Tcho Chocolate Case Study

Introduction

Chocolate is derived from the cocoa bean grown on the Theobroma cacao tree through an extensive process consisting of harvest, fermentation, drying, roasting and manufacturing to develop the chocolate we all know and love. Cocoa plays a significant role in many people’s lives from the farmers to the consumers and all the production workers in between. Cocoa is mainly grown between the belts of 15-20 degrees on the equator and in countries with a humid tropical climate with an average of 1000-2500mm of rain and temperatures ranging between 21-23 degrees Celsius for optimum growth. The countries that produce the most amount of cocoa include Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Africa and Ghana, Africa where they combine and account for

The Tcho Chocolate Company established in 2005 and based in San Francisco, California, USA is an example of the use of internet and applications to enhance their farmer’s ability to produce chocolate resulting in a better taste for the consumer. They facilitate the changes occurring in technology by establishing miniature test labs on the farms in which they source their cocoa beans from, these test labs consist of household appliances such as hairdryers for the drying of the cocoa and coffee and spice grinders to grind the cocoa up allowing it to be made into chocolate. The farmers then get a basic education in distinguishing the different flavours and qualities of the cocoa they are growing and to report back to the company via the app they have developed called cropster. This simple system and way of sharing the notes they have recorded on the quality of the chocolate then enables them to grow a better crop with minimal problems allowing for more successful production. Tcho also incorporates the use of internet and facilitates globalisation by the mailing of chocolate samples of new recipes to the people that sign up on their