BIG INTERVIEW
The chocolate industry has seen major shifts in consumer expectations — from origin transparency to flavour exploration. How is Guittard responding to these new trends while staying true to its craft? AG: People’s appreciation of flavour and origin is certainly increasing. We source beans for their flavour and sustainability credentials, and our long- lasting relationships with growers enable a collaboration where flavour is prioritised.
Guittard has deep ties to the professional and artisan community. How important are collaborations, like the one with Paul A. Young and Lucie Bennett, in continuing to push the boundaries of chocolate craft? AG: Our relationship with our professional community is incredibly important to us as a company and comes first from a place of friendship. Chefs and pastry chefs such as Samin Nosrat, Liz Pruitt from Tartine, Alice Medrich and Emily Luchetti and Delia Gossett from Spago are born through a love of food, chocolate, creativity and crafting. We always say our customers make us a better company – they push us to think differently about what we do and why we do it. Paul and Lucie have long supported the
brand in the UK, and at our latest event, their expertise was extremely valuable to us to communicate the usability and versatility of our couvertures through Paul, as a chocolatier and Lucie as a pastry chef.
As Chief Marketing Officer — and a fifth- generation family member — how do you balance the legacy of the Guittard name with the need to innovate and stay relevant globally? AG: As a fifth-generation family member, I feel a deep responsibility to honour the
values that have guided Guittard for over 150 years — craftsmanship, curiosity, and integrity. At the same time, those values naturally push us to innovate. My role is really about holding both: preserving what makes us who we are, while continuously asking how we can do better for our partners, for farmers, and for the planet. The balance comes from staying close to
where the world is going while staying rooted in where we’ve come from. We don’t innovate for the sake of novelty; we innovate to deepen flavour, strengthen communities, and make chocolate that has both purpose and soul. That sense of stewardship —carrying the past forward into the future— is at the heart of my job.
How do you see the role of education and masterclasses like this one in helping chefs and chocolatiers better understand and work with chocolate? AG: Sharing our expertise to empower others to enjoy our chocolate in the best way they can is part of our craft. To that end we want to support our customers to get the very best out of the chocolate that we supply and help them to create amazing desserts and bakes. We offer plenty of information on our
website on the fundamentals of using each of our couvertures along with the best applications for each: https://www.
guittard.com/professional We also have a series of instructional
videos on techniques on Vimeo: https://
vimeo.com/guittardchocolate
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, what excites you most about the direction Guittard — and the wider chocolate industry — is heading? AG: Oh wow; this is a big question. We always say: there’s never a dull moment in cocoa so there’s lots of exciting things. Always. I think consumers are becoming more educated about flavour, percentages, and exploring new ways of integrating chocolate into their recipes. This has pushed us to think about how we can continue to expand our offerings to consumers and chefs alike to ensure that we’re giving them the tools to take their desserts, confections and bakes to the next level. I also think an appreciation for premium chocolate is on the rise as well as a respect for all that goes into making fine chocolate – from the cacao farmer, to the crafting process. Respecting that entire supply-chain has never been more at the forefront of people’s purchase decisions than now. And it’s an exciting moment.
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2025/26 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • 13
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