In the Spotlight To defend
ean and Ellie Thompson, the progressive mother-daughter team behind Seattle Chocolate, share their story behind the impactful Women in Chocolate initiative with Kennedy’s Confection Editor, Kiran Grewal. Founded to address the gender inequality within the chocolate supply chain, this initiative focuses on empowering women across the cocoa-growing regions by offering aimed at promoting sustainable farming practices and diversifying incomes. Through their work, Jean and Ellie have brought attention to the challenges faced by women in cocoa farming communities, particularly in Ghana, where the Women for Chocolate program is creating meaningful change. By partnering with local organizations, Seattle Chocolate is helping provide much-needed resources such as water with a focus on female empowerment. In this interview, Jean Thompson, CEO of Seattle Chocolate, shares the inspiration behind the Women for Chocolate program in Ghana, the key challenges faced during implementation, and the successes that have emerged. Ellie Thompson, Seattle Chocolate’s visiting the farmers and how this initiative has shaped her perspective on ethical sourcing and sustainability. Together, they offer an authentic viewpoint at the program’s impact
16 Kennedy’s Confection October 2024
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Seattle Chocolate’s Women for Chocolate initiative is making meaningful change in Ghana’s cocoa communities. Jean and Ellie Thompson, the mother-daughter duo at the helm, share their journey with Kennedy’s Confection Editor, Kiran Grewal.
and their vision for a future where women in the chocolate industry thrive.
What was the inspiration behind launching the Women for Chocolate program in Ghana? Jean Thompson: We have always wanted to help the farmers in Ghana where our cocoa for our Seattle Chocolate milk and white chocolates are sourced. Because of the way the government is set up in Ghana, you cannot trade directly with the farmers to ensure they are being paid well. We worked with Specialty Cocoa and Chocolate consultants to ask the farmers what would be
most helpful. They replied water, a seedling were able to secure a partnership with an NGO in Ghana called Rikolto and a Belgian government backed grant that they are implementing to help Ghanaian farmers by partnering with private companies. All our products donate 10% of net the funds to Ghana, and they generously donation to farmers in Ghana. We selected an organic coop in remote eastern Ghana called Three Mountains Cocoa because they had the necessary organization and infrastructure to work with Rikolto to implement the programs. It’s been even more gratifying because we are importing 150K pounds of cocoa from this very chocolate making it a win-win in every way.
Could you share some key challenges and successes you encountered while implementing the Women for Chocolate program?
We’ve always wanted to help the farmers in Ghana where our cocoa is sourced. Through Women for Chocolate, we’re not
just funding projects—we’re changing lives by giving tools to build sustainable futures.” - Jean Thompson, CEO, Seattle Chocolate
KennedysConfection.com
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