and we have had the opportunity to share our journey and transform the lives of others.
We have led and participated in community training at the annual World Cocoa and Chocolate Day held by the Cocoa Research Center of Trinidad and Tobago.
We attended the the North West Chocolate Festival in Seattle, Washington in 2014 and the Austrialian – Caribbean Cocoa Knowledge Sharing Symposium in 2018, where our director was part of a panel discussion and our team participated in multiple estate tours.